[spiderlily]

After realizing that my monthly yellow pages advertising cost was the same as my yearly advertising expenses for internet marketing, and that my website was bringing in many more, and much better leads, I have decided to focus more attention and money on promoting my website.

My website has recently been improved, and search engine optimization has been done by
www.greenvoodoo.com .Here is the new, improved website: www.botanicawisconsin.com . I welcome comments and criticism, and discussion of how best to reach our markets without giving all of our hard-earned money to ATT, Yellow Book, etc. As I was composing this post, the YP rep stopped by with a "new ad" -basically, my old ad, only bigger. Cost for this in one book $650/month for a half page ad, plus $29-$229 a month for a featured, or sponsored listing on the internet YP, plus $109 a month for sponsored links, guaranteeing (ha!) first page for all the search terms in my site for my area on yahoo and google. Where and when does this end? What do you do?

[Stonehenge]

On Yahoo, you can get those same 1st page sponsored results for $29/month when you go direct to Yahoo. Ask them to explain why they need the extra $80/mo.

As for Google's ads - they can't guarantee that placement - someone else bids more than what the YP service is bidding, and they get knocked down.

Not to mention, their YP directory is destined for the scrap heap - Google's Onebox results you are now familiar with are going to eat many of those directories as they add data and tweak their alogrithm.

For reference, I paid for their listing service for two years. In that time I received 24 visits. Roughly one a month. And about a dozen of those were me, checking to see if I was still listed.

There are better ways to spend your marketing dollars.

And I can no longer justify the money spent on YP phonebook ads. They just are not able to deliver for the money they charge.

[trees]

Tell the yellow pages rep that you want the same size ad as Home Depot...

There's a reason the big boys don't spend a lot of money on yellow pages... the cost just doesn't justify the new business it (doesn't) bring in. Divert the money saved into upgrading your web stuff, maybe that new level that Voodoo has been longing for, a new truck, whatever. Don't make the YP your biggest advertising expense. Sure, be listed so that someone who's been referred can find you there, but big ads are a big waste of money. Ask any marketing honk.

If the web site is working... run with it.