Directory By Lunch: your first local business directory, live by lunch

How the morning goes

Start at nine. Sit down to lunch with a live directory.

No coding, no copywriting and no typing in 77 businesses by hand. Here's a typical first run.

9:00
Pick a trade and a town
Plumbers in Plymouth, roofers in Reno, landscapers anywhere. One directory per trade, as many as you like.
9:20
Import your businesses
Upload any CSV and map the columns. Your first one's on us: a ready-to-import file of 40+ businesses for your trade and town.
10:00
Build the directory site
Search, featured listings, business cards and a full profile page for every business are generated for you.
10:45
Deploy it
Each directory publishes as its own fast website, on its own domain or a subdomain. Your choice.
11:15
Invite owners to claim
"Your business is listed in our local directory. It's free. Want to check and update your listing?"
12:00
Lunch
Claims arrive in your dashboard. You approve them, owners improve their profiles, and the conversation starts.

Times are for a typical first directory with your CSV ready. Yours will depend on your hosting and how many businesses you import.

Why this works when cold pitching doesn't

Stop asking for money. Start with something they want.

Every local business owner gets ten pitches a week. Almost none of them get told "you're already listed, and it's free." One of those calls gets hung up on. The other gets "where do I sign up?"

The cold pitch

"Do you need SEO? Can I build you a website? Can I run your ads?"

You're asking for money before they have any reason to trust you.

The directory conversation

"We've included your business in our local directory. Would you like to claim your free listing?"

A gift, not a pitch. And once they've claimed it, you're not a stranger any more.

Not a mockup

474

local businesses across 10 live directories, run from one WordPress dashboard

Plumbers, electricians, roofers, tree surgeons, locksmiths, pest control, drainage, damp proofing, fencing and landscaping, all in one town. This is the working install the screenshots on this page come from.

The Directories screen showing 10 live Plymouth trade directories

What's inside

Everything a real directory needs, and a few things that make owners act

A public directory your visitors actually use

This isn't a database hidden in WordPress. Every directory is a real website with search, featured businesses, business cards, full profiles and one-tap call and website buttons.

Search and pagination
Featured listings section
A "claim this listing" prompt on every unclaimed business

Featured plumbers section with a claim prompt

Import hundreds of businesses in minutes

Upload a CSV, map the columns, done. Use the free 40+ business file we prepare for your first directory, or any standard CSV you source yourself.

CSV import screen with the free business CSV offer

Claims you control

Owners request their listing, and you see verification hints (like a website domain match) before you approve or reject. They can propose changes, but nothing goes live until you say so.

Claim review screen with approve and reject buttons

An owner portal that nags for you

Claimed owners get their own login, without touching your WordPress admin. They see their featured period, their views and clicks, and a completeness score.

Nobody likes seeing 36/100 next to their own business name. The portal tells them exactly how to fix it: add a photo, a description, services, areas and opening hours.

Business owner portal showing a 36 out of 100 completeness score

Numbers you can show a business owner

Don't just say a listing gets exposure. Show them. Directory views, profile views, featured appearances, and clicks to phone, website, Google reviews and offers.

The screenshot shows data from the working example install. Your results will depend on your directory and your traffic.

Ways buyers put it to work

One directory. Several ways to get paid.

The plugin gives you the asset and the reason to talk. What you do with the relationship is up to you. Here's how it's designed to be used:

Sell featured placement

Every approved claim gets 30 days of featured placement free. When it ends, the obvious next conversation is about keeping it.

Open the door to your services

Websites, Google reviews, SEO, social, leaflets. The owner who just claimed a listing from you takes your next call.

Build a local portfolio

One trade becomes ten. One town becomes three. Every directory runs from the same dashboard.

Add it to what you already do

Already running a local newsletter, an agency or a leaflet service? A directory gives every one of them a bigger list of businesses to talk to.

No income claims here. The software gives you the infrastructure. Traffic, engagement and sales depend on how you build and promote your directories.

Who it's for

Perfect if you

want your first local clients but hate cold calling
run an agency and need a steady flow of warm conversations
already do leaflets, newsletters or local SEO and want a bigger list
like owning assets instead of renting traffic

Not for you if you want

"push-button riches" (this is a tool, and you still have to talk to people)
a hosted service. You'll need your own WordPress install.
a traffic guarantee. Nobody can honestly give you one.

Here's everything you get

Build your first directory this morning

Directory By Lunch WordPress pluginIncluded

Unlimited trade directories from one dashboardIncluded

CSV import and column mappingIncluded

Business claims, approval and owner portalIncluded

Featured placement and completeness scoringIncluded

Directory analyticsIncluded

Bonus: your first directory's data, done for you

Tell us one trade, one town and the country, and we'll prepare a ready-to-import CSV with a minimum of 40 local businesses. One-time, for your first directory.

$XX

One-time payment. No monthly plugin fee.

Get Directory By Lunch now

[X]DAYS

[X]-day money-back guarantee. Install it, build a directory, and send your first claim invitations. If it isn't for you, ask for a refund within [X] days.

Questions

Do I need WordPress?

Yes. You manage everything from one WordPress install, and each directory is published as its own separate website. Give each one its own domain, or run several on subdomains.

Do I need to type in every business?

No. Import from any standard CSV. Your purchase also includes a one-time prepared CSV of at least 40 businesses for one trade, one town and one country.

Is there a monthly fee?

No monthly plugin fee. You pay once. You'll still need your own hosting and any domains you choose to use.

Do I need technical skills?

If you can install a WordPress plugin and upload a file, you can build a directory.

Can business owners change anything they like?

No. Owners propose updates and you approve them before they go live.

What happens when a claim is approved?

The owner gets access to their own portal, and the listing can get 30 days of featured placement.

How many directories can I run?

As many as you like, all managed centrally. The working example runs 10 from one dashboard.

Will this make me money?

It gives you the asset and a warm reason to contact local businesses. Whether that turns into income depends on what you do with it. No results are promised.

Your first local business directory, live by lunch.

Order up: Plymouth Plumbers