Are your fingers still doing all the walking?

Online directories are the Yellow Pages of our time. In fact, in an effort to retain authority, the Yellow Pages has gone electronic. You can find it online along with heaps of other business directories, all crying their wares and vying for user favour.

How do you tell the good directories from the bad? Good directories are very specific. They have many narrow categories and divide territories into manageable areas. Large cities, for example, may be broken down into their component areas i.e. North, South, and Central. Small towns merit their own search and aren’t lumped in a district with their neighbours.

In good directories, categories aren’t merely industry specific; they are divided and sub-divided until all the options are exhausted. Automotive services, for example, can be broken down into motorcycles, roadside assistance, and engineers. Motorcycles can then be further sub-divided into motorcycle assistance, motorcycle hire, motorcycle workshops, and motorcycle dealers.

Research has shown that most people who use online directories search for car-related information. Workshops are popular, followed by mechanical repairs, dealers, panel beaters, and towing services. Locksmiths are also often required, so I guess I’m not the only one who has ever locked my keys in the boot of my car.

It’s safe to assume that plumbing is another industry that benefits greatly from online directories. Everyone will at some stage need a plumber, and usually in a hurry. Good plumbers can be hard to find, but online directories make the search a lot easier, and they provide you with options, which other, more limited resources might not do.

Good directories will also be able to provide you with a measure of certainty regarding the quality of the companies that they advertise. Some directories only work with companies that meet and exceed standards set by their industry’s boards of approval. Others have their own rigid safety and quality protocols that need to be met before any contracts are signed. A little accreditation goes a long way in the world of online directories.

In the old days of paper directories and “yellow” supremacy, we were told that we could find what we sought by letting our fingers do the walking. In these modern, technological times, our fingers are still doing all the work, except these days they are typing, scrolling, and clicking to bring the world to our door. Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it?

Sandra wrote this article for the online marketers Assist 247 quality shoe hanger manufacturers a one-stop online business directory of South African Business Listings.