Dear Mr. Marshall,
Yes, the economy is in the you-know-what. Yes, the prevailing economic headwinds have been and continue to be nasty and MUST be endured. Yes, a multi-product platform is good and smart. Yes, small to medium sized businesses still need to get the word out to consumers who are ready to buy. Maybe more so now than ever before.
And yes, I started my short note to Mr. Klein over at Idearc with this same paragraph. Decided this was acceptable because when I’m searching for something using one of the IYP sites, much of the time I can’t tell what site I’m really on because the results, if I get results, all look the same. And I’m guessing you’re the guy I should be talking with based on my recent experience with Yellowbook.com. Please forgive me if this is misdirected.
Nobody likes complainers and whiners but I used Yellowbook.com today and geez Louise, I really can’t figure out why this is so tough.
I searched for an “estate planning attorney” in Longmont, CO and this is what came back:
No matches in Greeley Area, CO for “category: estate planning attorney”. Verify your information and perform another search.
HUH?
There is not ONE estate planning attorney in Longmont, CO? Well…I guess not. At least not in Yellowbook.com. And apparently there is not ONE estate planning attorney in Greeley Area, CO either. Not sure why it’s telling me that as I didn’t ask the Yellowbook Genie anything about Greeley Area, CO but whatever.
Okay, let’s try again. I notice as I’m typing estate planning attorney – it ’s suggesting estate planning attorneys -so let’s try that in Longmont, CO. Feels like forced search based probably on what’s available in the advertiser database but anyway, drum roll please…
No matches in Greeley Area, CO for “category: estate planning attorneys”. Verify your information and perform another search.
Neato, this is fun. It’s me against the search engine. I know what I need and want. Can’t figure out how to get it. Two tries, two strikes.
Let’s try estate planning attorneys in Denv…typing…er…typing…ooooh a BIG pulldown list: “denver area co”. Let’s try that. Surely there has to be a nice gaggle of estate planning attorneys in the Denver area. And hopefully – maybe, before I have another birthday in March of next year – I’ll be able to locate one that’s in or very close to Longmont, CO.
Well, whattya know. There’s ONE! ONE estate planning attorney in the Denver area. Ambler & Keenan on South Cherry St. In DENVER. I live here and have for 30 years so I know where that is (also confirmed by the nifty map) and I know it’s about 30-40 miles from my house. One way.
Not close. Not even close to fulfilling my needs. And just for grins…clicking on their link shows me nothing more than I saw on the first page. Maybe it’s a FREE listing so who cares. Certainly no one at Ambler & Keenan.
So based on my experience so far – Ambler & Keenan is pretty lucky because they are the ONLY firm that came up in my search result. But the entire experience gives me just a bit of agita and a confidence factor of zip, zero, nada that Ambler & Keenan can help me with my estate planning needs. Not sure how much they’re paying for this little listing, if anything at all but…WOW!
I could go on with this exercise narrating each step of the way but I’m way past done. And, frankly, I don’t have the energy or the time to continue trying to outsmart the genie behind the Yellowbook curtain. And this search was pretty simple. I can only imagine what’ll happen if the search gets more and more complicated.
I do think I’m done with Yellowbook.com as well. I’ve been searching and finding stuff online since the Web was knee-high to an Internet grasshopper. Not saying that for applause or kudos or anything of the sort. But, and it’s a BIG BUT, there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands if not millions of people just like me. They’re busy, busy, busy and they don’t have time to fiddle with a search engine to find what they need. Quickly and efficiently. And, when they do find what they want — they need good, solid, hopefully reliable information to make a buying decision.
For the record, I have used Yellowbook.com on several occasions and have never once come away with what I wanted or what I needed. [I have ideas as to why that is but we'll save those for another post]
For the millions of others that are just learning and starting to use these search engines and online yellow pages (maybe after seeing one of the new ads on TV?) and other local search engines, I guess I just have to wonder how they’ll react if they have the experience that I just had. Or how much hair they’ll have left when they’re finished?
Is it really that tough? And what must all the estate planning attorneys in Longmont, CO be thinking? I’m looking for them and knocking on the door but…no one is home.
Sincerely,
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July 30, 2008 at 8:11 am
Dear Rick,
I’m not Pat Marshall, but I am an employee of Yellowbook. I did a search on Yellowbook.com for “estate planning” in Longmont, CO and here are the results:
http://www.yellowbook.com/search/?what=estate+planning&who=&where=Longmont%2C+CO
There is also a suggested category of “wills, trusts, & estates attorneys” which gives plenty of local results.
Sorry to hear that you had a dissastisfactory experience. The website is constantly evolving and improving on itself to be as user friendly as possible, so I’m sure that any suggestions you’d like to make would be welcome.
http://corporate.yellowbook.com/contact-us/?searchSiteUrl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.yellowbook.com%2fdefault.aspx
July 30, 2008 at 9:43 am
Allyson,
Thanks for your comment. I did the same search a little later and found the results you reference.
I think my biggest point is, as a local search engine, you may not get a second chance to make a first impression. There are so many local search options out there that I’ll give you a few seconds and if I can’t find what I want and need, I’m gone to someone else. And as you know, if revenue is dependent on eyeballs and clicks – you want everyone 1) staying with you as long as possible on each visit and 2) making your search portal their search portal of CHOICE!
Maybe you should ask your advertisers what terms they’d like to be associated with when potential customers do a search. I’ll bet there’s not one estate planning ATTORNEY that wouldn’t want to appear when their potential clients are searching for an estate planning attorney or attorneys! These are basic taxonomy issues that should, IMHO, more to the top of any online directory’s priority list.
And thanks for the link to make suggestions. I actually made this suggestion several months back and received nothing more than a form response back. I do realize that you may receive an overwhelming number of suggestions and inquiries and certainly can’t act on each and every one. Another area for improvement I suspect…
September 30, 2008 at 2:11 am
Rick,
I’m with you 100%.
Just for S&G’s I tried your search in my area (Tucson) and got zip, just like you, until I did what Mr. Marshall’s representative did… dropped the word “attorney”… then, Yellowbook.com sprang to life, offering 65 listings. (Hey, what can I say, Tucson’s not anywhere’s near as big as Denver and the 222 listings you ended up with.)
Picky little search engine, though, ain’t it? And, it seems your follow-up suggestions haven’t been acted on yet and it’s now almost October.
My problem right now is that I can’t connect to their corporate website with a complaint of my own. IE keeps saying it cannot display their page.
I want to know why it says our time is an hour off from the real time here. I just entered my son’s name to confirm he’s listed (recently moved) and it says the time here is 2:08AM when it’s really 1:08AM.
This extra information is offered during a “people” search (and then after clicking on the name from the first results page) under the heading: “More Information for so-and-so”. It shows three things; the number and confirms it’s a “landline”. Tells the “Location”. And also says “The local time is…” …an hour too fast. (No, my son didn’t change time zones in his recent 20-mile move, just cities.)
I feel that if they’re gonna fancy up their search results page with extra info than it should at least be accurate.
Kevin
Vail, Arizona
September 30, 2008 at 7:11 am
Kevin,
Thanks for your comments!
The Yellow Pages publishers still don’t get it and I’m not sure they ever will. There are many other local, niche search engines and portals rising that, if they can keep the momentum going, will eat the YP publisher’s lunch before it hits the table!
Forget about trying to contact them…it’s an exercise in futility.
Isn’t it interesting that really, they have no incentive to pay the slightest bit of attention to you and me and the other millions of people that might use the books and online directories to support the very people and their businesses that pay…ahem…their salaries.
Advertisers pay the bills so that’s where the priority lies. As well it should. Although, I would also argue that the YP publishers really don’t care what their advertisers think either. Shut up, buy advertising, buy more advertising next time, yeah our online offering isn’t all that good but hey – you’re on the Internet, what else do you want!
I’m being a little facetious but not much.
The bottom line is they have no real incentive to listen to you or me. It’s just a hunch but I think that attitude may come back to haunt them one day.
Rather than bang my head against their wall, I have cast my opt-out votes with each of the print publishers in my area. I don’t need their books and I don’t want them on my doorstep. Which of course means that I won’t see the ads from all the nice local print Yellow Pages advertisers in my area either.
I wonder how all those nice, hard working, paying through the nose advertisers feel about that?