Friday, July 25, 2008

Online Business Directories

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.

A few business directories categorise their listings in alphabetical order; so, if you are searching for an electrical equipment manufacturer, the companies belonging to that category will all be listed under the letter 'E'. But, most business directories list companies under their specific service type, so their classifications fall under terms such as electronics, business services, shopping, cars and automotive, financial & legal services, home appliances, transport 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 are those which exchange links with their listed companies, which means both parties place a link to direct visitors to each other's websites. These reciprocal links act as web traffic generators for the directories as well as the businesses. These free business directories make money from the advertisers who sponsor them.

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.

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.

These business directories keep the basic information brief and if you need more information about a particular company, you must follow a link to either the web page within the directory or the company's main website. After your business listing is submitted to a directory, all visitors can easily find it by navigating 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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