BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Northern Ireland's Premier Business Directory has been revamped to improve search functionality, provide 40,000 businesses with free listings, and to provide a fresh new look and feel.

The website - www.localni.com - is different to other business directories in that:

• it has quality search engine rankings with all the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing;
• it enables businesses to really boost their online presence by taking advantage of the huge audiences found on social media channels.

The service (aimed at SMEs as well as sole traders) provides unique benefits unavailable with some other business directories. With the Premier Listing service, these include:

• tailoring a listing to the target keywords people are actually searching for;
• receiving genuine sales leads from local consumers delivered via email;
• the ability to add offers or events to the business profile at any time, with Local NI promoting these socially;
• announcing and promoting a business to an exclusive Facebook group (currently with 10,000 members);
• showcasing the latest products, services and news on the Local NI blog;
• generating B2B enquiries from the Local NI LinkedIn group;
• the business logo and some products being pinned to the Local NI Pinterest board:
• members only downloadable e-books full of online marketing tips to help businesses boost their online presence.

"For business owners who want all the benefits of social media, but either don't know where to start or simply don't have the time to do this, Local NI is the solution," says George McGonigal from the website.

"Businesses can leverage our years of experience in this field, getting their company in front of lots of potential clients almost immediately, without having to improve their SEO rankings or build followers on social media - activities which can take time, skill and money.

"Local NI offers a high ranking and well-visited website as well as hugely popular social media groups. We've done all the hard work for business owners, they can simply sign up to become a member and start benefiting almost straight away."

Summarising, Mr. McGonigal says: "We feel that the established web directories in Northern Ireland have not kept pace with the times and fully embraced the opportunities social media brings. Businesses are missing out on the response that can be achieved through social channels as well as traditional search. LocalNI.com fills that gap in being the first directory with a big social presence which our members can benefit from.

"Businesses should consider us their partner in search and social - the more information they send us about their business, the more we can promote them."

To find out more, visit Local NI at: http://www.localni.com

Contact:
+44 790 555 6173

PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/12078201

SOURCE Local NI