When customers need to contact your business, often they will pick up a copy of the white pages or call directory assistance. Nationwide, millions of businesses are listed in the white pages phone book and the Internet white pages, and you want to be sure your business is one of them.

To be sure your business turns up in a white pages search, take the following steps:

1. Make sure your business is properly listed in your local business white pages.

2. Order an enhanced whitepages listing or advertisement.

3. Seek professional advice to make sure your listing is placed in as many white telephone pages as possible.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Ensure you are properly listed in the white pages

Potential customers will have a hard time finding you if you are not listed in the white pages or if your listing has an error. So search white pages directories in your area to make sure your listing is complete and correct. Remember, this listing will also be used when a potential customer calls directory assistance.

I recommend: WhitePages.com claims to have phone numbers for millions of businesses in its database and to be a top destination for searching the online white pages. The Ultimate White Pages lets you search six different phone directories at the same time.

Enhance your white pages listing

You can make your white pages listing stand out by purchasing an a premium listing or advertisement. A premium listing can appear in a larger font or bold type, list additional or alternate phone numbers for your business, and sometimes even list your company's website.

I recommend: Quest Communications International has a wide range of enhanced listing options available. As a courtesy, listings are also included in the company's yellow pages book. Also, check out Idearc Media. The company offers a variety of in-column and display advertising options for its Verizon phone books.

Hire an ad agency that specializes in white pages placement

An advertising company that specializes in print and online white pages can help make sure your listing is seen by as many people as possible. These ad reps are experts in getting your listing into telephone white pages across the country, monitoring the accuracy of your listing and formatting your listing in a way that will minimize cost.

I recommend: Leone Advertising specializes in complex white pages listings. The agency promises to make sure your company's number is properly listed in the white pages and directory assistance. O'Halloran Advertising is an agency that focuses on phone book advertising. The agency can assist you with designing and placing listings and ads in the yellow and white pages.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A reverse white pages look up is a great way to find a complete listing when you only have a phone number. Just type in the phone number, and the reverse look up will give you the name and address that goes with that number.

Telephone white pages are now online, giving you endless information at the touch of your fingertips. You can find phone numbers and addresses for people, search for business locations or even look up a person in reverse, using just their home or cell phone number.

There are dozens of free white pages online, operated by phone companies like AT&T and independent websites. Some more extensive searches do require a fee, but most of the basic information you need is available at no cost. When searching white pages, keep in mind the following:

1. Having the person's last name and city available makes white pages searches easier.

2. Use white pages reverse lookup when all you have is the phone number.

3. Find business information in the white pages.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Forgo traditional telephone white pages for online searches

It's simple to search through the white pages directory because all the information you need is online. There's no need to pull the white pages phone book out of the drawer anymore. Instead, search white pages online.

I recommend: Use WhitePages.com to get the business information you need. Simply type the name of the person or business you're looking for. The city or state is optional. Key in what you’re looking for at the AOL White Pages. You can find addresses, phone numbers, email addresses or even search reverse white pages.

Consider white pages reverse lookup when you have minimal information

Sometimes you have a phone number but no name or address. That's when using the reverse white pages comes in handy.

I recommend: The Ultimate White Pages offers a white pages reverse lookup. Type in any cell phone or unlisted number in the space provided and via the portal Intelius, you can pay a nominal fee to get the name and address of the cell phone user. Switchboard.com is another site powered by Intelius. Use the online white pages to do a reverse phone lookup for home phone numbers, cell numbers or unlisted numbers.

Use the white pages telephone directory to search for local US businesses and those abroad

The white pages is a phenomenal resource for finding businesses or people around the world. Simply click on the business search section of the website.

I recommend: Use the Anywho white pages directory to find people or businesses. Anywho’s records are updated every few months for accuracy. Use Infospace Inc.’s international white pages. It's a directory for people and businesses in the US, Canada and the UK.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Once you do a basic search through an online white pages phone book, you can often pay a fee of up to $50 to do a complete background check.

More and more people are turning to online white pages rather than a traditional white pages phone book to find business information. To make the most of white pages, you need to find out how to list your business in both to maximize your advertising dollars.

Making the most of white pages involves utilizing all forms of phone directories, many of which you can list your business in for free. The main types of phone listings available are the following:

1. Business white pages, where a company automatically lists you if you have a business telephone line;

2. Business yellow pages, where you pay a fee for a listing in one of what might be several separate directories depending on the community;

3. And online phone listings and white pages, where you have many options on adding and altering your listing, depending on the listing site.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use Internet white pages to find other businesses

Most companies print local phone directories once a year, so online directories are often more current. Use these search sites to find businesses you need to connect with or check your own business listings.

I recommend: Use the quick and easy online white pages search at InfoSpace to quickly get the information you need. Find a comprehensive white page search page with many options including reverse white pages and email search at The Ultimate White Page.

Get yourself listed in online business white pages

Many online white pages companies get their information from local white pages. You have to have a local business phone number for online white pages to get your information. However, many online white pages allow you to add a listing or alter your current listing, so you can add a website or cell phone number or add a small business for which you don't have a separate business phone line.

I recommend: Learn how to get a listing on various local search engines and internet white pages at Locallytype.com, which offers a comprehensive list of local search engines. Get a free online business listing on SuperPages.com from Idearc Media. Sign up for a free listing at Whitepages.com where you can now add info for your cell phone, email and other ways to contact you besides you business phone number.

Submit your site to Google's local online white pages

Google's local business search is not really a separate search, but a series of listings that come up when someone enters a search at Google which includes a type of business and a local city and state in the US. The search results show businesses in the surrounding area and can include a link to your site and a map. Learn how to submit your site to this section and how to place it near the top of the list.

I recommend: Read how to submit your website to Google's local search option and how to optimize your page for higher placement by reading the article at the Web Design Library. Visit the Google Local Business Center to sign up for Google's local listings.

Put a search field on your website, so your visitors can search white pages

Users will visit your website to search for phone numbers and addresses if you have a white page search field on your website. These search fields are easy to add and free of charge. Make sure your page design makes it clear that this search is separate from a site search, if you have one.

I recommend: Add the local business search box from TalkingPhoneBook.com to your website to drive traffic to your site. Choose from various formats of business search functions that you can add to your website at DexKnows.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you have a listing listed in your local whitepages, find out when it delivers each local directory to residences and check to make sure your listing is correct.

The white pages is a directory of information. This compilation lists names, phone numbers and mailing addresses. The white pages of a phone book may also have contact information for local governmental services, general local information and various indexes for other phone services, such as international calls. Customers can request that their information not be listed. With the Internet, the white pages have expanded to searchable databases. Since the information is not copyrighted, it can be compiled and published by anyone. Here are some key terms to understand when using the white pages.

Action Steps
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Business white pages

These are listings of business contact information, including phone numbers, addresses and websites. The basic information is unpaid, and is not an advertisement.

I recommend: Switchboard publishes business white pages, yellow pages, maps and local directories.

Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs)

CLECs are telecommunications carriers that purchase white pages listings to compete with an existing carrier in a local market.

I recommend: Qwest Communications International is one of the wholesale providers of white pages listing information for CLECs.

In-column ads

In-column ads are one way to bring a businesse's information to the attention of people searching the database. These ads are upgrades placed next to the businesses listing information. Costs are associated with the number of enhancements desired, and vary depending on the directory.

I recommend: Idearc Media offers in-column ads in its directories. The company claims that in-column ads are three times more likely to attract people's attention.

Directory assistance

In telecommunications, directory assistance or directory inquiries are phone services used to find a specific telephone number or the address of either a person or a business.

I recommend: See the WhitePages.com directory assistance site for more detail on this service.

Premium or enhanced listing

These listings have added information or visual appeal, paid for by the business to attract more attention. This can include extra information, such as a website address, foreign language translations or cross references with other listings. Most residential white page listings do not allow enhancements or extra information, but business white pages will allow for enhancements or ads.

I recommend: AnyWho white pages, associated with AT&T, offers enhanced listings for businesses.

End-user listing

A legal term, in telecommunications directories it refers to the listing meant to be viewed by end users; in this case the individuals searching for the information.

I recommend: See the term in context at Frontier Communications, a wholesaler for carrier services.