YellowPages.com Not Worth It!
By Tim Somers on Mar 11, 2008 in Featured, General, Product Review
In this product review I take a look at YellowPages.com and my experiences with advertising on the web site over the past year (actually 11 months).
The past 2 to 3 years I have cut my YellowPages advertising considerably. From full display ads to half inch ads and in some categories just bold line listings. I still think you need a presence in the Big Yellow Book for now, but over the next few years I see this as an obsolete away of advertising.
That said, my YellowPages account executive swears the book will be around forever. At renewal time, I told her I had been focusing my advertising efforts on Direct Mail, Internet advertising in Michigan Business Directory sites and national business directory web sites and of coarse local networking. She proceeded to tell me about YellowPages.com and how powerful it has been for its advertisers. So I reviewed the site and found several competitors listed with basic listings that did NOT link to their web sites. I thought this would be a great opportunity to slide in with a listing that linked to my website.
So in March of 2007 I went with a $40 a month advanced listing on YellowPages.com that linked to my site. A few months had past and I did not see much activity in my Google Analytics stats in regards to traffic from the listing on YellowPages.com. I didn’t give it much more thought over the remainder of the year, until last week when my rep called telling me it was time to renew the YellowPages.com listing.
I asked for my stats – first off I was told my impressions, I snapped back with the comment that impressions don’t mean much to me – I want to know how many clicks (visits to my web site) my listing received. She told me 85, I asked “Per Month”? – Nope that was from March 2007 through January 2008 (11 Months) – so I did the math, 11 months at $40 is $440. Now it gets worse, $440 divided by the 85 clicks is $5.18 per click, wow I almost fell off my chair at how much per click I paid.
I run a Google Adwords campaign and average $0.42 (cents) per click of highly targeted traffic that is keyword specific. That $440 would have brought me 1,048 clicks or visits to my website verse the terribly low 85 that the YellowPages.com listing brought in.
So I would not recommend a paid listing on YellowPages.com use the money on Google Adwords and/or other lower cost business directories that are creditable and are getting traffic.
Tim Somers
MichiganBusinessHub.com
Linda Vorves Pastor | Mar 15, 2008 | Reply
I see your frustration Tim. That is a lot of money. Have you determined if any of those 85 clicks transpired into a sale?
I do not know anyone who is gettng sales from the YellowPages.com.
I am very curious about this.
Blessings,
Shaklee For Better Health
LarryGloriaD | Mar 27, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for your post on the yellow pages. Many retailers are waging a battle against the phone books. Next to your posting, http://www.blog.yellowdinosaur.net has some compelling argments too.
Tim Somers | Mar 28, 2008 | Reply
Hey Larry,
I have heard of many using the Yellow Pages with great success. I still have some small display ads in my local phone books. For a local presence I feel it’s a must. My post was reviewing my experiences with the Web site YellowPages.com which in my case was not worth the investment.
Tim
Shawn Zents | Jun 10, 2008 | Reply
Tim - As a seasoned yellow pages rep, I must share with you that you need to realize that Google has trained the World to focus on “clicks” and your information has been flawed. It also does not seem like you allowed your rep to explain the differences between a Search Engine and a Local Business Search Tool (YellowPages.com).
Google, since the middle of 2007, had never provided specific “local” business information. It only indexed websites with keywords embedded into them. Therefore, a user was required to “click” on a link to get the local business information (ie: phone #, address, locations, etc…)
Now, because Google recognized how powerful YellowPages.com actually is in the “local business search” realm, Google changed its search results to show a map with business listings next to that map. Hence, this IS their answer to Yellow Pages.
YellowPages.com is designed like a phone book - business names/addresses/phone #s listed next to, of course, your business web link. When a user looks for a “local business”, YellowPages.com provides that information IMMEDIATELY - and it does not require the consumer to click on a website. We know this through THOUSANDS of call tracking telephone numbers (#s that are ONLY listed on YellowPages.com). We compare those call counts to “clicks” to a website and, in most cases, the business receives more phone calls than “clicks” on their weblink. AT&T provides this searvice for free to its advertisers - you should try it for yourself.
So, before you compare “apples” to “oranges”, please understand the differences of what you’re comparing. YellowPages.com is NOT a search engine. It is Local Business Search in its purest form. Something that Google is trying to play catch-up in order to retain its per share value for its stockholders.
Tim Somers | Jun 10, 2008 | Reply
Hey Shawn,
Thanks for the detailed overview - it’s still a hard pill to swallow for me. Google is king right now with 75% of my website traffic coming from various Google avenues, paid and basic serps alike.
Tim
Shawn Zents | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
Hey Tim - you’re welcome. Traffic doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t turn into business, right?
It’s like setting up a gun & knife booth at the State Fairgrounds - many people will see you, but a very small percentage will buy. Now, set that same booth up at a gun & knife “show”, and, chances are, you’ll sell more, even with less “eyes”.
Granted, targeted keywords drive traffic. However, when I use Google, I almost always use quotes around my words and also the “+” sign. Doing this weeds-out many more irrelevant results, limiting who I see as a user.
You do make some points, but I still feel that you’re comparing search engines with internet yellow pages - two very different mediums.
I never asked - what is it that you’re selling? Are you advertising for this site?
Also - print directories will be around for a long time. Current demograhics show that the Baby Boomers are the largest group using print yellow pages, a group with the largest amount of wealth in this country. They will soon hand down their wealth, and the cycle goes on.
Tim Somers | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
Shawn, my experience was with my promotional products business - not this site. The MichiganBusinessHub.com site is a different venture not selling any products, just helping build traffic to our customers websites.
Shawn, I am always looking for guest posts for this blog and my promo blog.
Tim
Shawn Zents | Jun 11, 2008 | Reply
Thanks, Tim, for the chance to blog. I looked at your other site - should do well with a national campaign on YellowPages.com. We have an advertiser doing just that: Perfect Imprints Promotional Products. I’d give Patrick a call and ask how it’s going. Seems like it’s well. He uses a toll-free # - should be able to tell you how many calls he’s receiving.
Good luck!
Greg Newell | Jun 19, 2008 | Reply
I guess this isn’t a real surprise to me. My biggest market for my business is anyone overspending on Yellow Pages online advertising and not getting the results. First and foremost, clicks mean absolutely nothing. We track phone calls, emails and any other client interaction associated specifically with the ads we place and optimize for those interactions. It works great and at a fraction of the cost of yellow pages (we get a 25% per click fee, which isn’t bad when you consider that we dump about 50% of the keywords that aren’t delivering results). Our campaign costs are on par with DIY costs but our results usually beat the DIY results by 10-20%.
Tim Somers | Jun 19, 2008 | Reply
Hey Greg, thanks for your insight on this. Being in business 19 years we struggle with actually surveying our customers to see how they found us. We really need to do a better job at this. When we run a special or targeted campaign we have a better grasp on the ROI.
Justin Ziegler | Jul 3, 2008 | Reply
tim, i agree with you that yellowpages.com is not worth it, but mainly because I am not getting calls from my ad that I spend about $800/month on. I think it has value, but it is so overpriced that I feel that it is almost price gouging. The price wouldn’t be a problem if i got results. yellowpages.com displays your tel #, so you clicks aren’t the only determinitive factor on return on investment.
Danny C. | Jul 16, 2008 | Reply
Hi all, thanks for your inputs. I was about to make a decision to advertise on the yellowpages with about $700/month… I guess google’s what I should attempt before throwing big chunk of cash into the water.
Greg Newell | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
If you invest the same amount of money in ORGANIC search marketing ($800/month), you would have more traffic than you know what to do with. We are constantly targeting yellow page customers to get this message out. The one big difference is that organic search marketing is an investment that adds value to your site. Stop paying Yellow Pages their $800 / month and your results (if you were getting any) stop immediately. check out http://www.wsinetreturns.com/InternetMarketing/WebWords.aspx. Yeah its a shameless plug but it’s because I know it works.
Greg Newell | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
If you invest the same amount of money in ORGANIC search marketing ($800/month), you would have more traffic than you know what to do with. We are constantly targeting yellow page customers to get this message out. The one big difference is that organic search marketing is an investment that adds value to your site. Stop paying Yellow Pages their $800 / month and your results (if you were getting any) stop immediately. check out http://www.wsinetreturns.com/InternetMarketing/WebWords.aspx Yeah its a shameless plug but it’s because I know it works.
Business Industrial Network | Dec 7, 2008 | Reply
Hi Tim (and Shawn):
I am an internet marketing expert, emphasis on marketing expert. toot toot. :>) Thought I would comment as I am in the process of canceling my yellowpages.com (YP) account. Currently features on att are not available, waiting on YP to send me account details. So in doing a search to see what others experienced, I found you.
Comparing a wheel barrel to a fancy sports car, would also be comparing apples to oranges. But if I am a door to door salesman, I want the speed, attention and amount of coverage a fancy sports car (Google) gets me. Especially when the wheel barrel (yellowpages.com) cost more than the sports car (Google). We sell nationally, and 80% of our searchers are using Google. Clicks are everything, as a percentage of the click throughs you get will be sales (depending on the effectiveness of your ad copy on website). So the more clicks, the more sales. The argument that because YP shows address and phone info, so that is why people do not need to click through to website, is lame to the point of being deceptive on the YP rep’s part.
Your address and phone do not make the sale or represent a call to action. If you can actually get them to your website, the sales material helps a lot to get them to call you, or email, or browse more sales material (offers). The deception is that a site asking for money to include a link to your website, tells you “click throughs are not important”. Then why don’t they give you free links to your site, why charge you for something that “means nothing”. The really bad part is by their defense, they know they do not provide click throughs competitive to other internet marketing options, and still charge you for a link! Shame on them for not adapting to the times. Even local business who do not sell nationwide, want their potential customers to see their website they spent time and money developing, otherwise they wouldn’t have one and would just get the free phone listing. :>)
Tim Somers | Dec 7, 2008 | Reply
Well said, love the wheel barrel vs. sports car concept.
ed | Aug 6, 2009 | Reply
Yellowpages.com is the most worthless advertising investment a company could ever make. All a business needs is an updated Google Business listing which is 100% FREE. Keep this business listing updated, and keep your website current and your customers will find you.
Also beware of the auto-renewal clause in the yellowpages print and internet advertising contracts. You may tell your sales rep that you do not want to renew, but if you do not do so in writing (with registered mail, return receipt) Yellowpages will automatically renew your advertising contract for another year and your sales rep will automatically get another commission of of you and your worthless ad.
Beware after you mail a notice of non-renewal to yellowpages you will get tons of calls from AT&T and its L. M. Berry minions demanding that you continue to do business with them.. Just say no to worthless advertising, say no to yellowpages and yellowpages.com!
Greg Newell | Aug 6, 2009 | Reply
Got to agree with last post. Yellow pages is an old paradigm but they still have their slick sales people. It seems to me that in trying to maintain their revenue stream, they are getting more slick in their sales process but are offering less and less. My clients are not generally happy with the results. ecommerce
market analysis
Martin Snytsheuvel | Sep 1, 2009 | Reply
Interesting? 85 clicks is $5.18 per click, I have to tell you that the only thing that it appears Yellow Pages dot com did not due is take into account your conversion of Click to Sales? I would be glad to pay $5.18 per click for 85 clicks as long as the conversion to sales makes sense. SO many times SMB’s look at this formula way too wrong!!!
Martin Snytsheuvel | Sep 1, 2009 | Reply
Strong Statement ED, Whats your advertising back ground?
Business Industrial Network | Sep 1, 2009 | Reply
My opinion about someone “would be glad to pay $5.18 per click …as long as the conversion to sales makes sense”.
As long as the conversion to sales makes sense, of course anyone would be willing to pay that. But the truth of the matter is, 99.99% of the time, paying $5.18 per click would not return the sales (conversion) to justify it.
Some people boast they can write sales copy that returns 50% conversion factor. But once again the truth of the matter is most sales copy is lucky to get .05% conversion. Of course there are other factors too, competition, pricing, product/service demographics, customer demographics… and oh yea, what about the ECOMOMY! :>) But profit margin of the sale is equally important in determining what pay per click value is acceptable.
Analysis in the decision making gets even more complicated (or simple), what about competitive pay per click rates. IE: yellow pages pay per click is no competition for Google.
For example, why pay $5.18 per click, when with Google you can get say $0.25 per click rates. Your website uses the same sale copy whether someone clicks from yellow page or from Google, so the conversion factor is the same. The primary difference being (other than price), is with Google you can get and afford many more clicks than you would ever dream of getting from yellow pages. Therefore more sales at a lower advertising rate.
So given the above, you are just throwing your money away with yellow pages. For the most part. There are exceptions to every rule. Some product/service demographics dictate the customer is more likely to look up local, rather than search the internet. If you are a dentist for example (plus you could justify the higher click rate based on profit margin. But if you sale a product that can be shipped, Google is the way go. The money you save you can give back to customers and increase your sales even more.
Most people know what is local, and don’t need to look it up. What they use the internet to shop for is non-local and things they couldn’t find in the yellow pages.
So in summary, if you make enough profit per sale, and your customers are primarily walk-in customers, maybe consider a yellow page listing. But only after you capitalized on the most cost effective solution, Google and other search engines. Because more and more of your customers are turning to the internet now days.
Concerned Business Owner | Mar 29, 2010 | Reply
YellowPages cannot be trusted because it published knowingly my business telephone number incorrectly. It’s too bad my complaints have gone on deaf ears here in Phoenix, AZ. Five days now, the YP group continues to ignore to correct the telephone number on my paid advert.
Manish Kumar | Jul 27, 2010 | Reply
you need to advertise for online yellow pages because today visitor in online yellow pages is much more than printed directory