Why you shouldn’t be putting your business into the hands of Yell.com
The majority of enquiries that come to us are from poorly-treated customers who have had an extremely poor time with Yell.com. These clients have either had a website built by Yell that was meant to be cheap, but ended up costing a fortune; or they used Yell to advertise their small business and got zero leads, but enormous bills.
With the number of issues we hear we thought it was important to highlight 5 reasons why you shouldn’t trust Yell.com with the online keys to your small business.
1 – You don’t own the finished website, Yell does
Unlike reputable web agencies, Yell will still own the website after you’ve invested in its build, content, imagery and more. You will be renting your own website even after you’ve paid it off.
If you choose to leave Yell, you have to leave your website behind. Its a great way for Yell to tie you into a long-term relationship with them chaining you to the radiator so you’re stuck. Otherwise, you will end up having to move to find another company to help you to build a new site.
2 – Their reviews can’t be trusted
When you first land on TrustPilot you see the warm green four-star rating. Positive reinforcement when you’re considering investing your well-earned money into a future with a company.
It’s no wonder Yell proudly announce that over the last 20 years they have built over 380,000 websites for small businesses, but can you actually trust the review rating? We strongly suggest you take a look at TrustPilot and browse the 1-star ratings. It won’t take you long to see how many complaints are concerning reviews being taken down. In fact, we were spoilt for choice so we only selected a few of the latest reviews to help.
Had reviews not been taken down that reflect poorly on Yell Business, the 3.8 rating they have (as of 13th Feb 2021) may not be so green.
3 – Poorly built, overpriced websites that can take months to be made
It’s clear from speaking to clients and reading the TrustPilot reviews that Yell have extremely talented sales-people. We know from experience that they are well-drilled in the sales script and they are definitely very commission driven!
Many problems stem from Yell not being able to deliver what the sales team says. It’s something we personally hate at Digital Paw. We have zero sales staff for this very reason. When we plan a site with you, we’re not going to sell you on a daydream in a desperate grab for a commission or to hit a target.
So many of the poor ratings refer to lengthy waiting times – four months in some cases. Others tell of payments being taken, but no website to be seen. It can be understandable if a complex website is being built, but a project manager should be in regular contact with you so your expectations are managed.
For most small businesses, a 5 page website is sufficient – so you should have a website built in under 30 days. There really is no excuse otherwise. Especially if you are simply using templates to build clone websites, just like Yell does.
Hosting is an essential part of website ownership and typically costs business around £50 to £100 a year with a good hosting provider. Yell’s hosting comes in at around £96 per month (inc VAT) which is about £1150 a year! This is on top of the website design you’ll be paying for too.
4 – They don’t know how to advertise your business
The vast majority of low reviews are about Yell’s poor advertising techniques that deliver little to no results. Small businesses can’t be expected to know the ins and outs of their daily business plus have a degree in marketing so it’s always good to seek help from an agency. However you ought to see some results, or at least have the freedom to cancel should the performance be awful. In these modern days of online marketing, results are real time and immediate.
Yell also want to tie you into a 12 month contract – don’t risk it. A reputable agency will be happy to work to a three month cancellation period max, and often work to one month’s notice.
5 – Yell Business Directory is worth as much as a penny sweet
We had to think long and hard to word that title without it being too offensive. Ask yourself this, how many search results have taken you to Yell.com?
When you’re looking for a service, do you rush to Yell.com or Google? Yell had a fantastic business model when it had the Yellow Pages. I’m sure many of you reading this article will remember the old advert where the boy uses the directory to stand on in order to kiss the girl. Well, those days are truly over and Yell rely on that old school reputation to convince small businesses into investing in them.
Yell.com is pointless now. Once upon a time it was the go to directory, now we have Google. And if you want to get yourself on to Google in a meaningful and impactful way for your business, get in touch with Digital Paw today and we can help you build something bespoke and effective.
Need a website or some advertising help?
If you’re looking for an ethical, trustworthy web agency to help your business grow, speak to us. We specialise in lead generation websites for SMEs and offer both Google paid search advertising as well as Facebook advertising too. And we do bring in leads!
