Thanks for all the great testimonials. I'm getting all choked up.

Testimonials Yellow Pages Commando

Qwest Dex Media has introduced their free text version of their IYP.

They've done a really good job of pulling the data from their print ads and making it searchable through their IYP.

It's good to see the creative thinking in this company, because they're thinking outside of the box.

I believe that APTAS helped them with the technology part of it.

In my opinion, the free text search is much more consumer friendly than the forced structured data that most of the other IYPs use.

My hat's off to you, Qwest, for being innovative!

DexOnline.com Internet White and Yellow Pages

This is an amazing (and free) tool. ARGALI is software that you download to your desktop and it will simultaneously search several Internet Yellow Pages and other data sources.

Most IYPs have the functionality built in, but ARGALI will sort and compile the information so fast and easy, it's incredible. Personally, I'm amazed that the IYPs allow the ARGALI engine to ping their databases.

I find it useful when my first search doesn't show the listing I'm looking for. I'll use ARGALI and see if the data resides somewhere else on the web.

What happens is that the various IYPs use different sources for their listings data. Some use the listings from their own telco, but no single IYP has a complete and up to date listings database.

Wanna know why? Simple . . . MONEY!

We don't charge people to search the IYP so that we keep our traffic numbers high. However, fresh data comes with a pretty substantial cost. So most of us do the best we can to balance current listings with cost.

One solution that we use is to make a free form to update a listing right on the front of our website. It makes it easy for a business or individual to let us know that a listing has changed. It isn't perfect, but it does make it easy for people to help us do a better job.

Try ARGALI and let me know what you think.

Cheers,
Dick

Argali White & Yellow - the most complete and reliable phone directories search on the Internet

Chris Sherman wrote a piece on an interesting bit of technology by MetroBot. They put the search results on an IYP on a map to give a visual.

Personally, I find the interface to be very cumbersome, but the concept of mapping results is nothing new.

It's part of Google's Local Search Beta where they display the results on a map which may aid relevance.

It really comes down to how important location is when doing a search. Statistically, 75% of the companies who advertise in the Yellow Pages perform a service (like a plumber or a doctor) or they sell services with products (like a company who installs the carpet that they sell).

I don't think that location is nearly as important as many other factors in making a decision.

Local Search, With A Visual Twist

To find out what's going on the in the world of Yellow Pages, here's a link to search Google's news sources for articles that have "Yellow Pages" in the title during the past week.

It's pretty cool.

Google Search: allintitle: "yellow pages"

Even though these guys are competitors, I think they've done an incredibly good job with their IYP.

They've tried to marry Google simplicity with the structured data from a print YP.

Everytime I use it, I come across something and say, "Dang, that's cool!"

SureWest Directories

My first YPcommando newsletter of 2004 is live on the site. I needed to find a chiropractor last week.

My experience in selecting one is probably pretty typical of many consumers.

You might want to read about it.

Yellow Pages Commando News: "How I Found a New Crack Dealer "

Google has upgraded their local search function. I think that they will continue to refine search to bring better localized results to web searchers.

They take an unconventional approach to the search, and I believe that they will force the Internet Yellow Pages companies to improve their own products.

It's worth checking out.

Search by Location

If you must know, I threw my back out on Sunday taking down the Christmas tree.

On Monday, I was bent over like the towel boy at a Turkish bath house, but here it is only 4 days later, and I'm skipping like a school girl.

Dr. Michael Berry hooked me up and got me back on my feet. From now on, he's my main crack dealer.

Check him out.

La Costa Chiropractic - Chiropractic Doctors - Carlsbad, CA - CALIFORNIA