Small Businesses Say Goodbye to Yellow Pages and Hello to the Internet

When you go out to get the mail one morning, you might notice a big, heavy book-like object leaning against your front door. Standing confused, wondering who might have left such an obtrusive package, you unwrap the plastic encasing. The tome within appears to be a directory of sorts, with the words "Yellow Pages" printed across the cover in black, bold letters. Somewhere in the back of your mind, a distant memory surfaces of a time when people used this crude publication to locate tradesmen and businesses in the area. You shake your head in wonderment: Who still has need for such a primitive tool?

Granted, the above scenario is slightly exaggerated. There are still plenty of consumers who rely upon their local yellow pages, and the directory isn't likely to disappear into obscurity for quite some time. However, many people now cast the Yellow Pages directly into the trash, relying instead upon the Internet to find whatever they might be looking for.

Within the past ten years, consumer use of Internet has exploded. Search engines and Internet directories, including YellowPages.com, have become the optimal choice of millions to search for local tradesmen, contractors, businesses, and more.

Gone are the days when local businessmen could simply rely upon word of mouth and a prominent listing in the Yellow Pages under their appropriate category. Consumers today want more than just a name and phone number and a few short sentences touting the reliability and quality of service.

While the Internet certainly provides businesses with the means to promote and market themselves in a much larger capacity than the Yellow Pages, there may be more costs associated with doing so, as well as the risk that they might never be found amidst the sea of competitors that also populate the Internet.

However, if done properly, and with ample online marketing solutions used in a cost-efficient, effective manner, a small business can easily trump larger companies. This can be evidenced in the case study "How SEO & Active Web Group Helped Construction Book Express."

The Internet can certainly help level the playing field, but only if a business, large or small, is willing to make the necessary investment to ensure that their online marketing efforts are done properly. For more information about online marketing solutions, visit Active Web Group, Long Island's premier full-service web marketing agency.