Address search services are a useful way of tracking down former clients, employees, or even locating contact information for new business contacts. These address search services are really just a convenience. They page through public records that anyone and everyone is permitted to freely access. Their main selling point is that they do this more quickly than one could do independently and they save you the trouble of having to know how, when and where to access public records. Suddenly they're at your fingertips, instantly, online.

Just because information is in the public domain doesn't mean it can be used carelessly or accessed easily through just any service. So, making the most of address search services means keeping the following in mind:

1. A reverse address search fills in gaps in contact information you already have.

2. Professional level address search services get you the right answers, faster, than many free services.

3. Address searches are governed by several laws that you should be familiar with.

Action Steps for Effective Address Search
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use a service that provides reverse address search

If you've got partial contact information on somebody -- a client, business partner or friend, for example -- and need the rest, a reverse address lookup may be just the ticket. Instead of inputting the person's name you input what contact information you have and then narrow the search down to the person or people you're looking for. Reverse searches are also useful for tracking down prank callers.

I recommend: Learn which reverse lookup services address which kinds of records -- cell phone, license plate or unlisted land lines, for example -- and how they've been rated by customers at Investigate Online. Learn why not all reverse lookup services are the same and how to choose the best one at ReverseMobile.

Use the highest quality search for address services

There's a reason that the people who depend on finding others accurately and quickly -- such as bounty hunters and private investigators -- depend on certain address search or people finder services. The more records a database searches at once, the more likely it is that they'll find the information you need and that it will be accurate. Going straight to the same services the pros use may cost you a membership premium at first, but it'll save time and money in the end.

I recommend: Find out how and why private individuals and businesses can access professional-quality background and address search information from Net Detective. You can also visit the eInvestigator forums to ask questions of law enforcement, investigation or bounty hunting professionals that may be able to help you track people down.

Keep your business address search legal

Doing a people search by address, telephone number, license plate or other information may be subject to several laws and regulations regarding the proper use of public information. Make sure that you're on the right side of the law -- and website terms of service -- by carefully reading all disclaimers and terms of service agreements on premium and free address search sites. You should also familiarize yourself with laws that pertain to background check or people search products and how they may be used privately or in a business setting.

I recommend: You can learn a lot about which uses of background check or address search services are permitted or prohibited by doing a careful read-through of the disclaimer on services like ReverseRecords. Vericheck Information Services provides information about laws that pertain to background check or people search products, such as the Privacy Act of 1974, the Freedom of Information Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Tips & Tactics to Benefit from Address Lookup

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you're doing a business search by address, phone number or other information, make sure to look up your own business -- and your own name -- as well. You may be surprised by the sort of information that's available on you and your business over the Internet.

Address verification can save you a lot of time and headaches. You can verify addresses and phone numbers of customers, credit card users and even prospective employees through an address search (often called “reverse address lookup” or “reverse address search” if you start your search with the address). Some address search can be done for free, some address lookup requires the assistance of your credit-card merchant bank and some can be done with computer software or via reverse address lookup paid services. Among the uses of address search:

1. Combat fraud by a reverse address lookup of potential clients.
2. Protect against a bad hire by reverse address search using the address of a job applicant
3. Ensure correct mailing lists to promote your business by regular address search.
4. Improve collections by eliminating returned mail through address lookup.

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

Go for free address search first

There are free Internet sites that verify addresses and/or phone numbers.

I recommend: Run an address search or phone number search at U.S Postal Service, WhitePages, Switchboard or AddressDoctor, which offers 250 free transactions. Many free services act as gateways to paid address search services that will do more extensive checks for arrest or court records.

Use your merchant account for address lookup

Most credit-card companies offer merchants online Address Verification Systems (AVS). AVS can run an address search on cardholders’ billing addresses at no cost to the merchant. It can save merchants the cost of purchasing software, help combat fraud, and check customer billing addresses for shipping.

I recommend: Open a merchant account at Chase Paymentec, Visa, Barclaycard Business, SecureTrading or Infomerchant.

Buy verification software for reverse address lookup

Reverse address search software can do more than check addresses. It also can perform postal presorting and detect duplicate addresses and/or names, which can save money by cutting down on wasted mailings and postage.

I recommend: Purchase reverse address search and verification software from Satori Software, Intelligent Choice Technology, Intelius or Capscan.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Save time and money by doing an address search the first time.
• •  Use the appropriate means of address verification for their specified purpose. For example, if it is for direct mail or billing efforts, try one of the software programs. If it is for a credit card, check with your merchant bank or the specific credit-card site.

There are a number of reasons a business might want to use an address lookup or a reverse address search. For example, a mail order company or advertiser might need to verify a client's address before sending products or promotional materials. Collection companies might use address search services to track down a delinquent account holder.

Aside from the address search service your business uses, how you search will also impact your results and cash flow. You may want to take advantage of free sources or pay for a specialized search. When you consider address search basics, keep in mind the following things:

1. You can lookup a business by address in a printed business directory.

2. You can use the Internet for address searches.

3. You can outsource the job to a professional company.

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

Start with a free mailing address search

Free address search services will save you money, but won't always provide the most accurate results. Most telephone companies provide free phone directories to local areas, but you might find it quicker to turn to the Internet.

I recommend: Address.com provides a free address search for people and businesses. For helpful tips on ways to increase the probability of finding the address, visit Bob Rankin's website. The City of Minneapolis website also provides some tips.

Do a reverse address search when you don't have all the information you need

If you only have partial information on a client, you may want to use a reverse address lookup service. A reverse address service can also help you verify that the information you found in a free address search is accurate.

I recommend: Reverse Address Directory defines what a reverse address service does and provides several reverse searches for you to choose from. Use InfoSpace to do a reverse lookup.

Hire a professional company to perform an address search

If you exhaust all the free sources to search by address, it might be time to hire a professional company. The methods companies use vary, as do the fees. If you want to ensure future dealings with people and businesses, make sure the company you hire has a clean reputation. Also keep in mind that city, county and state records may help you find a current address for an individual.

I recommend: BestPeopleSearch.com guarantees that one of its licensed private investigators can find you the current address of the person you need to locate. Consider new ways to find the current address of a person or a business at Public People Finder.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Some companies may benefit from using an address search to find email addresses. Just make sure you follow Internet protocol, so you don't wind up with spam accusations from unhappy recipients.

You may be a private investigator or run a repossession service. Someone may owe your business money or you may be an attorney looking to enforce a judgment for a client. Whatever the reason, all of these businesses, at one point or another, will need to use an address search tool to find someone. As you begin to explore the address search tools available, you may run into a few puzzling key terms. See below for explanations.

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

AVS

AVS stands for address verification system and is a feature offered by many providers that allows you to accept credit card payments. AVS also allows you to verify the address a customer gives you and make sure it is the address associated with the credit card account. This helps prevent fraudulent use of the credit card.

I recommend: Learn more about AVS from ProPay, including an explanation of the coded results from an address verification.

ZIP code

ZIP code, also known as postal code or postal ZIP code, refers to the numerical code the United States Post Office assigns to an address in order to help determine where mail goes.

I recommend: Obtain a few more details regarding ZIP code from U.S. Census Bureau.

P.O. box

P.O. box stands for post office box. It is a small box located in a post office or other mail service facility where individuals or businesses have their mail delivered. Attorneys and other legal entities can request a P.O. box verification, in which the post office must provide the physical address associated with the P.O. box.

I recommend: Wisegeek explains P.O. box in more detail.

Geocoding

Geocoding is assigning latitude and longitude to an address for more accurate address location. This helps when your company is delivering a package or in trying to verify that someone lives where they claim to live.

I recommend: Visit Pitney Bowes Business Insight for more information about this address verification feature.

COA

COA stands for change of address, also known as forwarding address. Individuals or businesses can file a COA with the post office either on a temporary or permanent basis. The post office will forward mail to a new address for up to a year and can help you during that time to find someone that may be in a new location.

I recommend: Read the frequently asked questions about COA at United States Post Office.

Skip tracing

Skip tracing is a means of locating someone who's in a new location and did not provide you with that information. Hire a skip tracing firm (or use software) to exhaust all possible leads, including credit reports and public records, to try and locate a current address for someone.

I recommend: Go to Access Skip Trace Seminar to learn more about using this address search tool.