Yellow Pages: 5 Advantages Over Big Search Engines

Some of the best restaurants, specialty shops, entertainment venues, and professional services don't have a strong presence on the internet, which is why the yellow pages is still one of the most comprehensive reference guides available. Often times a business lacks a webpage due to budget restraints, lack of technical knowledge or skill, or simply a preference for more traditional forms of marketing. Relying solely on popular search engines can also produce skewed results. When searching for small local businesses, relevant information can be difficult to impossible to uncover without considerable digging or unless they have published a keyword rich web page. Here are five reasons why you might be missing out on important listings.

1. Consolidation
There are some existing travel websites that will compare multiple company offers so consumers can find the best price, but you'll have a harder time finding a search engine that can compare local dentists, HVAC repairmen, or mini golf courses. Online yellow pages make comparison-shopping easy by consolidating companies into easy to read pages and lists. Rather than clicking through numerous tabs, everything is on one or two pages that are easy to scan.

2. Coupons
Printed phone directories still have several pages of coupons and discounts that are normally valid for one year after issuance. The website equivalent also supplies users with a valuable list of offers for a variety of services such as plumbing, carpet cleaning, spa treatments, and entertainment admission. These can be printed out and presented at time of purchase.

3. Navigation
Few small or new businesses can afford a professional website that is regularly updated, and those that don't always have the slickest site. Simply finding a phone number, address, or hours of operation online for a specific business can be frustrating. With the yellow pages listings, the basic and most important information is easily available without having to watch flash videos, click through a photo gallery, or scan small fonts. Using browser tools makes finding keywords and phone numbers even faster.

4. Presence
Probably the most overlooked reason to skip the massive search engine and go for paper or directory sites is simply there is no information on the Internet. The neighborhood pizzeria or craft store probably has little incentive to invest in graphic designers and content writers. Word of mouth and weekly mailings are often enough to drum up the business necessary. But the majority of businesses, no matter how small or specialized will have a phone number and address listed with yellow pages.

5. Accuracy
Ever find a webpage online, search it for several minutes, and then discover the location is in a different state? The Internet is full of misleading pages and derelict domains. Unlike other search engines, the yellow pages are categorized so the listings are accurate reflections of each individual business, and are updated regularly. There are also several third party companies that have tried to take a piece of the market, driving up costs of basic services. By finding the business directly, you can bypass these inconveniences.