America Online announced Wednesday it will use
advertising from the online Yellow Pages of SBC Communications and BellSouth
to increase its local search presence around the country.
Yellowpages.com, a joint venture between SBC and BellSouth that includes
SBC’s Smartpages.com and BellSouth’s RealPages.com, will now be listed
on AOL.
AOL says local search continues to be a growth opportunity for directory
publishers and an important sector of broader Internet search services it
offers through its Yellow Pages product.
“We’re committed to providing AOL audiences with the very best in local
search and directory products, and we’re pleased to bring the YellowPages.com
advertiser content portfolio to our popular brands and services,” said Jim
Riesenbach, senior vice president of AOL Search and Directional Media Group,
in a statement.
Research firm Kelsey Group estimates that 70 percent of U.S. households
use the Internet as an information source when shopping locally for products
and services.
“YellowPages.com shares our strong consumer focus, and by leveraging
their high-quality assets we can enrich the AOL Yellow Pages product that’s
available across the AOL Network and even better meet the needs of online
consumers who want to find local resources,” Riesenbach added.
Other Internet search companies have already launched similar local
services in an effort to increase advertising revenues.
The ability to search for businesses, restaurants and events locally has
become an important feature, as Internet media sites like Yahoo,
Amazon, Google and
Microsoft MSN have partnered with other companies in an effort to
increase their local search presence.
Today’s agreement enables YellowPages.com to provide added value to its
large advertiser base by allowing it to reach more new customers, the
company said.
Charles Stubbs, president and CEO of YellowPages.com, called the
agreement a milestone for both organizations.
“YellowPages.com is all about bringing buyers and sellers together, and
this relationship strengthens the YellowPages.com leadership position in
local advertising,” he said.
AOL Yellow Pages provides listing and information for more than 13
million businesses and points of interest throughout the country. The
listings are expected to supplement AOL Yellow Pages content.
