What is a business directory and why do people need to have easy access to them? A business directory is a specialised listing mainly consisting of information about businesses. Both consumers and other businesses are likely to find a company much easily through a business directory and better yet, if the business directory is online.

Several business directories use the alphabetical categorisation for their listings, which means, if you search for an electrical equipment manufacturer, all the companies falling under that category will be displayed under the letter 'E', On the other hand, some directories use the service type to categorise, so their classifications are represented as business services, cars and automotive, home appliances, financial & legal services, transport, shopping, electronics etc.

Even business directories have taken to the new trend now, with the majority of directories presenting their listings online for free or for a nominal charge. The online business directories charging a fee for their listings generally offer the same services as a free directory, but the difference is usually dependent on who publishes the directory.

The free online business directories are those which exchange links with their listed companies, which means both parties place a link to direct visitors to each other's websites. These reciprocal links act as web traffic generators for the directories as well as the businesses. These free business directories make money from the advertisers who sponsor them.

Some business directories offer more than just a basic listing with added features, such as dedicated web pages, picture galleries and job advertising sections specially allocated per listed business. Most business directories will ask the company to pay for these services, but there are a few which provide all of this completely free of charge.

Submitting a business listing to an online business directory doesn't take much time. Your business information is compulsory to enter a listing, including the company name, registration, email, telephone, address etc.

Each business listing is brief, with just the basic information displayed upfront. If you need more information about a particular business, you have to follow the link they have provided, to visit either their web page within the business directory or their main website. Once a listing is submitted to a business directory, any user can easily find your business by navigating the site through the main page index.

The majority of business directories, both online and offline, concentrate on providing business information for those companies within a specific region. As a practice, the regions are based on city, neighbourhood, province, district, state etc. Business directories for the entire country or global versions are quite rare, particularly online.