How to Find a Business Name by Address

Whether you need to research one of your small business's competitors or check the reputation of a company with which you're interested in doing business, there may be times when you know a business's address but not its name. The good news is that you can often find a business name by address with a quick web search that shows immediate company information and points you to the company's website and third-party business information sites.

If the address has multiple businesses operating there, or the search doesn't yield helpful results, be prepared to do some extra work such as visiting the business personally or locating its phone number to get company information directly.

The recommended way to find a business name by address quickly is to first start with a basic web search on Google, Yahoo or Bing. Simply run a search using the full business address and particularly explore the first results that show up on the page.

You'll often see a special interactive result either on the top or right side of the search results page. This usually lists information with the business's name, phone number, website address and reviews along with options to see maps and directions to the location. In addition to that result, you'll see general results that may include the company's own website, company review sites like Yelp and the Better Business Bureau, social media websites, mapping sites and pages from local business directories.

If the search results show multiple businesses at the same address, it can be trickier to determine the business with which you're working. In that case, you might consider calling the phone numbers associated with those businesses to clarify the one with which you're working if necessary.

Another approach you can take is to directly search the business address through a local business directory like the Whitepages and DOBsearch websites. These sites are especially helpful for addresses containing multiple businesses since they list these tenants and their information in an easy-to-read manner.

To find a business by address on the Whitepages website, you'll choose the "Reverse Address" option and fill in the fields for the street name and city, state or zip code. The results page will show information about the business owner and current business names associated with the location. You can simply click a specific business name to learn more about it.

To use DOBsearch, you'll select the "Business Lookup" option on the navigation bar and choose "Address Search." Run your search after typing the address in the presented fields, and you'll see a numbered list of all businesses at the given address, including their websites, industries and affiliated individuals if available.

You'll likely find that you locate the business name using the online search methods mentioned, but there are some alternatives if they fail. If you can at least locate a phone number for the address, you can simply call and ask which business it is. Another way to find a business address by phone number is to run the number through a search engine since this will often lead to the business website's "Contact Us" page.

Another approach you can take is to visit the business address. You can either look for a sign with the business name or speak to someone personally at the address.

If you don't want to actually make the drive, or the place is too far away, you can consider tools like Google Maps that have a street view and possibly some high-resolution images of the location. Most businesses will also have labels on online mapping sites that you can click to see the full details and to verify the address is the right one.

Once you've identified the business's name, you can use tools like state business registries, the Better Business Bureau and company websites to learn more about the business and its reputation. For example, you might consult with customer reviews and the Better Business Bureau to learn if the business has reports of fraud or unethical behavior.

You might use the business's own website to explore its product and service offerings and learn more about its history and staff. LinkedIn, Facebook, news websites and local business directories are also helpful tools for getting to know the business.