The 200-plus U.S. Yellow Pages publishers have traditionally fallen into two categories: telephone company-related and non-telephone company-related. As the industry continues to evolve, these boundaries are blurring. Some publishers that were previously affiliated with telephone companies have been sold to other interests. Partnerships between publisher-owned Internet Yellow Pages providers and major portal and search engines are increasingly common.
Historically, print directories covered the local community - consistent with local telephone service patterns. Today, many publishers are augmenting their traditional directories with special-interest directories, as well as directories for consumers in specific neighborhoods. In addition, some telephone company publishers have begun to offer directories in areas not served by the telephone companies with which they have been affiliated.
Area-wide Overlay:
Area-wide or overlay directories combine areas currently covered by multiple directories into one larger directory area.
Suburban or Neighborhood:
Suburban or neighborhood directories serve a smaller, more-localized portion of an area that is already covered by a larger directory. This is an effective way for advertisers to target specific geographic zones.
Special Interest or Niche:
Special interest or niche directories are demographically targeted to reach specific consumer markets. Examples include Hispanic directories, women's directories, African-American directories and university directories.
Business-to-Business:
Business-to-Business directories are targeted to the purchasing needs of business customers. These directories have unique headings and are distributed only to businesses.
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