Best of the Best of Canadian Citations – Canada Business Directory

December 1st, 2010 by Search Influence Alumni

Canada Business Directory Image

The choice of local citation sources in Canada is sparse, especially when comparing the sheer amount available for use in America. Here at Search Influence, we figured we’d do our part and help out our neighbors to the north by doing a bit of research into the most valuable directories available to them. Before we get to the list, let’s first explain a little about the method we used to rank them.

PageRank

PageRank is a complicated algorithm that Google uses to measure the relative importance of a site when determining how it should rank within search results. The way it does this is by analyzing how many sites link to it and, more importantly, the strength of these sites. In other words, a site with one high-ranking site linking to it can have a higher PR than one that has multiple lower ranking sites pointing to it.

If I were a math wiz, I might be able to explain how this algorithm works. Unfortunately I’m not, so I’ll just trust Wikipedia’s explanation: “The PageRank conferred by an outbound link is equal to the document’s own PageRank score divided by the normalized number of outbound links L( )” Or in other words,

Canadian Business Directory Image

mozRank

mozRank and PageRank both measure the same thing. However, mozRank is generally said to be more accurate in its results. For example, a directory with a PR of 7 may have a mR of 6.15. Generally, any site that has a PR above 5 will typically be undervalued in its mR, as displayed above.

Citations

A citation is any time a business’s name, address, and phone number are listed on the web. Similar to PR, it’s not just about the number of citations a business has, but the trust of these citations as well. Using the local citation finder from WhiteSpark, we used three different keywords to crawl high-ranking local listings and found how many times these directories were listed as citation sources.

Now, on to the findings! The top 10 Canadian citation source according to Search Influence:

YellowPages.ca

This one is the clear winner, and this should come as no surprise. It’s tied for the highest PageRank with 8, and has the second highest mozRank with 6.8. The reason this one is chosen for the top spot is because it has way more citations than the number two position. Its high Page and mozRank, coupled with the citations you’ll receive from it make this an invaluable source for your business’s listing. Only thing required to get listed is a business line registration from the Canadian YellowPages.

BBB.org/Canada

This directory isn’t specific to Canada, but it still holds high value due to its PageRank of 8, as well as its mozRank of 7.38. However, it has a comparatively pitiful number of citations with only 10. The sheer weight that a link and/or citation from the Better Business Bureau provides makes for a great resource.  The only way to get listed is by contacting the Vice President for Business Relations.

CanPages.ca

Very similar to look and layout of YellowPages, this directory is nearly as distinguished. PangeRank of 7 and mozRank of 6.15, we found a whopping 40 citations using WhiteSpark. Sign up here.

WebLocal.ca

With a PageRank of 6, a higher mozRank (which is pretty rare, I’ve found) of 6.5. and 27 citations found, this is another notable directory. Sign up now.

411.ca

Similar to America’s use of 411. PageRank – 7; mozRank – 5.63; Citations – 14. It may have a higher PageRank than WebLocal, but it gets beat out in the other two stats. Still, I wouldn’t pass the chance to get listed here.

GoldBook.ca

Another one trying to follow in the footsteps of YellowPages. PageRank – 7; mozRank 6.4; Citations – 7. It’s on the lower-end of the number of citations, but it’s the only other one with rankings that can compare to the above.

Yelp.ca

PageRank – 6; mozRank – 4.23; Citations – 17. Just as in the States, every business should be listed on Yelp. No doubt about it. Get listed now.

iBegin.com

PageRank – 6; mozRank – 6.05; Citations – 12. Submit you business here.

ProfileCanada.com

PageRank – 6; mozRank – 6.12; Citations – 5. You have to complete a downloadable form to sign up.

ZipLocal.ca

PageRank – 5; mozRank – 5.06; Citations – 16. High citations number. Too bad we can’t say the same for the rankings. Still, a valuable directory that I would not hesitate to get listed in.

So that’s it! Submit your business to these directories and watch your rankings climb!