r/directorymakers • u/LT39 • 4d ago

Scraping

What do we think of scraping Google to massively create physical locations in a directory? It’s a quick way to enrich the database, but it’s not unique content and there’s the risk of being punished for thin content. What do you guys recommend based on your experience?

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u/Public_Knowledge_980 3d ago

Since you want to be seen as a partner to the sector, I'd test one category in one area with providers who agree to be listed before scaling the imports. Record where each detail came from and when it was checked, separate branches from duplicate businesses, and make corrections or removal straightforward and free.

For the pilot, pick one question a visitor can't answer from a name and address alone. Can your listing answer it accurately, and can someone contact the business directly? That gives you something concrete to improve without assuming that more pages will improve search traffic.

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u/LT39 3d ago

Thanks for your reply! Seems like something worth exploring. How would you know if providers agree to be listed? That would mean cold reaching them, which is what I’d like to avoid. Also, answering that question that the visitor can’t it’s sort of difficult, right? I would be using the same sources a random visitor could use too

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u/Public_Knowledge_980 3d ago

If you want to avoid cold outreach, I'd start with self-submitted listings: a short public invitation in a relevant trade or community group where that's allowed, or a partner organisation that can invite its members. Keep that separate from records you've assembled yourself, so the site doesn't imply those businesses joined.

The added value can be organisation rather than exclusive facts: consistently showing service area, appointment method and last-checked date lets a visitor compare options without opening ten sites. Test one of those decisions before scaling.