Choose the customers and area first
A Corn Exchange retailer, a Headingley salon and a plumber working around Morley do not need identical promotion. Start with how customers find and use your service, then choose listings that make that next step easier.
Be precise about your base and coverage. If you travel to customers, name the neighbourhoods or wider area you reliably serve without presenting a service area as a chain of staffed branches.
Make your core details dependable
Use your real trading name, a working website and a public business telephone number. If customers visit you, give an accurate public-facing address; if visits need an appointment, say so clearly.
Keep those essentials consistent with your own website. Do not publish a home address unnecessarily or create duplicate entries with different names simply to target extra search phrases.
Build a relevant mix of platforms
Your own website is the place to explain your work in depth. An eligible Google Business Profile can help people searching Google and Maps, while relevant local directories, trade bodies and professional registers offer other routes to discovery.
A market trader may also benefit from the market’s own trader information, while a shop in an arcade should check the landlord’s current business list. Choose places that real customers use; listings do not guarantee rankings, enquiries or sales.
Write a description that answers practical questions
Explain your actual services, the customer they suit and useful details such as booking, delivery, fitting, access or the areas you cover. Choose category and service tags that match your work instead of ticking everything available.
Use a clear logo or a photograph you have permission to share. Avoid copied reviews, unsupported superlatives and images taken from another company’s website. Specific, accurate information gives people a better reason to contact you.
Add or improve your Leeds Directory listing
Search the directory before submitting another entry. New Standard listings are free to submit and reviewed before publication. The owner contact email stays private unless public display is explicitly selected.
If your business appears already, use its update options or contact the publisher. Review your number, address and services whenever they change; a maintained listing is more useful than an abandoned duplicate.
Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
More local guides
- About Leeds: the centre, waterfront and neighbourhoods
- Things to do in Leeds: the waterfront, parks and independent culture
- Leeds community contacts: council services, travel and local connections
- Shopping in Leeds: Kirkgate Market, arcades and independent neighbourhoods