Searches are up for Internet Yellow Pages

Though this number is much smaller than the searches performed through Google or Yahoo sites, this is an indication that users wanting very specific information - like store location or other information - prefer to get specific search results.

According to the study, Yellowbook showed an 85% increase in searches in Q1, the largest percentage growth. However, Yahoo! sites accounted for the most searches with just over 180 million. Idearc Media ranked second with 158.2 million searches and Yellowbook ranked third with 143.8 million searches. Both Yahoo and Idearc showed a year-over-year decline even though they accounted for the most IYP searches.

"There is no true leader in local search," said Stuart McKelvey, CEO of TMP Directional Marketing (via MediaPost). "Consumers are making the transition from print to Internet, and the big media properties haven't figured out how to really deliver it yet."

Investing in local search through IYP resources seems a good place to begin for online marketers. Those marketers with a mobile as well as traditional web presence would benefit the most from IYP ads because local and mobile searches who use online yellow pages are searching for very specific information: they want the nearest Starbuck's or AMC Theatre rather than searching in general for entertainment or dining information.

Tags: internet marketing, internet yellow pages, local search, paid search