Finding a reputable data entry company can be trickier than other business services for a number of reasons. Here are three Donts for a successful search, followed by three tips that will help you find the perfect data entry service.

Where Not to Find a Data Entry Service

1. Organic search. The first inclination of many people is to do a Web search for anything they need. This is a reasonable plan, since it is possible to find just about everything on the Internet. However, typing "data entry companies" into a browser yields a multitude of ads for work-from-home data entry scams, but very few companies that offer data entry services. Perhaps the search term is too broad. Typing "I want to purchase data entry services," yields a new, equally unhelpful list composed primarily of people looking for data entry jobs.
   
   Using the major search engines, which at first seems like a good idea, can easily become a frustrating waste of effort. Why is this so? The answer is twofold: link farms that artificially manipulate traffic and the fact that as people click on those links, they are perceived to be more on target by the search engines. Thus those unhelpful URLs continually show up in searches.

2. Lists. Craigslist, Angies List, Yelp, and other similar lists are primarily business-to-consumer, not business-to-business resources.

3. Better Business Bureau. The BBB has come under fire lately because of the way they grade businesses on a scale of A+ through F. Some critics allege that business that do not pay to be listed are generally given lower grades than those that do pay, even if they have no complaints filed against them. Conversely, businesses that pay to be listed and have complaints sometimes appear to score better than those with clear records.

Tips for a Successful Search for Data Entry Services

1. Sponsored ads. At the top and to the right of organic search results are sponsored ads. These are often much better matches than the organic listings. After all, when a company pays to advertise, it is serious about earning back its investment by generating new business. Additionally, paid ads are reviewed before they are posted by the search engine displaying them. That said, just because an ad is paid for does not guarantee the quality of the product or service; it is always incumbent on the purchaser to use common sense and due diligence.
   
   Although sponsored ads may be better matches than organic listings, it is labor intensive to read each ad. But contacting only the first few listings is like playing darts with a blindfold. Instead, look for advertisements that aggregate vendors. These sites efficiently put potential buyers in contact with multiple data entry companies with just a few keystrokes.
2. Subscription Services. Services such as Hoovers or Dun andamp; Bradstreet can quickly generate lists of data entry companies as well as provide information about the companys financial health. Other services such as Gartner or Forrester provide information on various companies performance and direction.

3. Word of Mouth. Business associates and business networking groups such as LinkedIn are good sources of referrals to data entry companies.

Follow these recommendations to save time and find the right data entry company for a project of any scope.

Sources

• Hoovers
• LinkedIn
• Los Angeles Times, Better Business Bureau Grades Companies on a Peculiar Curve