The latter lets you add specifications to your search such as area code, street address, and zip code. Individuals new to an area may find the Search Nearby section especially useful. With this type of search, hungry Internet surfers can easily find all of the pizza places within one, three, five, ten, or 25 miles from their homes. However, if the subject words you type don't fit the preset categories, your search will come up empty. While many of BigBook's features are free, the site also markets its services to small businesses.
Companies can set up a free information page or build a complete web site.
Interested businesses can also pay to advertise here, which means that their ads will be shown whenever you do a search on a category in which they fit. Users not expecting advertisements to appear in their search results may be unpleasantly surprised. Though the database isn't as all-inclusive as the online blurbs suggest, BigBook provides good basic listings on American businesses. Inc. Bell Atlantic, New England's local telephone company and the publisher of the area's printed directories, has transformed the national yellow pages into a useful web site. BigYellow's database claims 16.5 million U.S. business listings, the subject headings for which should be familiar to anyone who's ever used a phone book.