At the local level, most lists are generated and primarily local ads sold. At the national level and beyond, some lists are aggregated, and enhanced with added features and national ads. There is a world of difference between the choices. Some have very complete listings, but one almost has to know what or whom one is looking for to access the information. Others may not be as comprehensive, but may be easier to search, even if one is not sure of exact spelling or location.
Directory services rank very high in studies of the sites most visited by Internet users.
Of course, all of the major search engines with directory content appear on lists of top-ranked Web sites, but it is interesting to note that both Switchboard and Four11 appear in their own right among the top 25 sites as ranked by PC Meter's Media Matrix in April 1998. Yellow Pages to be the top yellow pages directory service on the Web in terms of awareness and frequency of use, and that it had the highest brand loyalty. This study found that almost 70 percent of Internet users made a purchase after contacting a yellow pages merchant, quite similar to the effectiveness of print yellow pages. Promising new marketplace Clearly, the Internet directory business is viewed as one of the most promising opportunities in the media field. By no means is this a U.S. cities phenomenon.