A journalist has asked whether homeowners use the traditional phone directory to find the services of a local engineer with plumbing course qualifications anymore.
Writing for the Independent, David Prosser highlighted how the nature of the modern "online world" makes the prospect of flicking through a 500-page directory seem unnecessary.
But he stressed that companies such as Yell are not performing as badly as one might think when it comes to local searches, such as finding a technician in a certain neighbourhood with plumbing course training.
The journalist explained that Google and other major international firms may dominate the general search sector, but they often rely on information provided by organisations such as Yell.
"It may not be your search engine of choice just yet for local inquiries, but it's likely to appear pretty high up in the results generated by Google," remarked Mr Prosser.
Originally launched in 1966 as the UK Yellow Pages, the firm was a part of the BT Group until 2001.
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