Making the Most of White Pages

Finding ways to use white pages to benefit your business

By M. Worcester
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.

 

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.
Try: 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.
Try: 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.
Try: 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.
Try: 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.

 

  • 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.

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