Having a conference during Passover poses a big challenge. Not only did I have to forgo the myriad offers of beer, but the difficulty of getting Kosher for Passover meals was greater than I expected. While the Wynn hotel did make an effort to accommodate my request, they took about 3 days to figure out that Kosher for Passover is not the same as pulling a Kosher frozen meal out of the freezer.
Getting a bit tired of eating fruit, I figured I would use my trusted friend Google and Google maps to find a nearby Kosher restaurant and see if they are open for Passover. But Google maps is quite a letdown, partially for its confusing user model, but more importantly because of a flaw in the web itself - the web gets stale.
First, about google maps. My use-case is pretty routine. I search for the place I am currently at, and look for stuff around there (here) and directions to it. Google maps though has no concept of "I AM HERE", which they need to know is NOT the same as "Home". Hey Google, I know you have orchards of keen, smart, A.D.D. programmers who are looking for cool things to do. How 'bout you take them out of their cubicles, and take them to the mall, and skip the Apple store and Video game shop and show them the map of the mall. See the "YOU ARE HERE" red dot? Google maps needs that. 'Nuff said.
The bigger issue for me was that while google shows 3 restaurants within the radius of the Wynn, and happily will provide the directions to them, all three of them are out of business and no longer exist.
Yet, their web sites continue to expound on the excellent Kosher cuisine, convenient hours, and mouth-watering customer testimonials.
So I turned to the Yellow Pages (tm). Yes, the big book in the drawer of the desk that low-and-behold, was exactly not there. The good thing about the Yellow Pages compared to the web is that it times out. You have to renew your ad every year, and it is expensive enough to be worth your while to keep it correct.
Domain names are very inexpensive, if you can find one at all that isn't 75 characters long. When you buy a domain name, like I did, you often get a few Mbytes of web space, and if you are not web savvy, you get your sister's nerdy son to put up a web page for you. Like most things, domain names are cheaper the longer you commit, so it's typical to buy a domain for 3-10 years.
There are likely hundreds of thousands of web pages that are obsolete, or stale, or forgotten. But Google will serve them up according to its patented backlink techique with complete disregard for whether the page is real, updated, or dead.
Google folks, let's get back to your core competency - the world's best search engine. Stop for a minute figuring how to add more ads to every page, and think about search. I'll give you a couple ideas;
1. Time
2. Space
These things have been around for a while, like about 13 billion years, plus or minus.
Time: Let me rank the Google hits by how recently the page has been modified.
Space; Show me sort Google results by proximity in earth-space. Google maps could help.
At least, now am home in the warmth of my family, and can get matzah when I need and hugs aplenty.
5 comments:
Hi Dave. I just had to chuckle as I was reading your post. You see, I work in the Yellow Pages industry and am constantly faced with the challenge of defending the print product and denying its impending extinction. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a proponent of the Internet and, more specifically, IYPs (Internet Yellow Pages) and local search. However, to your point, when you open up that phone book you know the content is going to be current because advertisers are investing their hard earned money in those ads. Until someone comes in and cleans up the free online databases (an extremely labor intensive job) the Internet will never be as accurate a search source as the Yellow Pages print directory. Thanks so much for validating my argument that consumers are still using the Yellow Pages!
A couple of thoughts regarding Patti's comments.
You make a good point about advertisers having an incentive to keep their ads current. BIG problem with print: it's only current until the next book is printed. Certainly the ad content will be current - what the advertiser loses is the flexibility to UPDATE their print ad or implement new ad tracking tools – until the next book is printed.
And, it is both the advertiser and the publisher's problem if advertisers don't keep their online ads, directory listings, etc. up-to-date. With the right tools and coaching, there will NEVER be anything more current than the information online. That's what online advertising is all about. Information can be updated every minute of every day – if that’s what the advertiser wants.
And it is all about what the advertiser wants and needs...right?
I do use the yellow pages, in fact, just used it the other day. I use my local phone provider’s IYP version because having worked in the Internet world for the last 14 years – I know how to get around an Internet directory and get around fast!
I was searching for someone to look at my lawn mower here in my hometown of Longmont, CO. Location was very important, didn’t want to have to drive 30 miles out and back. I was looking for more info than just a street address, phone number and map. What more information tells ME is that the business really wants my business. I was also able to click through to see a couple of this one shop’s actual print ads – which is also a plus for me. I chose the ONLY listing that gave me everything I wanted and he was 4.7 miles from the house. Cool!
Long story short – one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with a small business owner. Thought I was going to have to spend $50-$100 to solve my problem and leave the lawnmower there for a couple of weeks. It is spring after all.
Instead, I spent 3 minutes with the owner while he showed me what was wrong and how to avoid the problem next time. Spent 7 bucks for a new air filter which he installed for me and I was on my way. I was so happy I went back and left him a 5 star complete 1000 character review and recommendation for others to see at his web listing in the IYP.
Hmmm...can’t do that with my PRINT book can I?
On the flip side, I’m pretty confident I would not have that kind of experience if I was looking for an estate planning attorney or a professional to help with my insurance or retirement planning in the book or online. Oh, there are lots of advertisers offering these services in the YP and IYP but I need more than either of those options can provide.
What I’d like to see, before deciding who to basically trust with the innermost workings of my entire life, could possibly be displayed in a print ad that would cost the advertiser oh, let’s say maybe...$10-$12,000. A MONTH! Probably more. Obviously no one’s doing that. And if they were, the book would be 7,593 pages and weigh 167 lbs. You’d need a forklift to pick it up and let your fingers do the walking........
And one thought before I forget – everyone’s always comparing search in the YP book with a Google search when comparing print with online. BIG faux pas. Most people haven’t the foggiest idea how to search using Google. This is what produces 2,459,201 search results when looking for an estate planning attorney online. And actually, all you IYPs listen up, the same thing happens when trying to do a focused vertical search in most of the IYPs out there. You get all kinds of garbage that has nothing to do with what you’re searching for.
There’s absolutely no excuse for serving up garbage in an online directory search result. And yes, there are powerful tools and ideas to eliminate garbage and prevent the dreaded "No Results Found" or "Sorry, there are no matches for your search."
There’s also no excuse for serving other, non-related advertiser’s ads all around an advertiser’s profile. But that’s a whole other topic for conversation.
I will continue to use the YP print book as long as it’s delivered to my door and most likely only when the power goes out, my laptop battery is dead and my cell phone has no signal. And then only to find help with "commodity" type issues or problems. Where I don't really need to form any kind of personal or long lasting relationship with the business owner. I will also OPT-OUT at the first opportunity I get. I know that helps to shred the most powerful close a YP sales rep has but it IS a waste of money and resources to put all those books on my doorstep when I don’t want them, I don’t need them and maybe most importantly, I didn’t ASK for them.
We all know what they say about FREE advice but since we’re all on the Internet and we get to say whatever we want...here’s mine for the YP publishers. One thing that does eat at me pretty good is when it’s all bitchin’ online and no ideas to fix it and make it better.
1. Since print still pays the bills and you (basically) give away online with print – you need sales reps and CMRs that know how to sell online. This does two things: 1) you can start charging more for online and more advertisers will UPGRADE from the free or low-cost packages and 2) E-V-E-R-Y print ad should have a URL (if one is available) that gives people, like me that need more info and would rather go online anyway, a place to get more useful, potentially always up-to-date info. KA-CHING!
2. Since most of you are all touting the "multi-platform" business strategy and all that means – hire sales reps that can truly help the SME develop effective marketing and advertising strategies. I’ve owned a small business for the last 10+ years and I’ll guarantee you this – every YP sales rep I’ve ever talked with knows one thing and one thing only: Yellow Pages. That’s it. And usually I’m made to feel like dog poo if I can’t understand what a blindingly obvious deal it is to advertise in the Yellow Pages. Multi-platform sounds great. Are all your platforms really working together to make the whole value proposition stronger than any of the individual parts? Doesn’t matter what I think. What do your advertisers think? ALL of them. Each one has a rep. Time to get to work finding out! Before your competition beats you to it.
And be careful with your reps that start selling or are selling online now. You need to take your advertisers' temperatures and find out what they know, don’t know, like, don't like, etc. about online. Why? Putting a newbie online sales rep on my account would be the kiss of death. I’d eat their lunch before they could get a dozen words in edgewise. AOL used to do this back when they were on top of the online advertising mountain. Now they’re suckin’ everyone else’s exhaust.
3. If you’re going to play in the online sandbox, hire technology people that "get" online and can make something powerful happen - quickly. And once your online product is a superstar go out and tell the world. I know there are some pretty hefty debt loads that need to be covered and you gotta make some money to keep the analysts happy so they can keep talking people into buying and selling your stock. And right now only print can cover that stuff.
But as a small business owner who’s always spending what little money I have to attract more customers I want to know that a certain percentage of that money is going to drive prospects to my ad. On whichever of the multi-platforms it’s sitting on. It’s been a problem in the print world since day one and IMHO the IYPs are jumping the gun a little with clever TV ads steering people online. You need to beef up your online offering THEN tell everyone how great it is and why they need to use YOURS!
4. Create incentives and tools for your online advertisers to keep their online profiles UP-TO-DATE. There’s no excuse. This goes back to your sales reps and CMRs knowing online – what works, what doesn’t and how to truly "partner" with your advertisers to give them the biggest bang for their buck!
5. Most of what works online and can drive significant online revenue is already being done. Who on your team is monitoring this stuff and making recommendations? Who eats, drinks, breathes and sleeps online? You have the advertisers. You have the sales force.
Any questions?
Wow. Great to see a range of people who read this.
I think active cooperation is the way to go (how Canadian!). I would really like to have a small barcode in the printed YP's that I could point my cell phone/iphone at and take me to the web page without having to remember or type a url. Come to think of it, it should include the phone number so the phone can auto-dial it as well...
Dave
Good job! :)
"I would really like to have a small barcode in the printed YP's that I could point my cell phone/iphone at and take me to the web page without having to remember or type a url. Come to think of it, it should include the phone number so the phone can auto-dial it as well..." Dave, some of the print publishers are moving in that direction. SuperMedia (formerly Idearc, formerly Verizon) is now giving advertisers the option of including QR codes in their ads. The publisher itself is putting QR codes on their directory covers linking you to the online version. The industry has come a long way...
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