THE DAYS WHEN customers let their "fingers do the walking" are long over. Today, the directories of choice are search engines like Google (GOOG), Yahoo (YHOO) and AOL (AOL) — making it all the more important for businesses to optimize their online presence.

Should your business fail to pop up in the top 10 results of a Google search or get recommended by viral web site, like Yelp, you can kiss plenty of prospective customers goodbye. To improve the odds that customers will stumble upon your business online, you need to create an effective search directory profile. Here are some tips on how to do so:

Get listed

When you sign up for a business telephone line, the yellow-pages publisher in your local area scoops up your digits and includes them in its print and online versions, says Neg Norton, president of the Yellow Pages Association in Berkeley Heights, N.J. For consultants or home-based business owners who don't have a commercial phone line and rely solely on a home phone or cellphone, contact the customer service departments at the various search directory sites such as DexKnows and Idearc's SuperPages.com with your information or upload your information directly onto aggregator sites such as Yahoo! Local and Google Maps.

If you spot an error in your search listing or ad, ask the directory site (or sales person you bought the ad from) to correct it. At urban search directory site Citysearch, business owners can click on the “Suggest a Correction” link on their business profile page. And at Superpages.com, business owners can click on "Report Abuse" links.

Make your profile stand out

Pictures, videos and well-written business descriptions can go a long way toward attracting customers’ attention, says John Jantsch, a Kansas City, Mo.-based marketing and digital technology coach who regularly counsels small-business owners. These enhanced features often cost extra, but can be well worth it. Joan Lee, owner of Cycle World, a bicycle shop in Miami, spends about $179 each month to show off her store’s merchandise via a professionally-produced video, which plays on her business's YellowPages.com profile, as well as the site's You Tube channel. “Having the video puts a personality on the store,” says Lee. “Now, you can show customers what makes your store unique.”

Target your ad dollars

Seek out search directories that share your business's focus so you know you're reaching the right type of customer. When Amit Zaman, owner of Stanton Public, a bar in New York’s Lower East Side neighborhood, wanted to attract city dwellers, he beefed up his business's presence on Citysearch. For about $200 a month, Stanton Public pops up in searches for “Beer Bars” or “Bars with Beer Gardens.” “Citysearch helps attract and fill the [bar's] dead space throughout the year,” says Zaman.

Encourage customer comments

Word of mouth has always helped small businesses expand their customer base. And on the web, it can be even more helpful. “There can be some real value for getting positive reviews,” says Jantsch. Consumers often take independent commentary to heart when they shop, he adds. Plus, “more comments can help [your business] rise to the top of search results.” One way to encourage satisfied customers to report their experiences to the search directories is to create takeaway cards that contain information about where they can go to leave comments. “It is not enough to be in those directories, you should be stimulating comments, too,” adds Jantsch.

Write to Diana Ransom at dransom@smartmoney.com

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