WHITO GLOSSARY · MEASURED DEFINITIONS
A directory entry for a business that no longer exists or cannot be verified. Rates vary by platform: Hotfrog failed the Companies House check on 11 of 20 listings sampled, while Yell passed all 20.
The number: UK Directory Dead Listings Study.
What it means in practice
Directories rarely delete. A business closes and its listing carries on collecting clicks, which is how buyers end up phoning firms that stopped existing.
Judge a directory by its failure rate, not its size. A platform that verifies is worth ten that merely list.
Whito stage: Any stage. Use it before you sign anything.
The numbers to hold onto
- Hotfrog failed the Companies House check on 11 of 20 sampled listings; Yell passed all 20. UK Directory Dead Listings Study.
- AI engines re-recommend closed firms too: 7 of 16 dissolved companies were named again. Dissolved Companies Still Recommended by AI.
Where to go next
- The dead listings study, five directories tested
- The Whito directory, checked against the register
- What a Companies House check is
Related: ICO registration, Companies House check, Dead listing