Directory App Builder

Local Business Directory App Maker

The Local Business Directory App Builder from the no-code platform Appy Pie is unique and has gained massive popularity among developers due to the following reasons:

• App in Minutes: Create a local business directory app builder in just a few minutes as opposed to months of traditional app development.
• Needs No Coding Skills: You do not need to learn to code or hire a skilled programmer to make a local business directory app with Appy Pie.
• Publish on Leading App Stores: Publish your local business directory apps on Apple’s App Store and iTunes Store for your businesses and customers.
• App Monetization: Your Appy Pie apps can be easily monetized with ads. You can earn from your apps even while you sleep.
• Real-time Analytics: By publishing your app on app stores, you get real-time App Analytics. Make changes to improve customer engagement and retention.

The cloud-based mobile app maker from Appy Pie has an integrated local business directory API to empower developers to create the next generation of store finder, restaurant locator, and city guide apps for both Android and iOS in minutes. Appy Pie’s Directory API app can be made without coding, and for a fraction of the money it takes to create a directory app from scratch. This is a unique API for app developers to connect localized offline stores with their local audience, and comes with the following advanced features:

• Categorized listings: Add categories, subcategories, and detailed listings with options to sort them alphabetically or by date.
• Icons: Add meaningful category Icons to signify what the category name means and what listings people should expect in them.
• Standard Search: The standard search lets users search local businesses and stores by address or postal code.
• Local Business Search: This feature will auto-detect the users’ location and display the listings closest to them.
• Multiple Distance Units: You can add distances in Km or in Miles depending on the area or preferences of the vendors or app users.
• Street View: You can add a street view display for enhanced user experience.
• CSV: Your local business directory app will have a built-in Bulk CSV Upload feature making it quick and easy to add data from any device.
• Rating & Reviews: This feature lets your app users rate the services or businesses they have used and leave genuine reviews for fellow app users and help them make an informed decision.
• Coupon & Passbook Support: Appy Pie’s local business app builder comes with integrated coupons along with Passbook support.
• One Touch Call: Add the contact numbers for local businesses and let the customers connect with them using the one-touch call feature.
• OpenTable Integration: Integrating third party apps like OpenTable into your local business directory app lets you create a more efficient restaurant finder for the local foodies.

Explore Appy Pie’s Directory App Builder!

How to create a Local Business directory app?

Mobile devices are used for a lot more than just calling or getting in touch with people through messaging. It is a window into the digital lifestyle. In fact, in 2019, 80% of the users searched the internet using a mobile device. Add to it the fact that 40% of the online transactions happen through mobile devices and you know how important mobile devices are, for a business.

Have you ever thought about creating a Local Business directory app? This post will give you an introduction to location-based directory app, help you understand how to build a Local Business app using no code location-based directory app builders.

Further, we will talk about types of location-based directory apps and the top features for location-based directory apps.

What is a directory app?

A directory app is an app that shows business listings by categories to the audiences or app users. Additional features may allow a location-based search to the app users which makes more sense, considering the fact that mobile voice searches are 300% more likely to be location-specific.

Why should you create a location-based directory app?

Let’s start with an interesting fun fact! It is predicted that by the year 2021, mobile devices will account for $1.4 trillion in location-based sales. This is why you should create a directory app for your online directory listings.

Gets more customers

When you create a directory listing app for your online business directory, you have the unique advantage of creating a space for yourself on their beloved smartphones. A directory app makes you more approachable and easily available to your audience without them investing anything.

Increases brand awareness

Creating a business directory app involves establishing a strong brand presence and when your app icon or the logo for your directory listing app gets a special space on the app users’ device screen. As the app users see the brand logo on their screens intermittently, they associate with the app more, and engage more with it.

“Did you know that 20% millennials open an app at least 50 times in a day?”

Establishes better connection

When you create a location-based directory app, you ensure more targeted content for the app users. This, in turn, creates a better connection with the app users. If a user is looking for a hotel or a vacation rental in a certain area, a location-based directory app presents options in that area only!

Helps reward loyalty

A location-based directory app not only encourages loyalty among the users, but also lets businesses dole out rewards for choosing their listing over others. Retaining existing users can prove to be quite a challenge, but with the targeted information and check-ins, you are better equipped to reward loyalty.

Collects valuable data for deeper analysis

This is one unique feature that you get, when you create an app for your online directory. You get access to valuable and relevant data that is actionable. This includes the numbers related to how many people searched for a certain service in a particular area, how many availed a certain service, which businesses were picked over others, etc. This comes in handy when you are trying to ascertain whether your marketing strategy is on the right track.

Types of Local Business directory apps

Real estate directory apps

It is possible to create a directory app for realtors and use location-based features to make the content relevant to the app users. You can then invite realtors or agencies to join in and put up property listings that can be viewed by the app users as per the location they select.

Events directory apps

This can be a directory app with multiple categories or a niche directory listing app for events. A location-based directory app for events can help the event marketers connect with a geo-targeted audience.

Job directory apps

A job directory app enabled with the location-based features can list out job opportunities according to the location entered by the job seekers. This not only helps the app users but is also a great feature for businesses who are planning to get new employees on-board.

Hotel/Restaurant directory apps

Hotel or restaurant directory apps can be used by businessmen in the food industry to get more customers by simply listing their establishment on the app. The location-based feature helps the restaurants cater specifically to the audience that is ideal for them.

City directory apps

These apps act as city guides including a variety of niche listings like food directory or restaurant listings, business listings, vacation homes or holiday rental listings and more. The experience of this app can further be improved with a location-based feature so that app users can find services in their proximity.

Classifieds directory apps

Classifieds used to be one of the most resourceful sections in the newspapers, but they have now found space in the digital world, particularly in Local Business directory apps. You can build them using no-code business directory app builders. Listing classified products on a Local Business directory app can help businesses reach interested customers in proximity.

Travel directory apps

Travel directories are created with the intent to persuade a visitor to travel instead of just listing out locations for information. These guides may often be paired with blogs, can be specifically about one location, or serve a certain niche (like luxury or backpackers).

Yellow pages directory apps

The big fat yellow pages books were replaced with online yellow pages, and now a Yellow Pages location-based directory app has taken its place. No code Local Business app builders are great for this and can help you create a Yellow Pages directory app that gives refined listings to the app users and brings quality leads for businesses.

Business directory apps

A directory that showcases various business listings to app users can be created for varied audiences, for example limited to a geographic location or for the global audience, for niche businesses or with a location-based feature to show accurate locations of the listings.

Review directory apps

Online reviews are becoming popular as customers look for reviews before making a purchase decision, whether it is a movie, a hotel, a restaurant, or product they are considering buying. Create a directory app with location-based features and you take the whole experience several notches up by making it easier for the app users to find relevant reviews.

Coupons directory apps

Who doesn’t love a good bargain? Coupon or deal directories are hence visited quite often by customers hunting for a good deal and save money. Creating a directory listing app for a variety of coupons and deals using business directory app builder helps you engage the audience more with relevant content.

Must-have features for Local Business directory apps

If you are planning to create a directory app, no matter which industry niche or category you fall in, there are some features that you must include in it. Whether you are making a directory app for Android or iOS, the following features are an absolute must for your Local Business directory app.

Directory

If you are using Appy Pie’s directory app builder, you get a ready-made Directory feature. The directory feature lets you add categories and listings which can be sorted alphabetically or dates. Each category can also be assigned an icon. The Directory feature allows users to search for stores or businesses using addresses or postal codes. This comes with a built-in Bulk CSV Upload feature saving you the trouble of adding each entry manually.

Push Notifications

This is one of the most useful features that you can add to your location-based directory app to establish better communication with the customers. When you build a Local Business app, you can use the Push Notifications feature to send relevant messages to the app users, alerting them about options from your mobile app directory, which are available in their proximity. It’s great for letting people know of any deals or promos being run by different businesses.

App Analytics

Your work doesn’t end at simply creating a business directory mobile app and populating it with great listings. It is important to measure the performance of your directory app, and for that, you must peruse the App Analytics. Relevant data plays a significant part in improving your directory app and understanding what is working for you and what is not.

Maps

Adding the Maps feature to your directory app lets you enable location-based search so that your directory app can auto-detect the location of the app user. This means your app will showcase the listings that are closest to their current location. Even if it seems like a small thing, this is a defining feature that makes the entire app experience a more evolved one.

Contact

A location-based directory app makes sense only when you can add the contact details with every listing, allowing the app users to get in touch with the business they choose to buy from. Adding the Contact feature takes care of this, and lets users connect easily with businesses.

Loyalty Card

One of the most critical advantages of creating an app, even a Directory app is encouraging loyalty among customers. Adding the Loyalty Card feature to your Directory app further fuels this behavior, earning you, and the businesses listed in your business directory mobile app, the loyalty of numerous app users.

One Touch

Adding ease to the app behavior should be at the top of your list, when it comes to making your app better. One Touch makes it possible for your app users to make a call to any of the vendors with just a single touch, hence, the name.

Add the desired features to your Directory App!

How to create a Local Business app – the Appy Pie way!

There are multiple answers to the question – how to create an app. You can of course go ahead and create a native app from scratch, hire an agency or go the no-code way. Creating native apps from scratch may be a viable idea if you have the skill, but it needs a lot of time investment. However, if you do not have the skill, you would need to get someone else to do it, which may involve an agency or hire a professional. This, of course will take time, but there would be a substantial cost involved here.

It is possible that you do not have the time and resources to create an app from the scratch. Does that mean you should stop in your tracks and abandon the idea of building a location-based app? Definitely not! There is an elegant solution to this conundrum – the no-code Local Business app builder, from Appy Pie.

Listed below are the steps to making a Local Business directory app:

Step 1: Go to www.appypie.com and click on Get Started.

Step 2: Enter your business’ name and click Next.

Step 3: In the next menu, choose Location & Places as your business category.

Step 4: Pick a color scheme. Remember, you can change this later.

Step 5: Before you go ahead with creating your app, you need to choose a platform to test your app on. Don’t worry, your final app will work on multiple platforms. This is just to test your app.

Step 6: Go on ahead and create an account on Appy Pie.

Step 7: Sign up with Appy Pie.

Step 8: Once you sign up, the app maker dashboard will be opened with a barebones app ready. What you need to do now is click on Save & Continue. This is a crucial step.

Step 9: Clicking on Save & Continue will start making a test version of your app. Once it is done, you can download your test app. Our real-time update feature lets you edit an app and have it reflect the changes in the app immediately.

Downloading your test app first allows you to test and create your app simultaneously saving time in the process.

Step 10: After downloading the test app, your directory app dashboard will open. To start editing your app, click on Edit. It will open up your app builder dashboard.

Step 11: Click on View All.

Step 12: In the view all section search for ‘Directory’. Click on it to add it to your app.

Step 13: Once you add it, the directory section will open. If you want, you can change the page name and page icon here. Let’s add some listings to your app. Click on Add Listing.

Step 14: The directory dashboard will open. You will see a default category. If you want, you can edit the category or create a new one. Let’s add a category to your app. Click on Add Category.

Step 15: A popup “Add New Category” will open, enter all the necessary details like Category Name, Status, etc. and click on create category.

Step 16: On the dashboard, you will see the category has been added. It’s time to add a sub category. If you want, you can even add the listings to the category directly from here. However, let’s add a sub category.

Step 17: Click on Add Sub Category to continue. A popup “Add Sub Category” will open. Enter all the necessary information and click on Create Sub Category.

Step 18: Let’s add listing to the sub category now. Click on Listings.

Step 19: Click on Add Listing to continue. A popup will open. Provide all the necessary details like heading, summary, email, phone number, deep link, location, etc. and click on Save

Step 20: Next comes Advanced Settings. Check/uncheck you necessary settings.

Step 21: If you want, you can also enable in-app purchase from here. You can follow the tooltips to setup the payment for Android and iOS

Step 22: Next click on the Design icon to open the design page.

Step 23: It will open the design page which you can customize the way you want to. Once you’re done, click on Save & Continue.

Step 24: You can explore the other features of Appy Pie’s app builder. If there are some you like, you can add as per your requirements. Keep testing your app simultaneously to know how the app works and appears to your users. Once you feel satisfied with your app, you can move on to publishing it on the Store of your choice.

Appy Pie’s Location Based Directory App Builder is a quick, clean solution to make a directory app. Affordable, customizable and modern, Appy Pie ensures that you get to create the exact app you want without worrying about security, privacy, UI and backend design.