Last week I wrote a post about the Yellow Pages print directory. Today I discovered what I would consider a "major flaw" in their internet advertising packages, and I feel compelled to share it with you all.

I am not here today to provide my insights or comments on whether or not I think a listing in the Yellow Pages online directory is an effective strategy in link development for your website. That topic, which would be a "loaded" conversation, I will save for a later date. This post is strictly about something I observed with their Sponsored Listings.

Over the past few years the Yellow Pages have had several advertising "programs" to allow advertisers to appear at or near the top of the directory pages. The programs have changed, and so have the names. You might remember them as Priority Listings, Provincial Leaders, or some variation of. Several months ago they auctioned off positionings to exisiting advertisers. It is hard to keep up with it all; but the bottom line is the advertiser pays a premium price for a premium location.

Pay more, get more. Sounds fair to me.

But I just did a search online in their directory for lawyer in Vancouver BC. Up comes the results page with two "Sponsored Listings"; Bronson Jones & Company being at the top.

Then I did the same search on my phone using their mobile site. Bronson Jones & Company were no where to be found. I gave up after searching past the first 150 lawyers in the list! It appears to me that someone who is paying a premium for yellowpages.ca is treated like a "free lister" when it comes to the mobile version of their site.

Does this still sound fair to you?

And if you are a premium online advertiser with yellowpages.ca, were you aware that your priority positioning is not currently carried over to the mobile version of their directory?