The other night I came home, late and as I stumbled to find the key to the front door, I tripped over the latest yellow pages which had been left at my door. "Not happy"

Ok, so why did they deliver them!

I don't use them, nor according to some recent press releases does half of the population.

I don't need anymore yellow pages to prop up computer screen, two is enough and they don't wear out.

Who actually still uses the Yellow pages print version for actually looking up things?

I don't, and it seems I am not alone. Very few people actually use the Yellow Pages as a source of information.

Why because I can find it quicker and more easily on-line, through a variety of sources. Not only is the information easier to find online, it is more up to date and more informative. For a more detailed analysis on the decline of the yellow pages, read my hub decline of traditional media.

And going on line is better for the planet!

Sounds ridiculous doesn't it. But think about this.

• How many trees were slaughtered around the world to produce the annual yellow pages?
• How much fuel and energy was consumed in cutting down the trees, processing it to paper, printing it (including the toxic waste from the printers), fuel used to deliver it and then
  
• The energy by waste recycling companies to collect last years and probably 30-40% of this years (immediately dumped) and then process them into something useful.

Yellow pages print version has to be up there with Cattle in being a major identifiable source of global warming!

The Yellow Pages print version must be stopped or at least give people the choice not to have it delivered. If not for the sake of the planet, then at least for the sake of my foot!

Constructive Role of Yellow Pages

Yellow pages companies do have a constructive role to play in providing small businesses particularly, with access to an on-line directory with a local search capacity. Yellow pages companies are one of the few organisations left which can counter the increasing dominance of the two dominant search engines.

This countering role will become necessary in order to provide small companies with an effective on-line market access channel. Why because small businesses, particularly hire and rental my area of interest, can not afford to match major segment players in their SEO spend. Effectively meaning that they will be pushed so far down the organic search list even for local searches, that they will be basically denied an effective search result presence. Basically meaning that over half the sales lead volume ( ie on line searches) is lost to them. Yes Google and alike have local search facilities, but it is still effected by SEO techniques particularly black hat ones. which really only the largest companies can afford to employ.

Yellow Pages Business Model

Yellow pages like the traditional print media has a business model problem (advertising revenue is dependent on circulation). Both are suffering and have for a long time. Yet we need them, because both have a role to play in aiding business, either through print advertising or as discuss above local search directories.

We know that in our segment small to medium sized businesses have a need for advertising channel options. We have worked hard to ensure that our hire software or rental softwaresystem that can provide in built SEO enhancements. Ie automated work-flow of selected content to selected web and web 2.0 sites. It would be nice to be able to work work with Yellow pages companies to determine how a similiar solution could be developed that boost Yellow Pages relevance (on-line), yet most importantly providing our hire and rental companies with effective advertising channel alternatives.

As always just thoughts in an ever changing landscape.

But I am still against the printed version and so is my foot!