Verizon To Make Pages Even More Super, Slates Directory Overhaul
- by Larry Dobrow , February 1, 2004
The main goal of the redesign is to affirm Verizon's top-of-mind standing among local advertisers, both online and off. While the company controlled 29 percent of the Internet Yellow Pages market in 2002, it has found itself in the competition's crosshairs in recent months. Still, Director of Strategic Planning Jim Palma emphasizes that the site changes are not motivated by the awakening of Internet giants like Google and Yahoo! to the potential--and high profit margins--of the online directory business. "This is something we were thinking of regardless of where our competitors are trying to go," he says. In any event, Palma doesn't believe that national directories pose a competitive threat just yet. "If you want to find out about the history of plumbing, you go to Google. But if your sink's backed up at 2 a.m., we get you right to what you want to know." A Google spokesperson said that the company doesn't comment on the partnerships or initiatives of other companies; Yahoo! spokespeople did not return calls for comment until after deadline.
The revamped SuperPages.com allows searches via product, brand, service, and specialty; every results page lets users refine their search further. Central to the site redesign is what Palma calls a "richer content experience," including new optional business profiles for advertisers. Featuring everything from hours of operation and maps to certifications/affiliations and single-click email contact, these profiles are envisioned as mini-sites for local businesses that lack a substantial Web presence.
"We're giving small businesses a chance to compete," Palma says. "Take a heading like 'florists': with most searches, you can scroll through dozens of national companies without finding the one that you want to go to on the way home. The way the site will work, it will give [local companies] a better chance to go head-to-head in geographies where they do business."
As for advertising, Verizon plans to offer both pay-per-click and set-fee arrangements. "[Advertisers] want it both ways," Palma shrugs. "Some want to pay a monthly fee and know exactly where they'll show up, others want to give pay-per-click a try." Pay-per-click advertisers (three, with placement hinging on geography and bid amount) will occupy the central slot on most of the results pages, with sponsored links lining the right side of the screen.
Verizon's desire to accommodate advertisers will extend to the sales process. While the company's minions will continue to log around 3,000 in-person sales calls per day, Verizon is offering self-service on the Web for the first time. The sign-up process should prove extremely easy, with the site prompting would-be advertisers for a range of required and optional information as well as the opportunity to upload a logo. For the companies that are not entirely comfortable with technology but want an Internet listing -- "that plumber we talked about before, who's usually running his business out of the van with a cell phone," Palma offers--Verizon will bolster its help desk operations.
Given the health of its offline business (Verizon SuperPages directories are published in 48 states, with 112 million copies landing on consumers' doorsteps), the challenge for Verizon probably lies in establishing itself as the directory of choice for young'uns. To this end, Palma says the Information Services unit will devote much of its attention in 2004 to exploring multiplatform approaches.
"Fifteen- to 24-year-olds, they're more used to getting information on the Internet or on the cell phone," he explains. "Our goal is to be able to make that connection of buyers and sellers whenever [consumers] want it, instantaneously."
