Electronic Yellow Pages are
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" o ...
versions of traditional printed
business directories produced by
telephone companies
A telephone company, also known as a telco, telephone service provider, or telecommunications operator, is a kind of communications service provider (CSP), more precisely a telecommunications service provider (TSP), that provides telecommunica ...
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
map
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes.
Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...
s, 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
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
could be searched by accessing a remote
computer terminal
A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that can be used for entering data into, and transcribing data from, a computer or a computing system. The teletype was an example of an early-day hard-copy terminal and ...
by
modem
A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by Modulation#Digital modulati ...
. The initial prototype of this was superseded in 1990 with a commercial service. This service allowed searches via Name, Business classification and locality for business listings and a free text field was provided to allow "unstructured text" searching of Adverts. This
dialup
Dial-up Internet access is a form of Internet access that uses the facilities of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to establish a connection to an Internet service provider (ISP) by dialing a telephone number on a conventional telep ...
service was available via Prestel and "BT Gold" services. The service Electronic Yellow Pages was superseded in the mid-1990s by the internet service www.yell.com. A similar system called ''Phonebase'' for published residential phone numbers was discontinued in the 1990s, being superseded by a web-based search interface.
History
The first true online Yellow Pages, was a creation based on the independent YP publisher in Seattle, Washington called Banana Pages. This was the first print directory which was registered with both YPPA (the Yellow Pages Publishers Association), and the ADP (Association of Directory Publishers) to place their listings online. The Yellow Pages product was the brain child of the co-owner brothers of the company, Peter and John Richards. Many RBOCS (Regional Bell Operating Companies) would follow. Banana Pages eventually became YPI (Yellow Pages on the Internet, Inc) which was sold to InfoSpace.com and became their Yellow Pages offering to cobrands.
Among the first to place their listings on the Web was
Pacific Bell
The Pacific Bell Telephone Company (Pacific Bell or Pac Bell) is a telephone company that provides telephone service in California. The company is owned by AT&T through AT&T Teleholdings, and, though separate, is now marketed as “AT&T”. The ...
's now-defunct “At Hand” online
yellow pages
The yellow pages are telephone directories of businesses, organized by category rather than alphabetically by business name, in which advertising is sold. The directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for ...
that was officially launched on August 30, 1996. At Hand debuted with approximately 1.2 million merchant listings from across
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. At the time, the service was competing with BigBook.com, a nationwide
Web directory
A web directory or link directory is an online list or catalog of websites. That is, it is a directory on the World Wide Web of (all or part of) the World Wide Web. Historically, directories typically listed entries on people or businesses, and th ...
that was since 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
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes.
Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...
. 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 bouillabaisse. At Hand showcased editorial content from 14 publishers, including
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...
, the
Hearst Corporation, the
New York Times Company
The New York Times Company is an American mass media company that publishes ''The New York Times''. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, New York City.
History
The company was founded by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones in New York City. T ...
and
American Express.
Another early entrant into the then-$11 billion
yellow pages
The yellow pages are telephone directories of businesses, organized by category rather than alphabetically by business name, in which advertising is sold. The directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for ...
industry occurred in 1997 when four
Baby Bells
The Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC) are the result of '' United States v. AT&T'', the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust suit against the former American Telephone & Telegraph Company (later known as AT&T Corp.). On January 8, 19 ...
banded together to create a co-branded
Web site
A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wikip ...
and initiated a $1 million
marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
campaign to drive more traffic to their regional yellow pages sites. That "original yellow pages" site was simply a map of the United States, where users could click on any state and be linked to the appropriate online directory, as published by
Ameritech
AT&T Teleholdings, Inc., formerly known as Ameritech Corporation (and before that American Information Technologies Corporation), is an American telecommunications company that arose out of the 1984 AT&T divestiture. Ameritech was one of the sev ...
,
BellSouth
BellSouth, LLC (stylized as ''BELLSOUTH'' and formerly known as BellSouth Corporation) was an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after ...
,
Pacific Bell
The Pacific Bell Telephone Company (Pacific Bell or Pac Bell) is a telephone company that provides telephone service in California. The company is owned by AT&T through AT&T Teleholdings, and, though separate, is now marketed as “AT&T”. The ...
, or
US West
US West, Inc. (stylized as US WEST) was one of seven Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs, also referred to as "Baby Bells"), created in 1983 under the Modification of Final Judgement (''United States v. Western Electric Co., Inc.'' 552 ...
. The site experienced stiff competition from Big Yellow (now part of SuperPages) and
SuperPages itself.
On Nov. 4, 2004
SBC Communications Incorporated (now
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...
) and
BellSouth
BellSouth, LLC (stylized as ''BELLSOUTH'' and formerly known as BellSouth Corporation) was an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after ...
announced a joint venture to acquire
Yellowpages.com
Yellowpages.com is a United States-based web site operated by Thryv that provides listings for local businesses. In 2013, it was re-branded as YP.com or simply "YP". It currently offers a broad range of marketing tools including online presence, L ...
. 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
A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...
searches per month.
In 2005,
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...
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
Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Mar ...
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
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" o ...
and print. The reason for this is that traditional yellow pages
publishers
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
, 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
Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...
was growing by an estimated 30.5% versus print
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
, and that a company could only benefit from this online growth by being listed in an Internet-based directory.
Search Engines
Search engines such as
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...
carry a significant number of business listings, often rivaling and sometimes exceeding the number of listings found in the traditional online yellow pages. These search engine results are a very effective way to reach new customers.
Search engine listings can often be edited by users, not just business owners. It is therefore important for business owners to verify and register their business address with all the major search engines.
Some of the problems associated with search engine advertising is click fraud. This is when ads are clicked on with no intention of purchasing anything. The search engines still charge the advertiser for these clicks, if the advertiser does not discover the fraud. Many online advertisers have discovered that clicks do not equal calls.
Many small businesses find the search engine keyword model very complicated. The average category in an Internet Yellow Pages would take an average of 20different keywords/search terms to "cover" on a search engine. For example, a plumber might need to buy leaky sink, leaky pipe, Toilet repair, sink repair, drain cleaning and on and on. It is easier for many businesses to buy an ad under "plumbers" in their local IYP's.
Migration of Physical Publishers to Electronic Yellow Pages
Electronic Yellow Pages or Online Yellow Pages use software to quickly edit and change online content for display on the internet. Printed Yellow Pages or
business directories often discontinue publication to limit printing costs and instead publish directly to the internet as a
web directory
A web directory or link directory is an online list or catalog of websites. That is, it is a directory on the World Wide Web of (all or part of) the World Wide Web. Historically, directories typically listed entries on people or businesses, and th ...
. Online yellow pages or directories continue publishing online because advertisers pay for the visual exposure from those who read or use these online publications on the internet. Publishers or people that create these online directories create software with their own resources or use
opensource or
Off-the shelf software to build their website or online directory.
Banana Pages was an online directory function built with their own resources. The cost of online yellow pages or online directory software is limited compared to the large cost of physical printing and distribution of a phone book or directory of information.
See also
*
Yellow Pages
The yellow pages are telephone directories of businesses, organized by category rather than alphabetically by business name, in which advertising is sold. The directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for ...
*
List of Yellow Pages
This article is a list of regional yellow pages, a telephone directory of businesses.
A
* Afghanistan: In Afghanistan, the Canadian INGO Peace Dividend Trust launched a free online directory with over 2700 verified and registered Afghan ent ...
*
YellowPagesGoesGreen.Org
*
White pages
A telephone directory, commonly called a telephone book, telephone address book, phonebook, or the white and yellow pages, is a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area or subscribers to services provided by the organization tha ...
- Residential (as opposed to commercial) counterpart of the Yellow Pages
*
Blue pages
Blue pages are a telephone directory listing of American and Canadian state agencies, government agencies, federal government and other official entities, along with specific offices, departments, or bureaus located wherein.
Canada
Canadian ye ...
- Government related counterpart
*
Yellowikis
Yellowikis was a MediaWiki website collecting basic information about businesses. This information included basic contact details such as company name, address, websites, and telephone numbers, as well as internal Yellowiki wikilinks to competitors ...
References
*
*
*
*
*
* {{cite web
, title =Yellow Pages No Longer an Exclusive
, work =Kelsey Group
, date =2 October 2008
, url =http://blog.kelseygroup.com/index.php/2008/10/02/yellow-pages-no-longer-an-exclusive/
, accessdate =2008-10-02
, archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20081004001940/http://blog.kelseygroup.com/index.php/2008/10/02/yellow-pages-no-longer-an-exclusive/
, archive-date =4 October 2008
, url-status =dead
External links
EADP- European Association of Directory Publishers
Telephone numbers
Yellow pages