About 22 percent of Internet users in the U.S. used an online version of a printed yellow pages service in the past month, according to a 2017 study conducted on behalf of Local Search Association (LSA). The amount hadn’t fluctuated since the survey was also conducted in 2015, when 23 percent of U.S. Internet users fell into that category. Internet yellow pages (IYP), such as Dirxion’s Local Search, accounted for 27 percent of the respondents in 2016 and 28 percent in 2015.
The adoption of the Internet format helps explain why yellow pages have remained popular sources of information for some consumers and have allowed some publishers to remain profitable. According to an article published by Thumbtack, 68 percent of Americans have a yellow pages directory in their home, something the article credits to the success of some publishers releasing digital versions of yellow pages.
An aging population means the demographics for yellow pages users has shifted as well.A 2013 Thrive Analytics report discovered 50 percent of seniors (ages 65+) are extremely likely to use yellow pages as a source of information as opposed to 14 percent with members of Generation Y (ages 18-29). The types of consumers who have continued to use print yellow pages are classified as “laggards,” those who prefer to use less modern technology due to skepticism or force of habit. A growing senior population will continue to help directory companies. Physical directories are also used in more rural areas where Internet access is either slower or harder to access than in more densely populated areas.
People have also gone to yellow pages depending on their needs. Even more tech-savvy individuals turn to yellow pages for their local needs. The LSA found that even though search engines had the market for services such as hotels and restaurants, an equal number of users use print yellow pages to find plumbers, electricians and roofers.
While search engines dominate for services like hotels, restaurants, and real estate, equal numbers of customers turn to the print yellow pages to find plumbers, electricians, and roofers. — Thumbtack, 2015
Dirxion offers print yellow pages services with flip-and-feel online versions as well as an Internet yellow pages product called Local Search. Online versions of the print yellow pages use PDFs of the publication and are easy to navigate while providing flexibility to print and distribution costs. With the Local Search product, Dirxion creates and provides a website for local directories to sell space on that website to local businesses to advertise on. SEO strategies can be implemented on the sites, pushing the Local Search engine up higher when customers search for products or businesses advertised on the site.
