Those dirty rotten scumbag Yellow Page extortionists!

[Bob Foster]

My theory is in 5 years the YP costs will be 1/3 of what they are now for YP books only because most people will use the Internet or their phones to locate and choose carpet cleaning services making the books far less valuable. I can see it turning into a coupon book.

In advance of this understanding YP are currently attempting to sell premium web listening in their YP Internet directories. These premium listings are ridiculously over priced. Don't buy into their YP BS that you need to pay for premium web listings. You can still choose to be in their web free listings which that will have your web address and link there too.

Instead, pay Google for Google AdWords and it is cheaper and more effective.
Also paying for Google AdWords is even less expensive and can be arguably more effective than paying for website search engine optimization.
https://adwords.google.com/select/Login

If this subject is foreign to you then you owe it to yourself to investigate this subject as it is vitally important if you intend on using non referral type methods of attracting new clients and more importantly if you want to ditch the scumbag blood sucking YP extortionists. Talk to your website developer as this information is critical to making your website visible to potential customers.
Google AdWords

Today, almost 50% of prospective customers choose their provider by searching on the web. Web customers are good customers if you have your messaging right on the website so it attracts quality customers and not price shoppers.

 

[joey895]

Is a website required for google adwords? I have bought a domain name and space but have not got the site designed and up yet.

 

[Blue Monarch]

Yes, a site is needed for AdWords if you want it to work. A single page advertisement would be sufficient. You could make a flyer looking type page that the google ad is linked to.

Last time I looked into it, it seemed expensive. Scared me away.

 

[Bob Foster]

To have your website come up on top or near the top of a search whether it is Yahoo, Google or MSN you need to either have your website "search engine optimized" by a web developer or by a relatively newer breed of company where this all they do is search optimize websites. The cost of optimization varies widely depending on the complexity of the website and the complexity and location of competitive websites trying to achieve the same thing. In other words is more expensive to do in LA than it is in Plano Texas. It’s more expensive if you have a 20 page website than if you had a 3 page website. Costs for optimization would vary from $150 to $2000 per month.

OR

Just have Google localize your site and pay for key words. Google has about 85% usage for search engines. You pay for keywords that prospective customers would likely type in and Google will "prefer" your website to come upon top or near the top of the list. This is somewhat of a pay per click deal but worth it because it can be argued that it is more effective than the costs of website search optimization and it is also for results WAY CHEAPER.

Here is an example of how it works. You are a prospective customer that lives in Tacoma Washington. So you decide you will Google up to see who in your area you would like to choose from. You type in Carpet Cleaning Tacoma and then a bunch of names come up. Say John Watson, DA Burns and a bunch more and maybe some national names.
BUT as a website owner if you paid for the words "carpet upholstery cleaning Tacoma pet stain odor area rugsâ€Â

 

[tcul]

I just have a small display ad in one book (with a USP) just to add a few names per month to my customer mailing list.

I can't imagine using YP as my main way of getting FIRST TIME customers.

Standing at a busy intersection with a sign: "HELP, HUNGRY CARPET CLEANER NEEDS WORK" is more cost effective. And I meet a lot of hookers that way too.

 

[Al]

My yp advertising pulls pretty good, I track all my calls so I'm certain it is working.

The trick is to find an ad that works at a price that = 1 job per month or so, if you can't get 1 job per month out of it, your ad sucks.

BRC helped me tweak some little ad's that are producing enough work to be worth wile.

I just got a deal in yellow book 1/2 page with free 1/2 page in another category, for 191. per month. Plus Internet listing with click-able link.

Turning price shoppers into clients is another issue that BRC helped me with.


AL