6 Tools to Verify Business Information
Dealing with business online can be a great way of expanding your focus beyond the immediate community where you live. The web has made things easier than ever to do this, and it is no wonder such methods have become so popular. We not have an almost infinite resource at our disposal.
But the verification process for those businesses can be a bit shady. Anyone can be on the other side of a computer, and we hear about scams every day. Some companies manage to stay up for years, despite hundreds of claims of wrongdoing and dishonest practices. You want to verify business information before you settle on any plans.
The good news is that it is easy to do that. Here are seven sites to help you out.
1. Yelp
Get information on thousands of local businesses in every city using Yelp. Not only can you verify general information such as building location, phone number and website, but you can see the reviews left by other customers who have been there. You have to be discerning of online reviews, but with some focus you can pick out any red flags.
2. Google Local
Another great review site, Google Local is a little bit more reliable. This is thanks to their practice of connecting accounts through all services, so you have a trail on any reviewers, and indeed the businesses verified there. That gives you a better look at who is doing and saying what, so you don't have to worry so much about dummy account.
3. FourSquare
More thorough than some other sites, you can verify a person really was at any location they have reviews, which means there is a physical store front. The applications are a bit more narrow, but still good to have on hand.
4. Better Business Bureau
The BBB fosters complaints from those who have had negative run ins with businesses both in person and online. They provide details of those complaints, how conflicts have been dealt with, and what has and has not been resolved. They also have general business information verified, and an overall rating on their practices.
5. Small Business Administration
Get tips on how to vet businesses, spotting red flags, starting your own business, networking, getting local resources and more with the official SBA website. You can't search out actual business info, but you can report fraud, waste and abuse, and get a lot of advice.
6. State Licensing Board
Every state has their own licensing website that you can go to in order to search information on local businesses and professionals. If the person you are searching for is in another state, try to use their state's licensing website instead.
Do you have any ways to verify business info that is not on this list? Let us know in the comments.
Tom Peters
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