In 1886 Reuben H. Donnelley created the first official yellow pages directory, inventing an industry. Today, the expression Yellow Pages is
used globally, in both English-speaking and non-English speaking countries. In the United States, it refers to the category, while in some other
countries it is a registered name and therefore a proper noun. In the Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Israel the 'Yellow Pages' are known as the
Golden Pages.
Yellow Pages (YP) are a print directory which provides an alphabetical listing of businesses within a specific geographical area (e.g.,
Greater Chicago), which are segregated under headings for similar types of businesses (e.g., Plumbers). Traditionally these directories
have been published by the local phone company, but due to the highly profitable nature of the business there are numerous independent
directory publishers. Some YP publishers focus on a particular demographic (e.g., Christian Yellow Pages or Business Pages).
Yellow Pages directories are usually published annually, and distributed for free to all residences and businesses within a given coverage
area. The majority of listings are plain and in small black text, usually in the Bell Gothic or Bell Centennial typefaces. The YP publishers
generate profit by selling advertising space or listings under each heading. Advertising may be sold by a direct sales force or by approved
agencies (CMR's). Available advertising space varies among publishers and ranges from bold names up to four color twin page ads
("double trucks"). Advertising rates typically increase every year regardless of distribution or usage fluctuations.
In the United States, the predominant yellow pages are the RH Donnelley's DEX, Yellowbook, the AT&T Real Yellow Pages, and the Verizon Superpages.
In some countries, the familiar "walking fingers" logo is not protected as a trademark and may be used by anyone. This logo is used in varying
forms by almost every YP publisher; however, there are companies that use it to imitate mainstream publishers. In Israel and the Republic of
Ireland, the directory, although using the Yellow Pages logo, is called "Golden Pages".
Current Yellow Pages logo.
Business listings used for publication are obtained by several methods. Local phone companies that publish YP directories rely on their own
customer lists and include business listings that are provided by phone service providers (CLEC's). Business owners that utilize phone services
other than the local phone company (typically a Bell Company) should make certain that their information has been sent to the publisher for
printing in upcoming directories.
Advertising in YP directories requires payment in full prior to printing or may be billed monthly over the life of the contract, which is
usually 12 months. Typically, a sales representative will assist the customer in creating their ad design and provides a Proof Copy for
review and approval. Advertisers should be aware that many contracts have automatic renewal clauses and require action on the part of the
advertiser to end future billing.
Yellow Pages print usage is reported to be declining with both advertisers and shoppers increasingly turning to Internet search engines
and online directories. According to a study by Knowledge Networks/SRI, in 2007, print Yellow Pages were referenced 13.4 billion times,
while Internet Yellow Pages references increased to 3.8 billion, up from 2006’s 3.3 billion online searches. As a result most YP publishers
have attempted to create online versions of their print directories. These online versions are referred to as IYP or Internet Yellow Pages.
Independent ad agencies or Internet marketing consultants can assist business owners in determining sound opportunities for YP advertising
and provide objective information on usage, possession and preferences.
Internet Yellow Pages
Online or Internet Yellow Pages are known as IYP or Internet Yellow Pages. On a broader scale they are known as vertical directories. There are consumer
oriented and business oriented varieties. All providers of IYP offer online advertising.
IYP offers listings differently than standard search engines. Where search engines return results based on relevancy to the true search term,
IYP returns results based on a geographic area.
Studies by independent companies such as Nielson and comScore have shown that Internet Yellow Pages have a very slim percentage of total Internet
searches. The majority, over 85% of all Internet searches, occur on the major search engines Google, Yahoo and MSN, though directed to the
consumer seeking the business rather than searches.
Advertising on IYP is typically available with numerous a la carte choices. These choices become small "individual sales presentations" which
makes it easier for sales reps to sell large advertising packages.
The new version of IYP is classified as a local search directory which provides content with the added ability to refine the search to find the
needed service. The new search engine now prioritizes local businesses in its results rather than the results being dominated by regional or
national companies. All services offer paid advertising options which typically offer preferred placement on search results pages.
Electronic Yellow Pages
Electronic Yellow Pages are online versions of traditional printed business directories produced by telephone companies around the world.
Typical functionalities of online yellow pages include the alphabetical listings of businesses and search functionality of the business
database by name, business or location. Since Electronic Yellow Pages are not limited by space considerations, they often contain far more
comprehensive business information such as vicinity maps, company profiles, product information, and more.
An advantage of Electronic Yellow Pages is that they can be updated in real time; therefore, listed businesses are not constrained by
once-a-year publishing of the printed version which leads to greater accuracy of the listings since contact information may change at any time.
Before the popularity of the internet, business telephone numbers in the United Kingdom could be searched by accessing a remote computer
terminal by modem. This dialup service was discontinued (as was a similar system called Phonebase for published residential phone numbers)
in the 1990s, being superseded a web-based search interface.
Electronic Yellow Pages History
Among the first to place their listings on the Web was Pacific Bell's now-defunct “At Hand” online yellow pages that was officially launched
on August 30, 1996. At Hand debuted with approximately 1.2 million merchant listings from across California. At the time, the service was
competing with BigBook.com, a nationwide Web directory has since been absorbed by SuperPages.
Although it is “old hat” now, At Hand allowed an online visitor to look for a French restaurant in a given town and get an interactive map.
If the restaurant has paid for an enhanced listing, the visitor could also find out other information, such as whether it took American Express
or if it served bouillabaise. At Hand showcased editorial content from 14 publishers, including HarperCollins, the Hearst Corporation, the New
York Times Company and American Express.
Another early entrant into the then-$11 billion yellow pages industry occurred in 1997 when four Baby Bells banded together to create a
co-branded Web site and initiated a $1 million marketing campaign to drive more traffic to their regional yellow pages sites. That
"original yellow pages" site was simply a map of the U.S., where users could click on any state and be linked to the appropriate online
directory, as published by Ameritech, BellSouth, Pacific Bell, or US West. The site experienced stiff competition from Big Yellow
(now part of SuperPages) and SuperPages itself.
On Nov. 4, 2004 SBC Communications Inc (now AT&T) and BellSouth announced a joint venture to acquire Yellowpages.com. The venture
utilized the highly recognized brand name to become the market leader in local search (Internet). At the time of acquisitions,
it was expected that the YellowPages.com site would receive more than 50 million consumer searches per month.
In 2005, Amazon.com elbowed its way into the online yellow pages business, with a new service from its A9.com search engine,
featuring photo-rich listings that allow an online visitor to “wander around” near a given destination.
According to market research company the Kelsey Group, advertising in online yellow pages is rapidly expanding but still only retain
less than 7% of the total market, including online and print. The reason for this is that traditional yellow pages publishers,
such as the phone companies, have big sales forces to approach local businesses.
MarketWatch, an online financial newsletter, carried an article on Dec. 18, 2006 detailing how mobile online yellow pages were
enhancing small business lead generation. The article noted that Internet-based yellow pages, local search and wireless was growing
by an estimated 30.5% versus print advertising, and that a company could only benefit from this online growth by being listed in
an Internet-based directory.
References
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- http://www.goldenpages.ie/displayhome.ds
- New Research Shows Overall Yellow Pages Usage Growing -- 17.2 Billion Searches in 2007
- http://www.greenchair.net/articles/Local-Search-and-Internet-Yellow-Pages.htm
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- "Inside Indiana Business". SBC, BellSouth to Acquire Online Yellow Pages. http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=12219. Retrieved on 9 June 2007.
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- Wikipedia.org
