Sometimes a larger truth becomes obvious in the most mundane way. Here’s how it became clear to me that Google (and the other search engines) are the new Yellow Pages.
One evening, not long ago, my son said to me, “Hey Dad, can we have a pizza tonight?” Stifling my instinct to deliver a lecture on the differences between “can” and “may” as well as the advantages of proper nutrition, I sighed, walked over to the always-on computer and typed “pizza naples florida” into the Google space on my browser’s toolbar. In a nanosecond, the computer screen was filled with the listing for every pizza shop in town. (And by the way, just how much pizza can one town eat? There must have been 30 pizza shops.)
The point, of course, is this: I never thought to look for the phone book.
When it comes to looking for a lawyer, more Americans are turning to the search engines than the yellow pages. So says a June 21 study from Harris Interactive on the behavior and preferences of Americans when searching the web. Fifty-four percent (54%) search online rather than use a phone book. Though 63% are looking for the addresses or phone numbers of people, almost as many (58%) are looking up information on local businesses.
Two other key findings:
• Google is the most popular search engine, followed by Yahoo, MSN, AOL and Ask Jeeves.
• More than half of those surveyed (56%) do not understand the difference between the paid and organic types of listings. Among those that do know the difference, only about half (51%) prefer organic listings.
(I am indebted to Larry Bodine and Kevin O’Keefe for bringing this study to my attention.)
What does this mean? It means that you need a search engine strategy, one that is aimed at getting the highest possible “organic” ranking, as well as getting the most out of a “pay-per-click” sponsored link campaign.
Think about the following advantages of paid search engine listings (sponsored links) vs. Yellow Pages. The Yellow Pages have a printing cost, while search engines do not. Ditto mailing costs. With the Yellow Pages, you pay to reach everyone who receives the phone book. With a paid search engine listing, you pay only for those who actually click through to your site. With the Yellow Pages, you make a one-year financial commitment to an unchanging ad. With a sponsored link, you make no time commitment and can instantly change your ad any time you feel like it.
Should you abandon your Yellow Pages advertising? That would depend on what kind of return you got on it last year. If it provides a steady flow of clients (or even enough to make the ad profitable), by all means keep it. If not, however, I would recommend cutting the size of your Yellow Pages commitment (perhaps even to a simple listing) and putting those marketing dollars into a pay-per-click strategy.
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