Little SEO Company Crushes Huge Corp in SEO Marketing

[4arizona]

Seems like all the phone book companies are getting into SEO and PPC. So these big companies that held all businesses over a barrel to get into their yellow pages now think they are internet marketing and search experts?!?

For years I got the feeling that they were in total denial about the Internet and the effect it would have on their yellow page business.

I think business will suffer in the long run. Their lack of experience will cause PPC prices to go higher and cost companies more.

Anybody what to write a story about this?

I have some interesting examples of out ranking them for their own keywords. [ Screen Shot]

[hostBrain]

Didn't you know?

Seems everyone is an expert SEO, including the big guys

and including the little guys that promote their "seo" services, then turn-around and ask the most basic fundamental search engine questions in a public forum.

[cimmeronstudios]

I think that happens in all services, really. Someone claiming to be able to do something and in the end, looking for help to do it once they've been paid to do it...it isn't just SEO. Unfortunately.

[vinay11111]

I am observing this from last three years I've spend in the indusrty but this has grown more from last one year with more people goin fro elance types of things and getting projects over there.

[incrediblehelp]

Funny thread on YellowBook salesman here:

Nobody Needs SEO Anymore! - piloSEO

[cimmeronstudios]

I liked that. But you know, and maybe I'm naive but I think there are crooked people in every industry, not just SEO. Like a programmer who claims that no one else can do what he can do...until someone (often me) comes along and shows them that it can be done. People suck

[4arizona]

Yes I think its funny but I do feel sorry for the businesses that fall into that trap. Pay per click (PPC) by the phone company just seems wrong and I think that will drive PPC prices up..


yellow page companies First response to the Internet in the 1990's the Internet is just a fad

Then in the early 2000-2004 we have better make a directory too

Now 2007 .... it's LIKE ok well we CAN get you on google yahoo and MSN too!

The new yellowbook commercial with David "grasshopper" Carradine saying we can get you on the search engines too... cracks me up.

Wait a minute I though everyone was using dex knows, yellowpages(.com) already like the sales person told me. You mean people actually start their searches on places like google?

google - "dex internet marketing" Oops

MEMO:
to phone companies STOP masquerading as search marketing experts.
Please stick with the paper version of your advertising monoply err I mean business. You don't see radio newspapers and TV advertisers trying to ... ( Oh CR$P their revenue is in decline too) Never mind

... END OF MEMO

[flsurfkarma]

You know I was wondering if anyone else felt that way about the phone companies..... and it's not limited to only them... We get phone calls from Discover all the offering to do SEO or give us a web site. I usually just say.... what's the name of my business and what do you think I do? Freakin' Morons.

I agree with you on these companies driving the cost of PPC advertising up. I advertised on SuperPages.com for 6 months. My budget just kept going up until I couldn't afford it anymore. Our sales guy would call and say that my competition just increased their budget and PPC cost. In the end its all about $$$ and not service with these guys.

[Yellowpages.comRep]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I thought I'd add a couple of pennies. I have a bit of a vested interest, LOL.

First - and worst - it's all about the rep. That's the cold, hard truth. Many (most?) of the reps are former print salespeople with a hard sell background and little or no internet expertise. They don't need it - it's a 3rd party vendor handling the PPC placement. Problem is - that thrid party vendor - all of us use one of 2 - SUCKS. There, I said it, LOL. I have many clients on our SE product - and I ride the vendors rear until the keywords are right and placement right. I also used to ork for the unmentionable vendor, and was actually LET GO for SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME OPTIMIZING CLIENTS CAMPIGNS. True story. Fact is, if the vendors that supply the IYP's PPC products were worth a big piece up concrete backing up Lake Mead, the IYP SE products would be acceptable. over priced vs DIY, but worthwhile. They're not. :shrug:

IYP's themselves - well... What's that line from Bambi about if you can't say something nice...? So i won't talk about Superpages.com, LOL. Yellowbook.com is repsectable. They generate real ROI. They're a competitor, but I actually RECOMEND them to many of my clients for additional business. Dex is... Okay. Depends on the city. Yellowpages.com - well, I'm biased. i'm also honest. If the campaign - on our network, not talking about the SE stuff - is set up and run correctly, the ROI is off the charts. Conversion rate like you've never dreamed about. Those crazy stats are true - IF IT'S DONE RIGHT. The biggest problem with IYP lies in a couple of places.

First - As i said before, the rep. most will oversell or sell whatever the client will buy. Overselling reduces ROI for obvious reasons. Underselling is JUST AS BAD. If your $15 listing isn't going to generate results, but you're unsure about commiting $200/mo - well, the $15/mo will be fluched down the toilet, the $200/mo (if I'm the one recommending it, LOL) will generate 10:1 and better ROI. I've got clients who've generated millions off a couple thousand dollars, literally.

Second - you guys. Don't take offense; I don't mean all of you. But the directory and especially IYP concept and execution is so misundertood by SE pros that horrible advice and even worse rumors.

That's why I'm here. Good discussion, anyone?

[meinking22]

Let the competition come. Anyone that does any professional PPC campaign management at all knows that it takes some serious work and expertise to get that ROI humming. From the client's website to the ppc ad itself, everything needs constant revision and attention.

I don't, and have never sweated, any sem companies that bilk customers into dumping cash into a ppc black hole. In fact, I'm thankful. Some of these poor unfortunate souls have become my best clients as a result.

[Yellowpages.comRep]

Wow. One response, and someone docking my rep for resurrecting an old thread? Excuse me - firstly, I apologized for the old thread before I wrote anything, and second - what's wrong with bringing back an old but relevent thread instead of starting a new one? I did a search, found a thread that related directly to what i was looking for, and posted in it. Maybe you are new to discussion boards, oh person who deemed in necessary to call me a "bad newbie" and start me off with bad reputation, but poting in a relevent thread > starting a new one every time - lest you get "use the search function, newbie" or the like. I'm more than a little bit offended. [/end rant]

Re reading my last post, it was written quickly and it shows, lol. And I can't find an edit feature on here anywhere, so I guess everyone who reads it will have to suffer through it as-is. I would like to address the issues related to IYP's in gneral, their much maligned search products, and the misinformation and general badness spouted by so many web marketing professionals regarding IYP and other directory advertising in general. I would think that a community of people focused on increasing ROI for their company or their clients' would be interested. :shrug:

[colegiala]

We've been using Google ad words for a few years to advertise an auto transport website. Its been very expensive without the return we would like. I am lost as to who to trust to do a good job optimizing our website on the organic links and sponsored links.

I got a call from ATT yellowpages.com who promised in writing that they can get us in the first pages of
MSN Yellow Pages
Yahoo Yellow Pages
Yahoo Local
411.com
Anywho.com
Addresses.com
AOL Yellow Pages
Areaguides.net
Their program is calley YP Connect and its $600/month with a one year contract. Is anyone using it? Do you recommended? If not, why and what do you suggest? Can they really place our site in the first page on both organic and sponsored like with such competitive keywords like "auto transport" "car shipping"...
Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Here's what they wrote:

AT&T Rep Joette Holly***Important info**Just to clarify with the YPConnect program you are guaranteed placement on the first page. As I stated to you placement can never be guaranteed but as far as your company showing up on the first page you will definitely be there!
We give you 100% coverage of Google because your company will be in the Organic section as well as the Sponsored links section. We usually bid for the 3 or 4th position in the sponsored links however like any site on Google that doesn't mean you will be 3rd of 4th all the time. You can come up #1 or #2 one day and be # 3 or #4 the next.
But again you will definitely be on the first page! That is the purpose of the program, to drive you to the top and also provide you with detailed reporting.

[Yellowpages.comRep]

Oops! Double post...

[Yellowpages.comRep]

What state are you in? I can certainly verify whether or not the claims are valid (it will vary slightly by region) regarding page placement on the different sites listed.

Now, the last section is where I need to tread lightly, so bear with me, lol. Understand that I cannot speak directly against our SE programs for paid placement with Google/Yahoo and the rest for obvious reasons. let it suffice to say that you are already paying for clicks with Google and not seeing tremendous results; would paying us to pay for essentially the same clicks (perhaps slightly different keywords/phrases) change the results from that ad medium? Hint: Not likely.

As for the directory portion of the campaign - PM me if you wan tto keep it private or post back, whatever - I would be happy to examine what the rep recomended and tell you flat out if they're overselling you or if it will be profitable. I'd want to know a littl ebit more about your business (products/services) and service area. I've been here for years and I flat refuse to sign a client that I'm not VERY sure will see a substantial ROI, and if you're not in my territory then I have no dog in the fight as far as commission is concerned, more than happy to help.

[mirisaamali]

wow , now that is news. Crushing the big fishes is simply a great achievement. Because the biggest hurdle for small fishes is the stability and resource power of big fishes.