Searching the Web

Lesson 4: Using Specialized Search Tools

Searching for Businesses

As you learned in Lesson 1, yellow page tools can help you locate a business’s toll-free phone number, FAX number, e-mail address, telephone number, snail-mail address, or webpage address. However, even in this day and age, not every business has a web presence and you may come across instances where your search comes up empty.

Most yellow pages tools build their indexes with information that company representatives submit themselves, or with information that can be found on a company web page. With snail-mail addresses and telephone numbers, most many yellow page tools stock their indexes with information gathered from telephone or other paper-based directories (some of which may be exceedingly old).

Wildcards

As with white page tools, many yellow page tools permit the use of wildcards in a query. A wildcard character (typically an asterisk) can take the place of one or more letters in a name. This is especially useful if you are unsure of how to spell a name.

For example, typing Comp* in a business name search field instructs the search to return any business name beginning with those four letters, such as Compu-U-Rent, Computer Warehouse, ComputerEase, etc.

How Much Is Too Much?

As discussed in the previous section, completing every single field on a yellow pages search form often results in less than perfect results. It’s usually best to start broadly and then narrow down your results one step at a time.

For example, you might start by just typing the name in the business name field. If the results are too large, then try narrowing it down by adding a few more details, such as a state.

Other Helpful Tips

• When typing a city name, type the entire name without using abbreviations. For example, type Philadelphia instead of Phila.
• Always use two-letter state designations, with no punctuation.
• It’s best to use all lower-case letters in any search, include white page searches.
• Most directories will let you add yourself to their database if you want to be included. Read the help files or FAQ for instructions.

1. Visit the InfoSpace http://www.infospace.com/ website. In the left column, click on Reverse Lookup. Click on Phone Number Lookup. Type in a phone number for a local business that you are familiar with and click Go.
2. Visit the SuperPages http://yellowpages.superpages.com website. Type dentist in the Keyword field. Type your city name in the City field and select your state from the State dropdown list. Click Find It.
3. Visit the Internet 800 Search http://inter800.com/search.htm website. Type a company name (such as General Mills) in the Search for box and click Search.
4. Try similar searches in two or three of the search tools listed below.

Yellow Pages to Explore

An alphabetical list of yellow page tools for you to explore follows. (Favorites are in bold type.) You will recognize some of these tools from the previous section in this lesson. Many online directories offer both white and yellow page services.

• If you are searching for a business from a consumer perspective, be sure to read Chapter 9, Finding Products Online, pages 199 through 209 of The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook. This chapter is chock full of information for extreme searchers who are also extreme shoppers.

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