
Directory listings with the data collection giants listed here are important to small business owners as they will improve your online visibility with the general public. It also adds a level of assurance to viewers that a business is legitimate when they see a VERIFIED listing on these sites.
Here's a short list of leading directory listing providers. Click on the hyperlink to find their registration page.

Their map had pinned my place of business in Texas! The associated address was in Michigan (at least they got that much right). They have a button on the verification page that allowed me to move the pin on the map from Texas to Michigan. Good job! (When I checked the listing a few weeks later they had corrected my listing.)
Google will send you a postcard with a verification code. This is a slow process, but it is their way of verifying that you are who you say you are. Don't throw out the postcard thinking it is junk mail, as it will require that you send another request for a postcard, delaying the verification even longer.
Below you will see the results of search inquiries for BTG Solutions on Bing, Google, YP (Yellow Pages) and Manta.
Once you have your listings verified with these directories, your business will be on the map and will be featured more prominently by these search engines that service virtually all online users.