Yell and Google form strategic alliance to bring search marketing services to UK SMEs - 14 May 2009
Yell to deliver a break through managed service solution to expand search engine marketing sectorYell, the international directories business, and Google today announce a strategic alliance to provide sophisticated, managed search marketing services to Yell’s base of more than 450,000 UK SMEs. The alliance will involve Yell becoming a Google AdWords Authorised Reseller.
The agreement will strengthen Yell's position as a leading source of new business leads and sales enquiries for UK businesses. It will give Yell’s SME customers access to Google’s base of millions of UK users through an innovative managed service platform developed by Yell that simplifies the delivery of Google’s AdWords product to SMEs. The platform, under development for a year, automates many of the labour intensive ad creation, bid optimisation and campaign management functions that have presented barriers to the adoption of search by busy UK SMEs.
Mark Canon, president of new media at Yell in the UK, said: “This is a significant milestone in the execution of our business strategy to be the leading market maker in the provision of sales leads for UK businesses.
“Yell is delighted to be working with Google in an agreement that will bring benefits to both companies. It combines Yell’s expertise in local advertising, our position of trust and our close working relationship with more than 450,000 UK business advertisers with Google's market leading AdWords search marketing programme and large base of users.”
Matt Brittin, director of Google UK, said: “In these tough economic times, Yell will now be able to offer the benefits of targeted, accountable and cost effective online advertising via Adwords to thousands of small businesses in the UK. Many such businesses already use Google Adwords to reach new customers locally, nationally or internationally. We look forward to working with Yell to help more UK businesses capitalise fully on the online opportunity.”
Yell's Search Marketing Service, which launches this week and will be sold by Yell’s 2,000 strong sales force, is part of a wider strategy to make leads from all online sources accessible to Yell advertisers. The service also signals a shift to more flexible open ended contract services for Yell advertisers, offering them an alternative to fixed fee annual contracts. This allows Yell to compete more proactively for advertiser spend in local and regional press media.
The Search Marketing Service for Google AdWords is the second product launch from Yell involving sale of inventory beyond Yell’s own portfolio of Yellow Pages, Yell.com and 118 24 7. Yell has already launched an ad network product, netReach, providing Yell advertisers with access to consumers across a business vertical and geo-targeted network of UK sites. The service has been well received by existing and new customers to Yell.
For further information about this press release, please contact the Yell Press Office.
Notes to editors
About Yell
Yell is a leading international directories business operating in classified advertising markets in the UK, US, Europe and Latin America through printed, online and telephone-based media. Yell’s principal brands include: in the UK, Yellow Pages, Yell.com and 118 24 7; in the US, Yellow Book and Yellowbook.com; and in Spain, Paginas Amarillas and PaginasAmarillas.es. All these brands are trademarks.
Yell's online image library, containing product shots and logos can be found at: www.yellgroup.com/images
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