Help the right local customers find you
A shop on Abington Street, a salon in Kingsthorpe and a plumber working across Wootton and Hardingstone need slightly different ways to reach customers. A useful starting point is to make it easy to discover what you offer, where you work and how to contact you.
This guide brings together our own Northampton business directory, Google's local business profiles and two local organisations worth checking. Some options are free; others involve membership or a paid upgrade. Choose the ones that suit your customers rather than paying simply to appear in more directories.
Add a free listing to NorthamptonDirectory.uk
NorthamptonDirectory.uk is our independently published directory for Northampton and the surrounding district. Standard listings are free. An approved listing gives your business its own page with a description, contact details, website link if you have one, and a photo or logo. Visitors can browse by category and area.
Start by searching the directory for your business name: it may already have a listing. If it does, use the edit option on that page instead of submitting a duplicate. If it is missing, use the submission form and select the category that best describes your main work. New submissions are reviewed before publication; submitting a form does not make a listing live immediately.
Choose the area you actually serve
The directory covers Northampton, Kingsthorpe, Duston, Abington, Weston Favell, Wootton, Hardingstone, Brixworth, Moulton, Long Buckby and Bugbrooke, as well as businesses serving the wider district. Shops, trades, professional services and home-based or mobile businesses can submit relevant local listings for review.
Use your real base and explain your service area. A gardener based in Moulton who also visits Northampton and Brixworth should say so, rather than inventing an address in each place. Only select the district-wide option if you genuinely work across the district. If you work from home, check which address details you are comfortable publishing before submitting and contact us if you are unsure.
Set up or update your Google Business Profile
An eligible Google Business Profile is free to create and manage and can show your business in Google Search and Maps. It complements a directory listing: keep the business name, phone number, website and location or service area accurate across both.
Google has its own eligibility rules. Its guidance covers businesses customers can visit and businesses that travel to customers; online-only businesses are generally not eligible. A service-area business operating from home should follow Google's instructions for hiding its address. Check for an existing profile before creating another, and use the official setup and verification process.
Check Discover Northampton, the town centre BID
Northampton's town centre Business Improvement District runs the Discover Northampton website, with town centre business listings, events and trails. It is particularly relevant to shops, cafes, restaurants and venues in the town centre area.
Look at the site and contact the BID team to ask about being included. The BID is funded by a levy on town centre businesses, so check what applies to you. Our directory is separate from the BID; submitting here does not add your business to its website.
Consider Northamptonshire Chamber membership
Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce offers an online business directory, networking events and business support across the county. It is worth considering if you want local business connections alongside an online presence, particularly for services where referrals and relationships matter.
Check the Chamber's current membership terms, costs and directory arrangements directly before joining. Membership is a separate decision from taking a free Standard listing with us, and neither organisation's listing automatically includes the other.
Write a listing that answers real questions
Give customers a clear business name, a working phone number, an email address you monitor and a website link if available. On our form, your contact email stays private unless you choose to display it publicly. Pick relevant service tags and explain your main services, your base and the places you cover.
Be specific: a heating engineer might describe boiler servicing and repairs in Northampton and Wootton, while a Kingsthorpe shop could explain its products and whether customers can browse in person. Use your own current photo or a logo you have permission to use, and leave out unsupported claims such as being the town's best.
Free listings and optional Featured promotion
You can choose a free Standard listing without buying an upgrade. Our optional FastTrack + Featured offer adds priority review and more prominent placement within this directory, including a Featured badge and a homepage spotlight. The current price, renewal details and review arrangements are explained on our How it works page.
Paid placement within a directory is different from a position in Google. A listing or upgrade does not guarantee search rankings, enquiries or sales. Compare the offer with your budget and keep track of whether customers actually find and contact you.
Ready to list your Northampton business?
Check whether your business is already included, then prepare your description, contact details and image. If you are new to the directory, submit a free Standard listing for review. You can explain the areas you serve and help people across Northampton and the district understand what you do.
Spotted something out of date? Let us know.