Urgent opinion needed

[rochey]

Does anyone use the Yellow pages? I'm comtemplating an ad at a lot of expense and not sure what the return will be.

Would it be worth it? How many people actually use the Yellow pages or is Yell.com used more?

[Steveb]

I guess it depends on what your business is, but I once took an ad, never again. Now I actively have the shop details removed. All it generated was a lot of calls that started "What's your best price......".

If those sorts of leads are what your after then it might be worth trying, but it's not for us. (Everyone knows calls to us should start "If I bring in some Jaffa cakes, what's your best price....?" ;-)

[bikerben]

depends on how many people have access to the internet. And if they dont then the next best thing would be to look in the yellow pages well thats wat my mum would do she wouldnt have any idea how to use the internet lol

[penguinni]

I didnt realise the Jaffa cakes were a haggling tool....:-(

[rochey]

Everybody knows Jaffa cakes are "The Best" haggling tool. When people phone me for jobs they get discount if there is coffee and jaffa's promised!

I haven't heard too many good news stories re the yellow pages.
They have been stalking me for 4 days now to put an ad in.

[Lwatson]

What sort of company or service is it?

[rochey]

They have to be Mcvities though, no substitutes!!!!

[rochey]

Satellite and aerials engineering. Wall mountings for tv, hiding wires, stuff like that.

[petrolh34d]

In my opinion, I have always found the Yellow Pages to be of little use.

[Diavolo]

I agree as I always use yell or google, don't think I even hav a yellow pages!! I don't think it's worth it, but jus my opinion!

[rochey]

Thats what I was thinking, not many people have an up to date yellow pages and a majority of the country would use a pc.

[Rob]

I have a one line free add in the book and think the same online for me garden services.. get a few calls from it not much my one page web site that cost £10 a year gets me loads and going round shops chippies etc putting up cards on boards get more.

[Steveb]

I think it comes down to customer base. Typically YP users are those who are not online, or not too familiar of what you can and can't find online. It's terrible to say this, but it's not my words it's those of the marketing demographic companies, but typically YP users are in the lower income brackets. If this is your customer base then it's worth it. If not, then it's not.

And don't let them talk rubbish to you about Yell.com and what it can do for your online presence. It does nothing that can't be done for free.

[rochey]

How do you get a website higher up the search engine listings? Ive often wondered this?

[After_You]

I have cut way back on Yellow Pages (serviced office business and vending/coffee machines). Their sales tactics basically revolve around making you scared to miss out. I was away on holiday there and the cheeky c*nts have just sent me out the renewal forms to sign, without even speaking to me about it.

Think about what you are getting out of it. If there are 40 people in your field in Yellow Pages and none doing web advertising, you know which way to go. Referrals is still our main source of new business, has been for years.

[rochey]

I think your right. Best advertising is free, word of mouth! That is the way the sales guy was putting it "you'll make a fortune" and "you'll get at least 4 or 5 calls a day looking work", they seem to forget there is a recession at the minute! They can bangle theyre ad. I can think of better things to spend a couple of grand on!

[Bowdie]

Jaffa rolls are way better :)

[keyserni]

If we need anything done that is basically a local service (e.g. what you do) we usually just ring the guys who we've seen driving about town in a company van. A van with no advertising on it means you lose out locally but I'm guessing you already know this.

We don't use the yellow pages or yell.

[rochey]

Yeah the van thing makes perfect sense. Company vehicle is like a moving billboard. Would probably get more business if I spent the ad money on a van!

[Steveb]

How do you get a website higher up the search engine listings? Ive often wondered this?

It's piss easy, way easier than the companies who offer to charge you to do it for you make out it is.

First off work out your keywords, these are the search strings you think people who need your business will type into google. Next, use these words on the pages of the website you want linked too. make their use relevant, not random.

Next, put links to your site on as many high ranking sites as you can, like this one for instance, put a link in your sig. Get as many high ranking sites to link to yours, the more links the more Google thinks your site is important.

Also make sure your business and details are listed on all the free online directories.

A lot of the above is old hat, it's what I learnt near ten years ago, but whilst the web geeks will say it's all changed now I find it still works. There may be better ways, but this way does work.

[rochey]

Cheers Steve,

Ive been toying with the website idea for a few days now, was even going to do a course on it this year. That sounds like a plan, I'll get on with that then.
Cheers again mate.

[trailfox]

How do you get a website higher up the search engine listings? Ive often wondered this?
the work of magic coding monkeys.
google search engine optimisation, its tricky to explain in a forum post.

Do what steve said if you want to be ignored by the spiders or blacklisted by google ;-)

[Bowdie]

the work of magic coding monkeys.
google search engine optimisation, its tricky to explain in a forum post.

Do what steve said if you want to be ignored by the spiders or blacklisted by google ;-)

TF's right weighting your site can get you blacked, the old technics Steve suggests where used/adbused by Viagra/Porn sites - spiders assume ur dodgie and pass U by .....

[rochey]

So where do you buy a magic coding monkey? Is it that serious that google would blacklist someone for it?! How do companies get up the listings then. Massive amounts of hits on your website or what?

[Steveb]

Bowdie, TF, yep, that's what the webgeeks tell me ;-)

I do kinda know your right, but I still generally use this technique and it works, still. We have high ranking on all our sites for the keywords we want. I dunno, maybe it's cus we make sure the words are used in context, not just randomly.

[After_You]

You just don't want to go overboard on your keywords.

If you're only looking to get people to pick up the phone the best option might be a simple site with a couple of pages and plenty of links to it. Google Adwords basically talks you through the whole thing as you go, obviously they want you to put more of your advertising through them so they want it to work. And you can see when it doesn't.

[grillpan]

I fix boilers and have had an ad in the yellow pages for the last two years. Will be moving to Yell.com this year.

Dont even know where my own copy of the yellow pages is so how will people be expected to find you.

Online is the future.

G

[onionfx]

I use yell.com for looking up stuff for the Mrs

bathrooms, fireplaces etc.

if that is any help

[Rob]

try 1and1.co.uk, gives a one page site from templates, keword submission etc to search engines etc. also google maps and submit site to http://www.dmoz.org/.