Locating local vanity numbers

We really can't do much for local vanity numbers. The Keyword Lookup (aka the 800 WATCH) actually evolved from the work that we did for the Local Number Locator. But unfortunately the local number program we used to have really isn’t working any more and there are too many major projects under way for the Keyword Lookup that we aren’t going to have any time to fix the local number program for some time.
I’ve left the section for local vanity numbers on the website though because we’re going to add local vanity numbers to our database and search system a little later this year. It’s not searching the way people usually expect though. We’re going to add some pools of numbers to our system from voip companies. It may find a local (non-toll free) number with your word or phrase in it, but it’s not going to be in your local area. Voip services can be accessed from anywhere though so you don’t need to have one from your local area code. That will be nice in some situations but it’s really not the solution for your current needs. It’s still going to take a lot of programming not to mention networking before we’re quite ready to go with that.

So the best resource that I usually wind up telling people to use to help track down a specific number (which they are usually looking to do when they ask me about finding a local number for them) is http://www.fonefinder.net. That will at least get you to the phone company responsible for that local number. Whether they’ll help you at all is the next hurdle and often the dead end. But be persistent and don’t take no for an answer, at least from most representatives that really don’t know what they’re doing.

Unfortunately unlike toll free numbers that are held in one central pool that can be searched and dealt with effectively, local numbers are very decentralized and each little phone company manages and dictates what will be given to whom. They make up their own rules and procedures and they really don’t care all that much if you want a number that is buried within their system somewhere. They make the rules and although you may get different answers from different people, you really can’t go around that local company and get someone else to do a better job and help you. Local numbers are a royal pain in the neck most of the time and you need more luck to get a full vanity number locally. Nice numeric numbers are easier though locally. That’s because they’re more visible and there are a lot more of them locally than there is in nationwide toll free numbers. I hope this is helpful for anyone looking for or thinking about a local number.

Matching your local number

Some people go to our site and put in their local number, trying to match their local number. That is fine if it's available, but I always point out that, matching your local number is only memorable to the one group of people that you don't need to make your phone number memorable to, the people who already know your phone number.

Having a local number and toll free number matching does look cool on your business card and does have a cool professionalism to it, but if your local number is random it's throwing good money after bad and you should really look to see what better options you can find that will increase the response rate to all your advertising, not keep it the same as it is now.

And for anyone with a nice numeric number that ends in 00 or 000, don't get your hopes up for getting the matching '800' version. 00 or 000 numbers in 800 are literally a hundred more times harder to get than they are in most local area codes. That's because there are almost 200 local area codes nationwide so there are 200 times as many people competing for them in toll free area codes. And nice numeric numbers are visible to the phone companies so they don't give them up but take them and recycle them internally giving them to their biggest advertisers.

We'll be glad to get a toll free number that matches your local area code if it's available and that's what you really want, but my advice would also be to use our tools and see if you can find a number that is more connected to your advertising. Maybe you should consider both and use one in your advertising for new customers and the matching combination on all your operational materials. That way you can tell how many calls you're getting from new customers versus existing ones. That alone can be extremely valuable information. And it really doesn't cost you any more since you would be receiving the same number of minutes, just splitting them between two different numbers.