Yellowbook
In the US, the Yell Group operates as Yellowbook. It was founded in 1930, when local community directories were published on Long Island by the then Merchants Advertising Service Inc.. It became known as Yellowbook in 1949.Yellowbook has expanded in the US through a number of acquisitions and new launches over four decades. Following its acquisition by Yell in August 1999, further acquisitions have reinforced Yellowbook’s position as a national leader in local search and advertiser content in the U.S. Today, with a comprehensive online and print product portfolio, it continues to focus on a simple goal - connecting consumers with local businesses.
Yellowbook.com reaches millions of users via computers, mobile devices, organic web searches and the company’s network of partner sites. WebReach, Yellowbook’s fully managed search engine advertising programme, places customers’ advertising on the major internet search engines. And, as the largest independent yellow pages publisher in the US, Yellowbook publishes print directories in 48 states and the District of Columbia.
US Growth Story
Yell entered the US market through the acquisition of Yellowbook - the oldest and largest US independent - in 1999. At that time Yellowbook operated principally in the eastern states. Since then, we have continued to expand our operations in the east through the acquisition of small, complementary directory companies and the launch of new directories.
In April 2002, we expanded our US operations into the mid-west and Rocky Mountains through the acquisition of McLeodUSA Publishing Company. In December 2002, we expanded still further when we bought the California-based National Directory Company, giving us a presence in new territories on the US West Coast, in New Mexico and in Arizona, and increasing our opportunities for further organic growth. In March 2004, we purchased Feist Publications Inc, expanding our platform in Oklahoma and Kansas and extending it into Texas for the first time.
In July 2005, we completed the acquisition of TransWestern Holdings L.P. In 2006, we acquired Click Forward Marketing LLC, improving our advertising effectiveness through the internet. In 2007, we acquired Paradise Pages from Paradise Media Group LLC, extending our reach to Hawaii. In 2008, we extended into South Carolina, increasing our footprint to 48 states, plus the District of Columbia.
Our acquisitions, both large and smaller ‘in-fill’ acquisitions, alongside new directory launches, have successfully consolidated our position as the largest independent directory publisher in the US.
