Gary Harvey Blog

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.

Like most other services, business directories are also available online now. These online business directories are available in two primary methods – paid directories and free ones. You wouldn’t see much of a difference between the free and paid directories and the publisher has the discretion to keep the listings free or to charge for them.

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.

There are a few business directories offering more than simple listing services, including features such as job advertising, picture galleries and a dedicated web page for the listed business. These are optional services and any business owner who wishes to use the directory for multiple purposes can take advantage of the offers. The majority of business directories charge for these services, but some directories provide all such services for free.

A listing can be submitted to these online business directories within a few minutes. You’ll have to give comprehensive information about your business, such as name, registration, telephone, address, email 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, regardless of whether they are online or offline, focus on furnishing the information on businesses located within a predefined area. The directories are based on cities, provinces, districts, neighbourhoods, states etc and rarely for country-wide businesses or international-level listings, especially those available online.