We're here today to teach you about a way to find out information about almost anyone, with only a phone number to start from! With only this one piece of information to work from, you can find name, address and even more. Amazing, yes? It's easier than you may think.

Of course, cell phone numbers and unlisted numbers present a difficulty here. They are not listed in the phone book. This does not, however mean they can't be looked up. Though not in the public domain like a land line number, there is a way of finding out.

There are firms who are in the business of compiling lists of every phone number. Out of these lists, directories are built which hold every phone number that they can find. These companies pay for access to this information, which can then be searched to find out information on the owners of certain numbers.

These searches can be performed over the web on these directories. Known as "reverse phone directories" since they allow for lookup by number rather than by name, one just enters the number and allows the directory's search engine to handle the rest. The results, hopefully information on the number holder, will be displayed.

At the bottom of this article, you'll find a link to perform a search for free to see for yourself how this all works.

These companies will charge a fee for using this type of service but it isn't expensive. You can find some that will only charge a flat one-time fee that then lets you use unlimited searches - this is your best option so that you don't have to pay again each time you want to run a search on a number.

This service can be useful for different reasons - you might want to "investigate" a phone number that keeps showing up on your spouse's phone or perhaps there's a number that keeps prank calling you. It's a good tool to have whenever you need to look into someone but only have their number.

Before going ahead and paying for a reverse directory search, there is a way to check for free. And what way is that? Google, of course. Just do a search on the number in case it is listed on a web page.

All you have to do is go to Google and punch in the phone number into the search box. You will want to use the following format: "555-555-5555" and make sure you use the quotation marks. Hit the search button and then take a look at the search results that appear.

If this phone number is online on some webpage, then Google will bring it up for you. Phone numbers will make their way on the internet for a few different reasons (classified ads, profile pages etc) so there's a chance the number you are "investigating" might just be on the web.

You never know - if you do get a result from Google, the page may contain the information you want. If you strike out, then it's time for the paid directories.

Working from only a number, you can learn a lot about someone; thanks to reverse phone directories, this is easier than ever.