Business directories can be an excellent marketing tool. They help businesses find new clients and generate online reviews. They also boost search engine optimization. But, you should be aware of the risks involved.
City business directories functioned in the same way as telephone books and residential yellow pages, but were typically organized by city. These titles are digitized at TSLAC and can be searched by name.
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau helps people find businesses they can trust. The organization is dedicated to advancing marketplace trust by rating businesses based on their reliability and performance, and facilitating the resolution of consumer complaints. It also promotes ethical marketplace practices through education and advocacy. The Houston and South Texas BBB serves 105 counties, with offices in Austin, Corpus Christi, Waco, Midland/Odessa, Bryan and San Antonio. Businesses earn a BBB rating by passing a thorough evaluation and upholding the BBB’s accreditation standards. These include honesty in advertising, full disclosure of key information about the business and fulfilling contracts and commitments. Texas business directory must also agree to make good faith efforts to resolve any consumer disputes.
Angi
Unlike other review sites such as Yelp, Angi performs background checks on each contractor. It also verifies licensing and insurance information and lists if the business is Angi Certified or a BBB Accredited Business. Moreover, Angi offers a guarantee for services booked and paid through the site.
Founded in 2017 when Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor joined forces, Angi provides homeowners with a digital platform to find home service providers. These include air duct cleaning, pet grooming, appliance repair, and more. Boost your online visibility and generate leads on Angi, Google, Yelp, and other directories with Podium. Get started for free today. No credit card required..
FindLaw
If you’re a lawyer, you can create a free FindLaw attorney profile and benefit from the exposure it provides. However, you should check for pre existing profiles that you can claim before creating a new one.
It’s also important to consider the quality of your content. FindLaw’s services page states that “Google and potential clients love content.”
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to know if you’re getting good value for your money with FindLaw. They often provide monthly marketing reports that show a lot of smoke but not much fire in terms of actual leads or contacts. You’ll want to compare these results to other legal directory networks that offer more transparent pricing.
HomeAdvisor
HomeAdvisor is a useful resource for customers looking to hire a service professional. It provides a series of questions to help consumers narrow down their options and offers a Happiness Guarantee on fixed-price services booked through the site. However, many contractors have been concerned about the company’s terms of service, which state that HomeAdvisor can use their profile information to link back to their website.
Like Angi, HomeAdvisor conducts background checks on business owners and principals. It also allows business owners to choose which jobs they receive leads for – such as TV wall mounts or small shrub pruning – and can change the selection at any time.
TxDOT
TxDOT is one of the largest employers in Texas. The agency provides a variety of benefits for its employees. For example, TxDOT employees with a HealthSelect medical plan are eligible for free onsite preventive health screenings. The department also offers child care assistance and paid leave for new parents.
The agency tries to minimize construction disruptions as much as possible. But it’s not a perfect system. Construction projects often cause lane shifts and closings. It can take a long time for the roads to be back to normal.
TxDOT maintains a database of vendors known as the CMBL. Purchasing entities can use the database to develop mailing lists for bids.
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission preserves and protects the state’s historic resources and is recognized nationally for its preservation programs. The commission has a staff that includes specialists in archeology, architecture, history, economic development, heritage tourism, and public administration.
The agency operates a number of programs including the National Register of Historic Places, state archaeological sites, and the Texas Historical Marker Program. It also conducts surveys and reviews of the impact of projects on historic or archeological resources.
In addition to its work with local governments, the THC provides leadership to heritage organizations and county historical commissions. Its Community Heritage Division also works with communities to revitalize historic districts and operate the Main Street Program.
Portal to Texas History
The Portal to Texas History provides free online access to archival historical collections from museums and libraries across the state. This includes historic newspapers, photographs, maps and other documents. The collection also contains a variety of other resources for students and teachers.
The portal is a joint project of the University of North Texas and its community partners. It aims to balance the goals of accessibility and long-term preservation. It uses a metadata system to coordinate the storage of Web-viewable files and archived master copies.
Historical materials may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes. Please use caution when using these materials. Some materials are not suitable for children.
Library of Congress Historical Company
The Library of Congress Historical Company provides access to digitized business directories for 1900-1924. The collections include both city and country editions. These sources are a great starting point for researching the history of companies. The Library of Congress also has many other print and online resources that can help researchers find information on old companies.
The library has a collection of printed and online publications on business, economic, and labor history that can be searched in the Library’s online catalog using appropriate Library of Congress subject headings. These works are available to on-site patrons and those with subscription databases. The Library of Congress also has several sets of company annual reports on microfiche in the Business Reference Services department.
