0800 777 445
Home » Media centre » Yell’s digital transformation story

Yell's transformation story

What we do hasn’t changed, just the way we do it

Press release

1st September 2017, UK – Yell, the leading provider of managed digital marketing services*, today announces the final print cycle of Yellow Pages, marking the company’s full transition to a purely digital business. The first of the 104 final editions is being distributed in Kingston in January 2018, with the final ever edition distributed in January 2019 in Brighton, back where it all began.

Yellow Pages was first published in 1966 and for many years has been a popular way for consumers to search and find local businesses. Yell has been the champion of local business for over 50 years and is well known for its iconic advertising, including the famous J.R. Hartley campaign.

Read more....

Yell's transformation story

Yellow Pages: Our final editions

Yell
Stats

Yell is No. 1 for managed digital marketing services for all types of local businesses in the UK

*Source: M-Brain 2017, #1 in terms of revenue from sales of managed digital marketing services

Timeline

Yell started its digital journey in 1987 with the launch of Electronic Yellow Pages, and Yell.com is now the UK's No. 1 online business directory1.

This timeline showcases Yell's digital evolution, from a print company offering a fully indexed business telephone directory for consumers, up to the present day where it provides a full range of digital marketing services to over 130,000 customers2.

1966

Yellow pages

Yellow pages

General Post Office first publishes a classified section called Yellow Pages in the Brighton telephone directory

1973

YP directory is live

YP directory is live

Yellow Pages Directories rolled out

1987

YP digital

YP digital

Yell begins its digital offering with Electronic Yellow Pages

1996

Yell.com launches

Yell.com launches

The first iteration of the Yell.com business directory website launches

1998

Websites and digital advertising

Websites and digital advertising

Yell starts offering its customers website build and digital advertising services

2009

PPC & Videos

PPC & Videos

PPC advertising & video creation services added to Yell’s product portfolio

2010

Ratings & Reviews

Ratings & Reviews

Ratings & Reviews launches

2014

Mobile adaptive

Mobile adaptive

Yell websites are mobile adaptive

2015

Yell Stores

Yell Stores

Yell app for Apple watches, Yell Stores and Connect (free listing checker) launches

2016

Facebook Social

Facebook Social

Yell launches Facebook Social product. Custom websites & SEO launches into Yell Digital Agency channel

2017

Yell Pledge

Yell Pledge

Yell launches their Pledge: ‘Yell is championing local business by helping a million small businesses be found, chosen and trusted by more customers online, by 2020’

Richard Hanscott

Richard Hanscott, CEO

Richard joined Yell in 2011 and has led the business to become a leading provider of digital marketing services to SMEs in the UK. He has extensive knowledge of the IT & telecoms sectors, and building successful consumer and B2B organisations.

Before joining Yell, Richard worked in senior roles at businesses including NEC, Orange & Hewlett Packard.

Twitter feed

Contacts

Sarah O'Rafferty
Head of PR
0118 358 2999
 Newgate Communications
020 7680 6550


Source:
1. Alexa Internet Inc. Website rankings August 2016
2. Yell internal statistics