How to Build a Directory Submission Strategy
A sequencing framework for directory work: what to do first, what to skip, and how to know when you are done.
Introduction
Most directory advice is a list. A strategy is different: it decides the order, the stopping point, and what you will deliberately not do.
The failure mode this framework is designed to prevent is treating directory work as a completeness exercise. Listing on everything available is not a strategy, it is an absence of one, and it produces a long tail of stale profiles nobody maintains.
Evidence base
Evidence base: 295 of 295 verified directories in the PetroHrys dataset inform this framework. Every figure and table on this page is generated from those records at build time. Fields that were never established are shown as Unknown rather than filled in.
Decision framework
- Fix the record you already have. If the company is incorporated, a statutory register entry exists and will be read during diligence. Confirming it is accurate costs nothing.
- List where your buyer already looks. One or two directories your actual buyers consult beat ten they do not. Each directory page here records which audiences it accepts.
- Take the free tier everywhere it is genuinely free. 28 of the verified directories state a free submission model. These cost only time.
- Stop. Set a number of listings in advance and stop at it. Add more only when a specific listing has a specific purpose.
- Assign an owner. An unowned listing goes stale, and a stale profile reads worse than no profile.
Comparison
| Directory | Country | Category | Scope | Submission | Verification required | Review system | PetroHrys Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Companies House Register | united-kingdom | government | national | Not a submission target | Yes | No | 95 |
| Tenders Electronic Daily | european-union | government | supranational | Not a submission target | Unknown | No | 94 |
| ABN Lookup | australia | government | national | Not a submission target | Yes | No | 93 |
| Search ASIC registers | australia | government | national | Not a submission target | Yes | No | 92 |
| Register of Charities (England and Wales) | united-kingdom | government | subnational | Not a submission target | Unknown | No | 92 |
| DPMAregister | germany | government | national | Not a submission target | Unknown | No | 92 |
| BODACC | france | government | national | Not a submission target | Unknown | No | 92 |
| Canadian Trademarks Database | canada | government | national | Not a submission target | Unknown | No | 91 |
| FDIC BankFind Suite | united-states | finance | national | Not a submission target | Unknown | No | 91 |
| L'Annuaire des Entreprises | france | government | national | Not a submission target | Yes | No | 91 |
| Veřejný rejstřík a Sbírka listin | czech-republic | government | national | Not a submission target | Yes | No | 91 |
| Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy | poland | government | national | Not a submission target | Unknown | No | 91 |
Advantages recorded across these directories
- Primary legal source for UK company data
- Free public access to filings
- It is the official publication venue for European procurement notices, so a notice there is the authoritative published text rather than a re-listing.
- Access is free and anonymous, and the site says so in its own words rather than leaving a reader to discover it.
- Coverage spans the European Union and the European Economic Area and beyond, with thousands of notices published every working day.
- Free, no login required
Disadvantages recorded across these directories
- Companies House states it does not verify the accuracy of filed information
- It is a notice database, not a supplier register, a tender-submission system or a funding portal, and it should not be used as any of those.
- A published notice records what a buyer announced. It is not a record of who won, unless a separate award notice was also published.
- The site cautions that only electronically signed notices published in the Supplement to the Official Journal are authentic.
- Publication establishes nothing about a supplier’s eligibility or standing. A notice records that a buyer announced a contract, not that any bidder qualifies for it.
- Limited to publicly disclosable ABR fields
Recommendations
Sequence matters more than volume. The register first because it is read by default, then the small set your buyers consult, then the free tier, and then stop. Revisit on a schedule rather than continuously.
When not to use this
- Businesses hoping directory listings alone will produce demand. They are a trust and discovery layer, not a channel.
- Anyone buying bulk submission services. Those target directories deliberately excluded from this dataset.
Frequently asked questions
How many directories should we target?
Fewer than most submission services suggest. A statutory register, one or two review platforms your buyers read, and the marketplaces native to your product category cover most of the value.
How long does approval take?
This dataset does not say. Typical approval time is null for every record because it cannot be established without submitting to each directory, and publishing an estimate would be inventing it.
Related guides
Editorial references
Every directory named here has its own page recording what was verified, when, by whom and from which source. Scoring is documented in How the PetroHrys Score Works, and the verification standard in How Directories Are Verified.