Online Versus Offline Business Directories - A Comparison

Business directories have existed in the form of printed yellow pages. People have always relied on these to search for businesses and service providers. With the advent of the internet and large number of people switching to online search, the significance of online business directories has increased tremendously.
 
This calls for a comparison between the offline and online business directories to understand which category offers more advantages. Here are some factors that form the basis for this comparison.
 
Geographical Search
 
Printed versions provide information about local markets and local businesses. But what if you wish to learn about the product and service providers in other region? Fortunately, the online business directories break the geographical barriers. People living in the United States can refer to the online directories in India for a diversified experience in the terms of finding businesses & services.
 
Updated Information
 
Offline printed directories update the information about the business providers once a year. So, the information you come across might have gone out-of-date. On the other hand, a business directory available on the web is regularly updated with the business information regarding different companies. So, you can easily rely upon online directories to find up-to-date information about different businesses.
 
Product Catalogs
 
This is among the most significant difference that makes online directories much better than their offline counterparts. The businesses are allowed to display their product catalogs in the web-based directories. On the other hand, the offline directories are simply used for listing services, where no information about the business products is available.
 
Business Marketing
 
From the perspective of the business owners, an online business directory provides them with the platform to promote their business products and services. The web based directories are good enough to promote businesses among different types of customers, including wholesalers, exporters, retailers and end-users as well.
 
Easy to Search Information
 
Online directories offer fast and easy search tools that make it easy for the interested buyers to search for the products and services easily. This type of facility is lacked by the offline directories that require people to go through boring pages to search for the information they want. So, searching using online directories is a less time consuming process.
 
Inexpensive Tools
 
Printed directories are costly not only for the publisher but also for the businesses getting listed in them. On the other hand, online business directories are among the least expensive online promotion tools. Businesses don't have to spend considerably t get listed in the web-based directories.
 
Easy to Access
 
Internet directories can be accessed at any point of time and from any place. You can even access them from your mobile phones. However, it is impractical to carry printed directories everywhere. So, you can easily find information about business providers using the online directories from homes, offices and other places.
 
These directories act as the meeting platforms for the purchasers and the sellers and for the businesses to find their targeted audiences. So, these directories got to have some great advantages over the printed directories.