Web business directory focuses on Springfield

by Ruth Scott

SBJ Contributing Writer

A local man is hard at work on a new Internet business directory for the Springfield area.

"You can't find anything like this in any city," said Oran Green of his Springfield, Mo., Area Business Directory. "It just (boggles) my mind that nobody's done this yet."

What nobody has done, according to Green, is to create a business directory on the Internet which is actually usable. "People want information and they want it quick," he said.

"The secret of a good web page is to make it fast," Green said. "Too many graphics slow it down." He said he thinks people want a web page that looks nice but is not fancy. "My directory is not fancy and doesn't have a lot of fancy graphics, but it is usable, and it will help people."

The business directory is not the first web site Green has developed. He has his own home page on the World Wide Web for his wedding photography business; a site offering extensive links related to billiards, cues, tables, pool and snooker; a site focused on reasons not to use bi-weekly mortgage savings plans; and another offering sales of Glucosamine Hydrochloride, an osteoarthritis pain reliever.

His latest project, the business directory, is open to all businesses. "Other Internet directories usually only contain businesses which have a web page, but only about 4 percent of businesses have one," he said. Also, with more than 1,000 business categories, "Anybody can be on my directory. A farmer or rancher can be on there, and tell what they do or what products they have," he said.

The directory lists the company's phone number and address, and up to 45 words telling about the business. If a company does have a web page or e-mail address, it can be accessed from the listing on the directory.

Green has an entire page just for physicians, because there are so many different kinds, but whether "you want a dentist or a gardener or whatever you want, I make it easy to find them," he said.

According to Green, some existing directories are on the right track, but "they don't have very many categories and very few businesses listed. I've got over 1,200 categories," he added. He doesn't have many businesses listed yet, he said, but added that he expects to have more soon, and he is willing to do the work.

"I just want to get a lot of people on there, and I could probably add 100 to 200 businesses a day to the directory," he said. Since June, the web site has had around 50,000 visitors. "The more listings I put on it, the more people will access the directory," Green said.

Green said he won't be hard to find. By entering his name or the name of the directory in a search engine, anyone with Internet access can get to his web pages.

An application for a listing in the directory is available on the web site or by calling 833-2414. The directory is for any business in Springfield, or within 50 miles of the city. For $35 a year, a business can be listed under two categories.

"For less than a dime a day," Green said, "you can have a listing on the Internet that could be seen by hundreds of people every day. I believe that price is very reasonable, especially compared with other business directories."

He added, "I want this to be really complete. Anytime I need to add something, I'll do it in a heartbeat."

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