A business directory is a website or

printed Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and Printmaking, images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabon ...

listing of

information Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpretation (perhaps Interpretation (log ...

which lists businesses within niche based categories. Businesses can be categorized by niche, location, activity, or size. Business may be compiled either manually or through an automated online search software. Online

yellow pages The yellow pages are Telephone directory, telephone directories of business, businesses, organized by category rather than alphabetically by business name, in which advertising is sold. The directories were originally printed on yellow paper, ...

are a type of business directory, as is the traditional phone book. The details provided in a business directory may vary. They may include the business name, addresses, telephone numbers, location, contact information, type of service or products the business provides, the number of employees, the served region and any

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...

s. Some directories include a section for user reviews, comments, and feedback. Business directories in the past would take a printed format but have recently been upgraded to websites due to the advent of the internet. Many business directories offer complimentary listings in addition to the premium options. There are many business directories and some of these have moved over to the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

and away from printed format. Whilst not being

search engine A search engine is a software system that provides hyperlinks to web pages, and other relevant information on World Wide Web, the Web in response to a user's web query, query. The user enters a query in a web browser or a mobile app, and the sea ...

s, business directories often have a search function, enabling users to search businesses by Zip Code, country, state, area or city.

History

Previous business directories may have been called 'dictionaries', guides or handbooks. Historians have linked the development of trade directories such as Kelly's trade directory, Bradshaw's railway timetables and guides and Mitchell's Press Directories to the growth of 'rational, scientific inquiry' and statistics in the nineteenth century.

Formats

Business directories can be in either

hard copy In information handling, the U.S. Federal Standard 1037C (Glossary of Telecommunication Terms) defines a hard copy as a permanent reproduction, or copy, in the form of a physical object, of any media suitable for direct use by a person (in par ...

or in digital format. Ease of use and distribution means that many trade directories have a digital version.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Business Directory Business Directories

History

Formats

See also

References

External links