A bit of market research.

[V8MoneyPit]

Just had the rep from Yellow Pages in and she was discussing advertising on Yell.com.

I wonder if I could use my fellow Mud Clubbers for a little research please?

I am specifically refering to the motor parts industry in these questions.

Has anyone ever used Yell.com?
If so, for what purpose?
Do you use it to find a phone number/web address of a previously known company or do you use it to search for an item and find who you can get it from?
When using a directory such as Yell.com, would you click on banner ads or use the results list in preference?

I have my own views that I won't share to avoid influencing results. But it would be really helpful to get other peoples comments.

[muddysteve]

i use it quite a bit  

for getting numbers of places i know and for looking for companies etc, i dont click on the banner ads

i tend to use the companies that have a clicky to there website but not always

usually much easier than trying to find the yellow pages as its usually been hidden somewhere by the fairies

[beast5680]

use it very rarely and then only to find some specialist engineering companies and the like although i have used it before to find address of a company i already know the name of

[karlo]

i use it quite a bit  

for getting numbers of places i know and for looking for companies etc, i dont click on the banner ads

i tend to use the companies that have a clicky to there website but not always

usually much easier than trying to find the yellow pages as its usually been hidden somewhere by the fairies

me too

[thermidorthelobster]

Has anyone ever used Yell.com?

Yes, but it's lousy.  It gives responses in the same county, and they're not sorted by distance.  Really helpful if you live on the edge of three, as I do.  How useful to me is a motor factors in Caterham?  BT's website is marginally better, although it's actually gone downhill;  they now prioritise premium advertisers, so the first results usually aren't even in the same part of the country.  Come on you companies, this isn't bloody rocket science.

If so, for what purpose?

I've used it to find motor factors, scrapyards and sheet metal companies, amongst other things.

Do you use it to find a phone number/web address of a previously known company or do you use it to search for an item and find who you can get it from?

If I want to find a company I already know, I use Google.  I use it to find a shop which I don't already know about.

When using a directory such as Yell.com, would you click on banner ads or use the results list in preference?

I'd never click on the ads, but I would sometimes click on a "further info" page specific to a company I was already looking at.

HTH

[Skibum346]

i use it quite a bit  

for getting numbers of places i know and for looking for companies etc, i dont click on the banner ads

i tend to use the companies that have a clicky to there website but not always

usually much easier than trying to find the yellow pages as its usually been hidden somewhere by the fairies

me too

Me too... too!   :D

[Range Rover Blues]

I never use it for any car related stuff, I hardly use the yellow pages either.  If I want 4x4 parts I look in the comics, the interweb or just ring Paddocks or Rimmer's.

[Edge]

Never used it. Probably won't ever use it.
I either use the local BT phonebook/yellow pages or google (depends what i'm searching for).

I imagine yell.com would be used more by companies than your average Joe.

[MTyrrell]

I sometimes use yell.com, mainly for finding contact numbers for companies i already know the name for.

Normally I ignore banner adds on most sites, just out of habit.

[V8MoneyPit]

Really interesting, and very useful, feedback so far. Thanks. The rep is coming back in a few weeks, so I might print off your responses for her. I'm sure they have paid fortunes for their own research, but if she's interested I'll offer it.

Anyone else?

[NiceBlueWellies]

My sister works for Yell.com!!!!!!!!!!

I work for a pallet network, and use Yell.com EVERY day, as do a lot of the other depots, plus our hub, to find contacts.

I never click on the banners, but find a link to the website of a particular company I am looking for extremely useful, next to their listing.

I also use Thomweb.  Very similar, but Yell gets more hits.

[V8MoneyPit]

My sister works for Yell.com!!!!!!!!!!

Her name's not Jo is it???  :lol:

[NiceBlueWellies]

No, Karen.

She has been in the Peterborough and Cambridge area for a while, but back on home ground in Leicester and Hinckley now.

[NiceBlueWellies]

But saying that - her colleague is called Jo.  Lives down the road from my sister and works out that way!  Blonde hair and a little chubby?

[gords]

We had a Yell.com entry last year (hosting & web development) - we haven't got it this year

Basically, we had two "enquiries" from students who wanted us to fill in questionaires for their course - no actual work was generated (that we know of) via Yell.com.

Also, watch out for "introductory" offer prices, because you don't get them the next year!

[MK1]

I use it all the time.

A few years ago in their wisdom, Yellow Pages put the Coalville area in the DERBY book. This makes the book next to useless.

I never click on banners though.

[V8MoneyPit]

But saying that - her colleague is called Jo.  Lives down the road from my sister and works out that way!  Blonde hair and a little chubby?

Now I'll have to be selective with which posts I print off for her  :lol: This lady is dark haired, so probably not the same person.

We had a Yell.com entry last year (hosting & web development) - we haven't got it this year

I am really just refering to their directory listings, and clickable links to commercial web sites. Not hosting or site development.... didn't even know they did that! But just about every Tom, Dick and Harriet is a 'web designer' these days!

[gords]

We had a Yell.com entry last year (hosting & web development) - we haven't got it this year

I am really just refering to their directory listings, and clickable links to commercial web sites. Not hosting or site development.... didn't even know they did that! But just about every Tom, Dick and Harriet is a 'web designer' these days!

Sorry, I meant we had an entry in the Web Development/Hosting section. Internet stuff is supposed to be one of the most searched categories (top 10 or so?) but we didn't get any real response from our entry!

[Baby_Rhino]

Has anyone ever used Yell.com?
If so, for what purpose?

yep- use it for everything! use it several times a week when in the office.

Do you use it to find a phone number/web address of a previously known company or do you use it to search for an item and find who you can get it from?

Both- often use it as its quicker to get the number of a place i know rather than trawling through the yellow pages itself, but also good for searching to see where stuff is in the area (eg catering companies)

When using a directory such as Yell.com, would you click on banner ads or use the results list in preference?

Never used the banner ads. Always look through the list Im presented with

Often have to look up stuff for people who are technophobes and dont like using the interest! quite fun to see them flipping through the yellow pages even though i found the answer a good 5mins ago  

[V8MoneyPit]

Sorry, I meant we had an entry in the Web Development/Hosting section. Internet stuff is supposed to be one of the most searched categories (top 10 or so?) but we didn't get any real response from our entry!

Ah, sorry, with you now! I guess the more popular sections are the most difficult ones to get near the top in. Like search engines, the more specialised you are, the easier it is to get a top listing . Type 'mini parts' into Google and we are nearly always number 1 or 2. But if we were plumbers, it might be more difficult to achieve!
(just checked and we are no.1 for UK only and no.2 for worldwide  :D )