Three new local business directories have launched for the Okanagan Valley, Kelowna and Whitehorse, taking a network that has so far focused on Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley into the BC Interior and the Yukon. Each site gives residents a free way to find locally owned businesses in their own community, and gives those businesses a free listing that is reviewed by a person before it goes live.
One directory for every community in the Okanagan Valley
The Okanagan Business Directory covers 18 communities across the valley, from major centres like Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon and West Kelowna to smaller towns and districts such as Summerland, Osoyoos, Lake Country and Coldstream. Rather than placing everything in one long regional list, it gives every community its own pages, categories and business counts, so someone searching in Oliver or Peachland sees what is actually there. The directory opens with more than 1,500 businesses, and its local guides already cover seasonal events in communities like Keremeos, Naramata and Okanagan Falls.
A dedicated directory for Kelowna
Kelowna Local Directory gives the valley’s largest city a directory of its own, organized by trade and by neighbourhood. It launches with 339 businesses across 79 categories and 26 neighbourhoods, including Rutland, Pandosy, Okanagan Mission and University South, and wineries and breweries are among its largest categories.
Whitehorse joins the network
Whitehorse Local directory is the network’s first one outside BC. Alongside everyday services, it highlights what residents and visitors in the Yukon capital look for most often, including museums and heritage sites, campgrounds and RV parks, and tour and adventure operators. Its guides are written for people planning their weekend, with practical notes on local events and on planning around Whitehorse weather.
Built the same way as the rest of the network
All three sites follow the approach used across the existing city directories. Adding a business is free, every submission is reviewed by a person before it is published, and anyone can send a correction when details change. Listings for businesses that have moved or closed are corrected or removed, paid placement is clearly labelled wherever it is offered, and editorial picks are never for sale.
Kyle Sanker, owner of Oi Marketing, says the expansion follows the same thinking that shaped the Lower Mainland sites. “The Okanagan and Whitehorse are not extensions of Vancouver, and a directory built for them should not read like one,” said Sanker. “Each of these sites is built around how people in that community actually look for a business, and every listing is checked before it goes up, so residents can trust what they find and local owners get found by the people closest to them.”
Are you a local business?
Business owners in any of the new communities can add their business for free at okanaganbusinessdirectory.ca, kelownalocaldirectory.ca or whitehorselocal.ca. A listing gives a business a permanent local presence with its contact details, a description of what it offers and a link to its own website.
About Oi Marketing
Oi Marketing is a Canadian digital agency based in Surrey, BC, specializing in local SEO and web design for small and medium sized businesses. A Google Partner with BBB A+ accreditation, the agency works with community driven organizations across Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the rest of Canada. Its local directory network now reaches communities throughout British Columbia and the Yukon. Learn more at oimarketing.ca.