Neighborhood Business Directories – The Online Approach to Business Searching

Massive online business directories like Yellowpages, LocalD, and Hoover are some of the top giants in the world of offering information on businesses. Each of these directories, and countless others have over fifty million business listings in their databases, grouped into states and specific niche categories.

While these massive online directories have great information to offer consumers looking for information on businesses, there are many downsides to using massive online business directories including price, reliability, and information quality.

Most business directories charge hundreds of dollars for a business listing, but many of the large online business directories are charging consumers to access business information. High prices for consumers to view information and ratings on a particular business is deterring many from asking necessary questions about businesses they may be inviting into their homes.

Reliability is another problem faced when dealing with massive online business directories. Most directories are public business directories, meaning any business can be listed by paying a small fee. This creates a problem when new business or businesses with a poor reputation are listed next to quality businesses with great reputations. There is virtually no way of telling two different businesses apart, unless a payment is made to unlock information through a business directory. Many homeowners run into this problem throughout the year, hiring a local business from the yellow pages that turned out to be as half as reliable as the listing directly above them.

Information quality is a problem faced with the massive business directories that allow businesses to have information listed. There is no consumer rating and review system in place on many business directory websites. Businesses can actually pay to have information listed to make them look better than competitors, even if they have a terrible record with their past clients. This is a major problem that many people are forced to deal with.

In spite of these problems, the neighborhood business directory has become popular allowing neighbors and members of a community to refer businesses to one another. These unique directories are set up online and allow people to refer quality businesses to one another after a positive experience with them. Neighborhood business directories are a great way for communities to experience great services with the businesses they invite into their homes, while eliminating the problems in dealing with most massive online business directories.