Yell.com has operated in the UK for decades, evolving from the printed Yellow Pages into a digital business directory and marketing services provider. Over that time, it has worked with a large number of small businesses, offering services such as online advertising, website design, SEO-related products, and social media support.
This article presents an analysis of Yell’s services and business practices, based on:
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Publicly available contracts and documentation
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Website traffic and analytics scans
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Video evidence and demonstrations supplied by third parties
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Customer reviews and reported experiences
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Media coverage from UK news outlets
Readers are encouraged to review the referenced videos and sources directly and draw their own conclusions.
Supplemental Videos:
Yell on Setting up Social Profiles
Business Benefits of Having a Yell Business Profile
A look at Yell Smart Websites
Analysis of Yell’s Social Profiles
The Yell Business Contract
How Yell Gets It’s Massive Visitor Numbers
Overview of the Yell Business Contract
Yell operates using business-to-business (B2B) contracts, rather than consumer contracts. This distinction is important, as B2B agreements are not subject to the same protections, such as a statutory 14-day cooling-off period.
Based on the April 28th 2022 version of Yell’s advertising contract:
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Acceptance typically occurs via a digitally signed agreement, even when the sale is conducted by telephone
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Verbal representations made during sales calls are not binding unless reflected in the written contract
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The contract significantly limits Yell’s responsibility for performance outcomes
Several business owners have stated that they were unaware the written contract superseded any verbal explanations until after signing. This observation is based on interviews and shared documentation, rather than an assessment of intent.
Contract Termination and Force Majeure
Section 27.6 of the contract includes a Force Majeure clause, allowing termination if a party is unable to perform obligations for an extended period due to circumstances beyond reasonable control.
Legal interpretation of this clause varies. Business owners considering termination are advised to seek independent legal advice from a solicitor specialising in contract law before relying on this provision.
Exiting a Yell Contract
Some businesses have sought assistance from the Yell Action Group, a collective of business owners working alongside Croft Solicitors. According to publicly available information, this group supports businesses that believe their contracts were mis-sold, operating on a no-win-no-fee basis.
This is included for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Sales Practices and Customer Experiences
Concerns regarding Yell’s sales practices have been raised in:
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Customer reviews
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Independent blog investigations
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Media reports
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Video analyses by digital marketing professionals
In particular, Danny Richman, an SEO consultant, has published multiple videos and articles analysing Yell’s services, sales techniques, and reporting methods. These videos are referenced throughout this article as supporting material.
Rather than asserting intent, this article focuses on documented outcomes, examples, and demonstrations shown in those videos.
Website Traffic and Visitor Statistics
Yell frequently references receiving millions of monthly visitors across its website. Independent traffic scans referenced in supplied videos indicate:
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A relatively small proportion of traffic appears to land directly on the Yell homepage
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The majority of visits are distributed across millions of directory pages
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Many visits originate from long-tail search queries (e.g. “plumber near [location]”)
An analysis using the query site:yell.com shows tens of millions of indexed pages. When compared with estimated monthly visits, this suggests a very low average visit rate per page.
This observation is not presented as wrongdoing, but as context for businesses evaluating the potential visibility benefits of paid listings.
Use of UTM Parameters and Analytics Attribution
One area demonstrated in the referenced videos involves the use of UTM parameters appended to links.
UTM parameters are commonly used for campaign tracking. However, as shown in video demonstrations, adding parameters such as:
causes analytics platforms to attribute traffic to Yell, regardless of the original source.
In at least one recorded example, these parameters were embedded in a cookie consent banner on a Yell-built website. As demonstrated, this resulted in traffic being attributed to Yell even when visitors arrived via search engines or social media.
Readers can observe this behaviour directly in the supplied videos and assess its implications themselves.
Yell “Smart” Websites
Yell offers website design services, typically built using Wix or Duda.
Independent SEO research (including large-scale studies by Ahrefs) has found significant differences in organic traffic performance between platforms. These studies indicate:
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WordPress-based websites are statistically more likely to generate organic traffic
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Wix websites can rank, but often require careful optimisation
Based on analysis of multiple Yell-built websites shown in supplied videos:
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Many exhibited slow load times
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Mobile performance issues were common
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SEO configuration was often minimal
Pricing for these websites reportedly ranged from hundreds to several thousand pounds, depending on the package.
This article does not state that Wix cannot be used successfully, but notes that platform choice and implementation quality materially affect outcomes.
SEO and Geo-Targeting Services
Yell previously marketed SEO services. Following sustained criticism and analysis from independent consultants, these offerings appear to have been reduced or removed from prominent sales materials.
Geo-targeting services observed in Yell-built sites were typically implemented using short, templated location pages. Based on standard SEO practice, effective geo-targeting usually requires:
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Substantial, unique content
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Local relevance and context
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Technical optimisation
Readers can view examples of these implementations in the referenced videos.
Reviews, Directories, and Backlinks
Yell listings provide no-follow backlinks, which do not directly pass ranking authority. This is consistent with standard directory practice.
Some Yell advice content encourages businesses to request customer reviews via Yell profiles. As shown in analytics demonstrations, review traffic contributes to overall site visit counts.
This section is included to explain how directory traffic is generated, rather than to assign motive.
Media Coverage
Yell has been covered by multiple UK media outlets, including:
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This Is Money (2019), discussing sales practices
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The Times (2019), reporting on review-related issues
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Local news outlets reporting on small business disputes
These articles are publicly available and referenced for context.
About Danny Richman
Danny Richman is a UK-based SEO consultant who has published extensive critiques of Yell’s marketing services. Yell has previously stated that his claims are unsubstantiated.
Readers are encouraged to:
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Review Danny Richman’s articles and videos directly
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Compare them with Yell’s own materials
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Independently assess the evidence presented
Final Notes for Business Owners
This article is intended to:
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Present documented observations and analyses
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Reference publicly available evidence and demonstrations
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Encourage informed decision-making
Business owners considering any long-term advertising or marketing contract are advised to:
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Read contracts carefully
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Seek independent legal advice
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Request written confirmation of performance claims
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Compare alternatives before committing
