Buying Black is not a trend. According to Nielsen’s 2019 It’s In The Bag report, Black consumers want to use their $1.3 trillion Black dollars on Black-owned businesses. And conscious consumers who are actively trying to change the landscape want to spend money with you too. Make it easy for them to find you by getting yourself listed in business directories that focus on listing and promoting Black businesses.
Here are 40 Black business directories for you to choose from:
1. African Vibes
African Vibes is a platform that celebrates African culture, offering a mix of entertainment news, fashion, profiles of inspiring African personalities and more. Their African Vibes Insider Membership and Rewards Program gives you access to a business directory where you can list your business to reach 2 million users, as well as a job board, real estate listings, member only events, and access to a community.
Fee: From free to $5
2. AfroBizWorld.com
AfroBizWorld.com is a fast-growing Black-owned business directory with over 4500 Black-owned businesses in Canada and over 900 in the United States. They have an affiliate network of Black-owned businesses to help them start their own affiliate programs, and they even offer individuals the opportunity to make extra money if they want to help promote Black businesses.
The platform also promotes local events within Black communities and is a source for positive and uplifting news.
Fee: Free
3. Bifties Gifts
Bifties Gifts is a Black womxn-owned platform that highlights Black-owned brands through the act of gifting, while also supporting charitable organizations. The socially-conscious gift marketplace makes it easy to support multiple Black-owned brands and spread Black-owned magic by curating thoughtfully selected items as gifts for loved ones.
Fee: Not listed
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4. Blaamazon
Blaamazon is a black marketplace specifically designed for black business owners. We wanted to create a space where we can build, prosper, and create wealth for future generations. More than just a marketplace, we are a socially conscious brand looking to bring economic and social change for people of color.
Fee: Not listed
5. BlackBusiness.com
BlackBusiness.com is a Black-owned business directory and blog that promotes news, success stories and resources like grants and funding opportunities.
Fee: Not listed
6. BlackBusinessList.Com
BlackBusinessList.Com is a Black-owned business online business directory designed to help entrepreneurs launch, maintain and grow their businesses. In addition to listings, they offer networking opportunities with other business owners, special events and member-only discounts.
Fee: From $14.99/month
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7. Black Business Search
Black Business Search, often referred to as the "Black Yelp alternative," is a black business directory that connects conscious consumers to Black business owners and top-rated professionals. They also offer affordable advertising for those looking for alternatives to mainstream options like Google AdWords.
Fee: From $7.95/month
Offer: For a limited time, get Premium Membership (usually $12.95/month) free for ONE YEAR!
8. Black Directory
Black Directory is the largest Black business community in the world. It features over 100,000 Black-owned businesses and a listing comes with access to government and corporate contracts, an exclusive funding network, unique training and networking opportunities, and other benefits.
Fee: From $199.99
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9. black-listed
black-listed is an app that bridges the gap between Black businesses and Black consumers. It uses machine learning and analytics to streamline user interactions, and content produced by creators of color to inform and entice supporters.
Fee: Not listed
10. Black Nation
Black Nation is a social directory and highly-rated social discovery app that helps consumers find Black-owned businesses around the world. It’s unique in that it promotes interaction and dialogue, allowing businesses direct access to their fans and followers.
Fee: Free
11. Black Owned Association
Black Owned Association is an emerging community of Black-owned businesses designed to connect Black businesses to supporting consumers around the world. It also lists jobs, events and real estate.
Fee: From free (for a limited time) to $100
12. Black Owned Everything
Black Owned Everything is a business directory founded by stylist Zerina Akers, who also created Beyoncé’s Black Parade Route. The directory isn’t live yet (sign up now and receive first access), but their Instagram account with over 200K followers features and promotes Black businesses every day.
Fee: Not listed
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13. Black-Owned Market
Black-Owned Market is an online destination for those who want to shop with Black business owners. It generated over six figures for the Black business owners on the platform during its first year, more than proving its necessity and value. It offers quality Black brands, detailed curation, and connections designed to improve your daily life.
Fee: Not listed
14. Black Pages International
Black Pages International is a Chicago-based print and online directory for minority-owned businesses that includes everything from Black-owned banks to Black business networks. It has features like one click-to-call, it’s searchable by zip code and advertising spots are available in the print edition and their email newsletter.
Fee: From free upwards
15. Black Primacy
Black Primacy is a movement. They’re focused on influencing, supporting and moving the culture forward however they can. They do this through their clothing brand, social media influence and their Black business directory.
Their directory has over 20,000 Black-owned businesses listed, allowing shoppers to explore by city and category. The categories range from beauty and consulting, to nonprofits and real estate. And they also allow business owners to list events, run ad campaigns and post customer reviews.
16. BlacksOwned
BlacksOwned is a fledgling Black-owned Black business directory based in Florida. It currently features businesses in Florida, Michigan and New York.
The platform also offers website creation for business owners who don’t want to subscribe to a corporate plan.
Free: From $2.50/month to $25/month for Corporate Plan
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17. Black Woman Owned
Black Woman Owned is a business directory focused on increasing the visibility of Black woman-owned businesses, amplifying their messaging and providing social and digital media services to help them increase their revenue.
The Black-woman owned platform also offers a community for conscious consumers who understand the need to purchase from Black woman-owned businesses.
Fee: Not listed
18. blax
blax is a Black-owned business directory that connects consumers with trusted Black-owned businesses. It offers advertising and also has a robust collection of features, including allowing shoppers to compare businesses in order to find the one that meets their needs.
Fee: From $1.95/month upwards
19. BLK + GRN
BLK + GRN is a marketplace with all-natural, toxic-free products by all Black artisans. All products featured by the platform are Black-owned, quality tested to ensure product effectiveness, and they are plant-based and cruelty-free.
Fee: Not listed
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20. BLKWomenHustle
BlkWomenHustle® is a Black woman-owned networking and membership platform with a community of 100,000+ Black women. The platform also has a business directory, they offer consultations through the BlkWomenHustle® Collective, and they have a free resource library and podcast to further elevate their members and help them market their businesses.
Fee: $29
21. Blocal Search
Blocal Search is a Black woman-owned online directory and app that makes it easy to find Black-owned businesses across the country. They also offer a service that connects you to interns to help with your business.
Fee: From $4.99/mo upwards
22. Bold Xchange
Bold Xchange is an ecommerce platform that makes buying Black simple and thoughtful. Striving to be the best platform for amplifying Black-owned brands, Bold Xchange features quality brands, and offers consumers benefits such as on-camera product reviews and fast shipping.
Fee: Not listed
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23. Buy Black Main Street
Buy Black Main Street is a Black-owned Black business directory that aims to recreate the experience of a neighborhood Main Street online, while helping business owners connect with customers who are looking for them. As lifelong supporters of Black businesses, this platform aims to promote this practice as a lifestyle by making it easy to do so.
Fee: From free to $19.99 for a premium listing
24. Buy From A Black Woman
Buy From A Black Woman is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Black women business owners through education, funding, community and other supportive tools and resources. They also have an online directory with over 600 Black women-owned businesses that they showcase and promote via the directory, their newsletter and social media.
The nonprofit also offers business grants, microloans, accelerator programs and other benefits.
Fee: $175
25. byblack
byblack is set to be a premier directory of Black businesses. An initiative of the U.S. Black Chambers, the platform will leverage a network of over 140 local Black chambers that currently support over 260K Black businesses.
Fee: Free
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26. dobobo
dobobo is a directory that offers local and national promotion, in addition to personal account management which means they strive to get as much traffic to your listing, website and ads as possible.
Fee: From $19.99 per listing
27. HellaBlack
HellaBlack is a Black women-owned ecommerce marketplace for Black-owned enthusiasts looking for an elevated experience, and for Black brands looking to benefit from a best-in-class marketing system.
The platform also has resource center, HellaRich Hub, to equip businesses with the information they need to transform their businesses, as well as a directory.
Free: From free to $9.99/month for premium plan
28. I Am Black Business
I Am Black Business is a directory specifically designed to help consumers quickly and easily Black-owned businesses, while also giving businesses access to technologies that improve their discoverability. It’s an online and mobile app, available for iOS and Android.
Fee: Free to $10/month (or $100/year) for premium subscription
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29. Julo
Julo is not an online marketplace, it’s more than that. It’s a platform that’s reimagining retail by investing in Black brands and supporting them in ways that traditional commercial platforms do not. Their goal is to turn the hidden gems that we just don’t know about due to lack of visibility into household names, while conveniently offering consumers a wide selection of social and health conscious products that they’re bound to love.
Fee: Julo doesn’t use a fee model, contact them to find out how you can be apart of their magic
30. Miiriya
Miiriya is an app and ecommerce platform, like Amazon or Etsy, but dedicated to Black-owned businesses. Unlike many of the other platforms, Miiriya is completely free to use. There are no transaction fees or listing fees, vendors get 100% of their earnings.
“My goal is to create convenience for shoppers who want to support Black businesses seamlessly, while also creating a surge recirculating the Black dollar,” says Founder Lamine Loco.
Free: Free
31. National Black Business Directory
National Black Business Directory is a high-tech service provider and global directory whose mission is to enlighten and empower Black business owners. Their services include business development, financing, cybersecurity awareness and $Guap blockchain integration.
Fee: From free to $24.99/month for Premium listing
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32. National Black Guide
National Black Guide is an online directory and app that serves as a Black city directory for Black communities and businesses. It allows you to travel city-to-city and easily know what's happening, specifically where to find Black businesses, events, and information and resources locally and nationwide. The platform also offers advertising, and it has a marketplace, national events calendar, blog, classifieds section, and more.
Fee: From free to $30/month for Diamond listing
33. Official Black Wall Street
Official Black Wall Street is both an app and online directory that offers access to 1.16 million users. Their robust listings allow you to feature offers, reviews, directions and more. OBWS also offers free legal services, free workshops and events, and free content marketing links and mentions among other benefits.
Fee: $50 Lifetime Business Membership
34. Shoppe Black
Shoppe Black is a Black-owned platform that curates and creates content about Black culture and Black-owned businesses across the African Diaspora. They plan to launch a global business directory for Black-owned businesses and are currently accepting submissions.
Fee: Not listed
35. Support Black Owned
Support Black Owned is a Black-owned online marketplace and search engine that helps Black business owners connect with consumers. SBO offers business listings, tools and services that support investing and building wealth in Black communities.
Fee: Free to $30/month
36. The Black Virtual Mall
The Black Virtual Mall is a 24/7 virtual shopping center that recreates the traditional mall experience, but with hella flavor coz it’s all-Black and super-dope. The mall has everything from a food court and movie theater, to kiosks and premium stores. It also gives you the opportunity to advertise (your clips can run as trailers at the movie theater!) and share resources to demonstrate your value to potential customers.
Fee: From $50 to $200 for Premium Store
37. The Nile List
The Nile List is a digital community that gives conscious consumers 24/7 access to Black-owned brands. The platform also has a forum where vendors can engage directly with consumers and just chit chat, it includes a blog that showcases vendors, and they host events.
Fee: From free to Premium Placements
38. The Village Market
The Village Market is an online marketplace that connects Black-owned businesses to conscious consumers, community partners and impactful resources. The Atlanta-based platform currently serves small businesses in 38 states and 4 countries, and they have an official partnership with The Bahamas.
The Village Market also provides mentorship, professional services, and technical assistance to Black-owned businesses.
Fee: Not listed
39. We Buy Black
We Buy Black is a marketplace that reaches over 1.3 million people who want to support Black-owned business. They also offer marketing support and the ability to create a store directly on their platform.
Fee: Free for first seven days (plus 10% commission fee)
40. Where U Came From
Where U Came From is a Black business directory app featuring trusted Black-owned businesses across industries. Location service allows consumers to find businesses closest to them, as well as easily refer businesses to friends and family.
The app is available app for Apple and Android devices, and it has an online directory as well.
Fee: Free
Tips For Creating Your Business Directory Listings
Here are common mistakes to avoid (and one that I made myself!) to save you time when you create your listings:
- Inconsistent NAP information: NAP stands for Name, Address and Phone number. Make sure you’re entering the same [correct] information as you have on your site. Search engines value accurate information and they cross-reference your NAP information to validate your legitimacy.
- One listing for multiple locations: If you have more than one store, be sure to create a listing for each of them.
- Keywords not included in business description: Make your listing more discoverable by including terms and phrases that your customers are going to use when searching for you, in addition to industry terms.
- No call-to-action: Prompt potential customers by telling them what you want them to do after reading your listing e.g. “Visit us online to shop now.”
- Incomplete profile: Customers want to know all the details (to see if you meet their needs) before they click through to your site or visit your store. Make it easy for them to shop with you by fully completing your listings.
- No images or low-quality images: Shoppers respond well to bright, flattering images. Upload your best pictures of your most popular offerings to catch their eye.
- No videos: Video drastically outperforms all other types of content. I recommend creating something that showcases your work if you don’t have any videos ready to go.
- Bonus tip: Save as you go because the pages on some of these sites timeout so you may lose your work if you aren't saving. I won’t name any names, but if you email me and ask me which ones I’ll spill!
How to Get The Most Out of Your Business Directory Listings
- Do quality checks: As your listings are approved, view them on a computer, phone and in app (for those that have apps) to make sure potential customers will get the best impression of you regardless of what device they’re using.
- Get some reviews: Start gathering customer reviews to show potential customers that you’re trustworthy, and always respond to reviews to promote engagement.
- Keep it fresh: Set yourself calendar reminders to go into your listings and update the offers, product images and other content periodically. Search engines prioritize fresh content, so do this at least quarterly. Bonus points if you can do it more often so your listings don’t look stale as the big retail holidays come and go.
- Don’t forget the data: The insights on these platforms could reveal interesting things about your customers that you can use to improve their user experience. For example, getting a lot of views from shoppers in Europe? Consider offering a way for them to pay in their currency, adding worldwide shipping if you don’t already have it as an option, and addressing any concerns they might have in your FAQs.
- Make the platforms work for you: Most of these platforms have built-in marketing machines that will promote your listings for you, take advantage of them. Consider spending some of your ad dollars with these Black-owned businesses. Test out their offers to see what works for you.
Bookmark This Blog Post
Save this blog post so you can refer back to it as you begin this journey. Start by reviewing the Black business directories above to see which ones align with your brand, then decide where you want to establish a presence, and finally set aside time to create your listings.
If you take a strategic approach, you can create several pathways that consistently feed traffic to your website while supporting a Black-owned business yourself. Good luck and enjoy the process!
ABOUT BLACK GIRL PR™
Black Girl PR™ is a Black-owned PR consulting firm for ambitious Black womxn who want to take up space online. The firm specializes in digital PR and digital marketing strategies that boost your digital presence and draw traffic to your website.
If you want to learn more about how to do this for your brand, check out our free case study video, "How To Get Publicity For Your Business Without Breaking The Bank."