A Broken Link on YellowPages.com

I started this post when I hit a broken link for a company whose domain name pointed at a YellowPages.com listing. I was searching fora retailer of a particular type of glass. I don’t know if the company with the broken link is out of business or not, I just hit the broken link and got to thinking about the value of having a YellowPages.com listing.

If you stop advertising with the Yellow Pages, you won’t have a listing there anymore. All the money you invested will not have a residual effect. Put simply: You pay to play.

A website, even when not regularly updated, still acquires a small amount of presence over time for the brand. Customers can find the company to do business with, inquire as to offered services… know that the company exists. Don’t knock the last one. Being “known” is a hair’s breadth from word of mouth (the original viral advertising). People can’t do business with you if they’ve never heard of you.

If your services are mostly online or last minute emergency type services (like plumbing accidents or late night car towing), you’d probably benefit from being listed. YellowPages.com allows users to zero in on local listings by category, and push past the noise that often accompanies popular search terms on Google.

But I have to say, personally, I haven’t used the Yellow Pages in years. I just Google everything. Or I ask on Twitter.

Here’s the link for info on advertising with YellowPages.com. Do your own research into what best fits your company.

How do you find service providers and stores?
How do you look up phone numbers?

Do do you advertise with YellowPages.com?
How has it helped your business?

Tags: advertising, Google, Twitter, web analytics, website development, Yellow Pages