How to write a business description for a directory listing

A directory listing gives a reader a few seconds. They see your name, your category, your town, and a short description. The description is the only part that explains what your business does.

Most owners write it last and write it fast. The result is a line like “We are passionate about quality and customer service.” That sentence tells a reader nothing. It could describe a plumber, a bakery, or a bank.

Use the steps below to write a description that answers the reader’s real question: can this business help me?

Say what you do and where you do it

Open with your business type and your town. Then list the main services or products. End with the people you serve.

Here is a plain pattern: [Type of business] in [town]. We [main service], [second service], and [third service] for [type of customer].

A filled-in sample looks like this: “Landscaping company in Salmon Arm. We mow lawns, install irrigation, and build retaining walls for homes and small businesses in Salmon Arm, Sicamous, and Enderby.”

That is two sentences. A reader knows the trade, the services, the customers, and the service area.

Use the words customers search

Customers do not search for your slogan. They search for “irrigation installer,” “wedding cake,” or “snow tire change.” Write those terms in your description exactly as a customer would type them.

If you offer ten services, name the three that bring in the most work. A short list reads better than a long one. You can list the rest on your own website.

Name the towns you serve

The Okanagan Shuswap covers many communities. A customer in Penticton does not want a business that only works in Salmon Arm. List the towns you actually serve, such as Vernon, Armstrong, Kelowna, or Sicamous.

Do not list the whole region if you do not travel to all of it. A false service area costs you time on calls that go nowhere.

Keep every claim true

State facts you can prove. Years in business, a trade license, a certification, and a family name behind the company are all fair to include if they are true.

Skip claims such as “the best in the valley” or “lowest prices.” Nobody can check them, and readers have learned to ignore them. A specific fact earns more trust than a big claim. “Serving Vernon homes since 2008” is stronger than “experienced professionals,” as long as the date is correct.

Leave out details that change

Some details go out of date quickly. Once they do, they hurt your listing.

Leave these out of the description:

• Prices and discounts
• Hours (use the hours field if the listing has one)
• Sale dates and seasonal promotions
• Phone numbers and email addresses (use the contact fields)
• Staff names, unless the person owns the business

If a detail will change within a year, give it its own field or place it on your website.

Match your other online profiles

Directories, social pages, and your website should all agree. Use the same business name, spelling, phone number, and address everywhere. Do not write “Smith Plumbing Ltd.” in one place and “Smith Plumbing and Heating” in another.

Your Google listing needs the same care. Our guide to setting up a Google Business Profile covers the business name rules and the description field there. Write one strong description, then adjust it to fit each platform’s length limit.

Compare a weak and a strong description

Here is a weak description:

“We are passionate about quality and customer service. Call us today for the best deals in the valley!”

It has no trade, no town, no service, and no fact. The phone number is missing from the text, and the reader cannot tell what the business sells.

Here is the stronger version:

“Landscaping company in Salmon Arm. We mow lawns, install irrigation, and build retaining walls for homes and small businesses in Salmon Arm, Sicamous, and Enderby.”

The second version is shorter in spirit and longer in facts. Every phrase tells the reader something.

Pick a length and a voice

Aim for two to four sentences. Write in the first person plural (“we”) or the third person, and stay with one choice. Use short sentences and everyday words. Avoid slang and avoid exclamation marks.

Read the draft aloud. If a sentence sounds like a billboard, rewrite it. Then hand it to someone outside your business. Ask them to tell you what you sell and where you work. If they answer correctly, the description does its job.

Check the rest of the listing

A good description works best next to good details. Confirm your phone number, your website address, and your category. Choose the category that matches your main service, not the one that sounds biggest.

Add clear photos if the listing allows them. A local photographer can shoot a set of your storefront, your team, and your work. Our lists of photographers in the Okanagan Shuswap and Vernon photographers can help you find one.

Review the description each season and each time your services change. A listing that mentions a service you dropped, or leaves out one you added, sends the wrong customers to your door.