There was a time for small business when you purchased some yellow page advertising, got a phone and you were in business. But more so now than ever the yellow pages have become an antiquated advertising dinosaur.

Search marketing is quickly becoming the new standard, replacing the yellow pages as the go-to place for consumer searches. Lead by the tech savvy younger generations, consumers know that a quick trip to a search engine will yield quicker more relevant results for a local pizza parlor, a roofer, an auto body shop, or a web designer. Google leads the way as the yellow page killer simply by building a better form of search.

Search marketing has improved the process for both the consumer and the marketer. From a marketer’s perspective, search engines have effectively killed the yellow pages by out-performing them in three unique areas.

Analytics: Search marketing is much more appealing to metric hungry marketers. Search marketing provides rich, in-depth analytics. You can get traffic information, conversion rates, impressions, clicks, bounce rates and more. And now with the new Google Local Business Center, marketers and small business owners can get detailed stats outlining crucial metrics. Yellow pages provide zero metrics. The only way you can track your success is through inbound phone calls.

Flexibility: Search marketing with pay-per-click gives you the ability to modify your ads on the fly. You can quickly respond to competitive pressure and you can continually improve the performance and position of your ad using the built-in analytics. Unlike the yellow pages, which require you to sign a one-year contract, you can use ad words at your disposal.

Control: With search marketing, you direct the consumers to the relevant content you want them to view. You can present different messages and ad copy using multiple ad versions. You are able to use landing pages to convert leads. In short, your ad is more than just a piece of paper; it is a dynamic, informative portal leading to more information that aids in the selling process.

Despite all the up sides to search marketing, I continually come across small businesses and clients who rely too heavily on the yellow pages. Many small businesses still make the yellow pages a substantial portion of their yearly marketing budget. The yellow pages continue to be a huge industry. According to Simba Information, the “U.S. yellow pages revenue is expected to total $16.54 billion in 2009. ″

Like many things in business, our marketing expenses are often institutionalized and remain in use even when better alternatives exist. Take a good look at your marketing budget and see if you can put your yellow page spending in a better place. My recommendation is to reduce or eliminate your yellow page spending, opting instead for ad word search marketing and a continual search engine optimization (SEO) campaign. Search marketing will likely give your small business more bang for your buck.

Tags: bye, bye yellow pages, google ad words, search marketing, yellow book.

Recent negotiations between Yahoo and Goggle have lead to a pending partnership. Yahoo will now host Google adwords within its own search engine.

Yahoo will continue to display its own paid search advertisements right next to Google’s ads. An interesting juxtaposition that is sure to cause some initial confusion.

A statement released by Yahoo estimates that the union would bring in an additional $800 million in ad revenue annually. Google and Yahoo will share the revenue generated from the partnership, which is estimated to produce $250 million to $450 million in operating cash flow for Yahoo in year one.

This partnership is sure to increase Google’s preeminence in the search advertising market while increasing the reach of Google’s brand. Google already has a similar ad agreement with AOL and Ask.com.

A Yahoo/Google ad merger has some interesting implications for search marketers. The reach of Google adwords will be greatly increased and the possibilities for reaching new market segments all in one application is a nice benefit, but all of this is going to come with a cost. The pay per click and pay per impression cost of ads will increase due to the rising demand for Google’s ad services.

This move comes at an opportune time for both companies. With the current financial crisis and rapidly declining stock values both companies are sure to benefit from the increased cash flow. But this move is especially important for Yahoo because it will help Yahoo retain their current customer base and help revive the declining usage of Yahoo’s SERP (search engine results page) and allow them to survive in the market place with out a Microsoft buyout.

Anti-trust concerns have been waged. However, most analysts contend that the deal will withstand regulatory inspection. Until committee approval is reached Yahoo and Google have voluntarily delayed the agreement.

I guess in the end sharing is caring. 

Tags: Adwords, Google, Merger, search marketing, Yahoo.