UK Lead Generation Podcast

James Dooley:
Today we’re talking about premium directory listings and whether you should actually be paying for them to generate leads. You’ve been in the SEO game a long time, Kasra, and you’ve seen these listings—some at £20 a month, others at $600 a month, and even a law directory priced at £15,000 a year. What’s your take?

Kasra Dash:
My initial answer is yes—you should consider paying for premium directory listings, but only if you test them. Track your return on investment. If you’re making profit, keep it. If not, stop paying. It’s very dependent on niche and location. Some trades like electricians do really well on platforms like Checkatrade, Yellow Pages premium, or Builder. But that doesn’t automatically mean a law directory will work the same way. If I were a lawyer needing more leads, I’d sign up, track the results, and decide based on real numbers. If the £15,000 listing brings in more than that in business, it’s worth continuing.

James Dooley:
Is it the best lead generation method? Definitely not. Should it be the only one? No. But should you test it? Absolutely. You should try multiple channels—Twitter ads, Facebook ads, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, PPC, SEO, even lead generation companies—and double down on what gives the highest ROI.

Kasra Dash:
A more strategic approach is checking whether the directory ranks for the keywords you want. For example, in the U.S., law directories rank extremely well for “New York lawyers.” If it would take you 12 months to rank for that keyword, buying a premium spot can be a shortcut. But you must track results using UTM tags so you know exactly how many clicks and inquiries each directory produces.

Also, check whether the directory itself gets traffic. I’ve seen businesses spend £1,000 a month on a premium Yell listing without results simply because the directory wasn’t ranking. If it’s not ranking, use a free listing instead.

James Dooley:
Every business owner should have KPIs. Track your costs, your return on ad spend, and your return on investment. If it’s profitable or close to break-even—and offers extra benefits like brand signals, LLM training signals for AI, or a do-follow link—then it may be worth keeping.

Kasra Dash:
Exactly. Check referral traffic, link equity, and the actual ROI. And if anyone watching has specific directories they’re considering, drop them in the comments along with your industry and James and I can share whether that listing gets traffic or rankings and whether it’s likely to deliver ROI for your lead generation strategy.