Local Citation Building in Bangladesh: The 27 Directories That Actually Index

Local citations — consistent NAP listings on third-party directories — are still a foundational prominence signal for Bangladeshi local SEO in 2026. The problem is that 80% of the directories ranking for 'Bangladesh business directory' are dead, paywalled, or noindexed. This list is the 27 I've personally tested submissions to in the last 90 days that actually index live profiles.

Table of contents

1. Why local citations still matter in 2026 · 2. The 6 essential global citations · 3. The 14 Bangladesh-specific directories worth submitting to · 4. The 7 niche/industry directories · 5. NAP consistency rules · 6. How to audit existing citations · 7. FAQ

Why local citations still matter in 2026?

Local citations confirm to Google that your business is a real entity at a specific address by repeating your Name, Address and Phone (NAP) across trusted third-party sources. They also accumulate as unlinked brand mentions, which now feed AI engine entity recognition. **A clean citation profile is worth more in 2026 than it was in 2020 because both Google and ChatGPT use the same off-page signal for different purposes.**

The 6 essential global citations

Every BD business should have these six first: Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Facebook Business Page, LinkedIn Company Page, and a verified Crunchbase profile. These are foundational — they feed every other citation aggregator and most LLM training data. Missing any one of these is a free win competitors are likely already ahead on.

The 14 Bangladesh-specific directories worth submitting to

Tested live in May 2026 — each indexes within 7–30 days: bdyellowpages.com, bdtradeinfo.com, businesshaat.com, bizbangladesh.com, dailybangladesh.com.bd directory, prothomalo.com business listings, thedailystar.net business directory, bdbusinessdirectory.com, bdtopnews.com listings, bd24live.com directory, lankabd.com (regional), bdjobs.com company pages, bproperty.com business listings, and the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce (FBCCI) member directory. **Submit by hand — Bangladeshi directories don't accept aggregator feeds.**

The 7 niche/industry directories

Layer these on top depending on your category: Daraz seller profile (ecommerce), Foodpanda partner page (restaurants), Pathao Tong (services), bproperty.com agent profile (real estate), bdtourism.com (travel/hospitality), bdlawyersdirectory.com (legal), and gobd.com.bd professional listings. Each acts as both a citation and a high-intent traffic source.

NAP consistency rules

Pick one canonical format for your business name, street address and phone number, then mirror it byte-for-byte across every citation, your website footer, and your LocalBusiness JSON-LD. Inconsistencies (House 12 vs House #12, +880 vs 0088) split your prominence signal across what Google treats as separate entities.

How to audit existing citations

Free: Google your brand name in quotes ("Acme Plumbing" Dhaka) and audit the first 5 pages of results for any inconsistent NAP. Paid: BrightLocal Citation Tracker, Whitespark Local Citation Finder, or Moz Local — all three index Bangladesh sources adequately. Fix duplicates by claiming and merging where possible, deleting where not.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many citations do I actually need to rank?

Match the median of the top 3 Map Pack competitors in your city, then exceed by 5–10. In Dhaka that's usually 35–50 quality citations; in Rangpur it can be as few as 15. Quality + consistency beats volume every time.

Are paid citation services worth it for BD businesses?

Mostly no. Most paid services list you on dead or low-traffic global directories that don't index in BD search. Spend the same money on hand-submitted entries to the 27 directories above plus a content writer for original local content.

Can citation links be nofollow?

Yes — citations work as much through unlinked NAP repetition as through link equity. The presence of consistent NAP, even with nofollow or no link at all, is what reinforces the entity signal for both Google and AI engines.

How long until new citations move my rankings?

Google typically re-evaluates a profile's prominence over 4–8 weeks. Expect ranking impact within one to two months of a clean citation push, assuming your GBP and on-page basics are already solid.

Do citations help in AI Overviews and ChatGPT?

Indirectly. Each citation is an unlinked brand mention that feeds entity recognition in LLM training data. Brands with broad citation footprints across BD-language and English directories show up in BD-specific AI answers more often than brands without.