I have joked about Essex Pages, which has been widely advertised but has done little. Has anyone actually come across a local directory that does generate profitable traffic?
The free Alaskan directories we are listed in send us so little traffic they're not even listed on our top 50 referrers. I don't think the public really thinks of the internet as a 'local area' resource... that's what the phone book is for! ;)
<IMHO> Geographic general local directories will have to evolve correctly to become a local resource. The correct format has yet to be found, but i think there could be one.
Now, Yahoo can never have ALL the local businesses listed, whereas a specialist local directory could achieve that.
Awareness is the problem. Huge sums of £££/$$$ have to be spent in order to create awareness for a local directory, otherwise we'll all use Yahoo's local directory.
If you're sitting on a bus in Basildon and see the essexsite advert for the directory, I bet you've forgotten about it by the time you get back to go on the Internet. You'll key in Yahoo, or AltaVista, etc.
Either way, if you did remember, it will not send as much traffic as Yahoo with it's global coverage.
Also, they have to get their price point right. Charging for every listing is not going to work as there is bound to be local firms not prepared to advertise.
They've got to build a model that allows every local business to appear in the listing and to charge for key positions in certain categories, or banners, or multiple listings, etc.
A comprehensive and useful list will prove valuable.
</IMHO>
The Internet is probably not a mature enough medium for a profitable "local directory". So I'd agree that this IS where the phone book comes in handy and if you decide to go online as Joe Average you're more likely to use an established directory (like Yahoo local) or your "local" ISP homepage and start from there.
This is probably marginal business - it would surely take a long time for a viable business model to evolve.
It would be interesting to see whether some locals in large US cities (where the medium is more mature than UK) have any comment on this.
As you say, Freebee, it's still too early for the model to work.
Especially until it's comprehensive.
In fact, I'm not sure I've even ever visited their site....
A client came in today who is involved with yet another one www.essexsites.co.uk Essex will soon have more directories than computers. :):)
It just takes work and THAT is what needs to evolve on the net. Far too few people are willing to actually get out of their chair and beat the streets. The fact is that anything, any billboard, any radio station, any taxi cab bumper that can draw a thousand eyeballs a day in a local market has at least some value to local advertisers. AND, the thing about local advertisers is they are used to paying for ads at a much better rate than any .01 cents a thousand impressions.
A local directory can actually get a hundred or two dollars a month from local nite spots, restaurants, lawyers, etc. for sponsoring certain areas of a local directory as opposed to trying to find an internet company willing to pay more than 5 cents a click.
Add that to the fact that the phone book can't offer weekly updated coupons for local merchants and you've got a shot.
As was mentioned the trick is getting those local eyeballs. It's being done as we speak with people joining in their local Chambers of Commerce, going to local events and passing out flyers and business cards. Showing up at PTA meetings and doing a "story" on their meeting, Highlighting the lives and events of local celebrities. Posting local photos on the site of the football teams star making a touchdown, and on and on and on. those are things that Yahoo can NOT do.
Part of the whole dot.com fallout is due to too many people trying to make money from this new global market when the money is still sitting in their own backyard.
If I'm wrong then one of the UK boys will challenge this: I'm not convinced that the UK market is ready. Therefore, be very bold or have lots of shilling.
[As an aside, we've seen more business ($$$) from a Madison, WI "local directory" in 4 months of 1998 than the whole of 2000 on one of the large UK directories - we're a UK business.] That's not a fair apple-for-apple comparison but the point is that Joe Average may still be better off picking up the phone book right now - we have a way to go still in the UK on profitability from "local" direcories.
I know a chap in the UK who just put about £40,000+ into a local directory - advertised it extensively on the side of local buses etc etc and it was one big giant flop.
Sadly his design team had no web experience, which can't have helped.
