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Finding Anything On An Online Business Directory

8 August, 2008 (15:41) | By: Stuart M. Gray

by Stuart M. Gray

Specialised, convenient and informative, business directories are where we turn to when we need information about many companies available in a single place. By using a business directory, consumers and businesses alike can find details about a specific company offering services and products they require. Online business directories are much more helpful than ordinary directories, because they are readily available.

Several business directories use the alphabetical categorisation for their listings, which means, if you search for an electrical equipment manufacturer, all the companies falling under that category will be displayed under the letter ‘E’, On the other hand, some directories use the service type to categorise, so their classifications are represented as business services, cars and automotive, home appliances, financial & legal services, transport, shopping, electronics etc.

Most business directories are available online now, involving their services for improving the information highway. Online business directories belong to two categories - those which provide their listings for free and the others who charge a fee for listings. There’s not much of a difference between paid and free business directories, but the most significant difference is the directory’s publisher.

The free online business directories make money through their sponsors’ advertising and all they ask for in return from the businesses they list are for exchanged links. Link exchanging means, the directory’s visitors also visit the relevant business website, while the visitors on the specific business website also visitsthe directory. This is a medium of generating web traffic for both parties by mutual agreement.

Basic business listings are not the only thing offered by these online business directories. Some even offer dedicated web pages, job advertising and picture galleries for further prominence for a listed business. While these are optional services, any business listed with the directory can make use of this advantageous offers. Most business directories ask for a payment for these additional services, but there are a few which provide everything for no cost.

Submitting a business listing to an online business directory doesn’t take much time. Your business information is compulsory to enter a listing, including the company name, registration, email, telephone, address etc.

Each business listing is brief, with just the basic information displayed upfront. If you need more information about a particular business, you have to follow the link they have provided, to visit either their web page within the business directory or their main website. Once a listing is submitted to a business directory, any user can easily find your business by navigating the site through the main page index.

Most business directories, whether online or offline, focus on listing a particular region’s businesses. Usually, these regions are selected based upon neighbourhood, city, district, province, state etc. Country-wide and international business directories are very rare, especially online

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