View Latest News

2006 September 19th

Mobile Search Uncovered

WhitePages.com lets your fingers do the searching from a mobile device

SEATTLE-September 19, 2006

In conjunction with the beta launch of its new mobile search solution (see separate press release issued October 5), WhitePages.com, the best place for searching, finding and connecting with people, today shared surprising facts about the emerging mobile search market, and best practices to ensure consumers can quickly and easily access the information they need when they need it. With the rapid adoption of Web-enabled devices, people search has emerged as the third largest mobile search application today¹.

"With more than 20 million consumers using WhitePages.com each month to conduct over 100 million searches, it's clear that people search is increasingly becoming a habit," said Max Bardon, president and CEO of WhitePages.com. "Feedback from our customers combined with market statistics prove mobile is the next frontier for people search, and we're committed to ensuring our mobile site is easily accessible on small devices."

Did You Know:

 


• The typical mobile search user is not a young Millennial, but rather a soccer dad. Biggest users of search on-the-go are men from 45-54, college graduates, and business and leisure travelers¹.

• Forty percent of mobile searches involve directory listings for contact information, trailing only searches for maps/directions and ringtones/games/graphics¹.

• The average mobile search user conducts roughly nine searches per month. Sixty percent of mobile search users would use a PC as the second best alternative, and only 18 percent would dial 411, if mobile search was not available¹.

• Seventy one percent of consumers strongly believe 411 services should be provided free of charge, with 88 percent who would probably or definitely use free 411 services more frequently than a paid 411 service².

Search Smart Tips for Mobile Users

• Put 411 on Hold- In the United States, directory assistance is an $8 billion market, a veritable cash cow for phone companies that typically charge from $1.00 to $2.00 per mobile 411 call. Save your cash and use online directories, such as the WhitePages.com mobile site, to access residential and business listing, reverse lookups, area codes and ZIP codes for free. Last year, WhitePages.com saved its users almost $1 billion in 411 charges by providing free online results. (Individual wireless plans vary and consumers are advised check with their service provider to understand any fees that may be charged for accessing online data.)

• Peerless People Search - If you are having trouble finding an individual, try using the first few letters of a person's first name, rather than the entire name. You can also choose "Begins with" for wildcard searches on the first or last name. Finally, try a nationwide directory search by entering only a first and last name.

• Business Search - Use the first few letters of the business name, rather than the entire name. Alternatively, browse "Business Locators" to find business and government listings by type and location.

• Reverse Phone Directory - Receive a call from an unfamiliar number on your mobile phone? Use the reverse lookup directory by entering a 10-digit phone number or a 7-digit number with the corresponding state or province as a means to find the source of the call.

• Reverse Address - To improve reverse address search results, remove directionals: Try "123 Main," rather than "123 NW Main St."

With 40 percent of mobile searches involving directory listings for contact information¹, the new WhitePages.com mobile solution arms consumers with a powerful new option for accessing phone numbers and addresses for the people and places that they seek. By going to the www.whitepages.com site via a Web-enabled device, consumers are automatically routed to the new mobile service, providing convenient access to WhitePages.com's 80 million U.S. residential listings, 11 million Canadian residential listings, nearly 12 million U.S. business listings and two million Canadian business listings. WhitePages.com has a deliverable mailing address for 92 percent of residential listings, ensuring consumers have the most accurate information at their fingertips.

¹ Source: MMA "Mobile Search Consumer Insights Research Report," August 2006

² Source: Free411.com market profile, June 2006
"people search" application, providing the easiest way for consumers to find the information they need about a specific person.

About WhitePages.com
WhitePages.com, a privately held company based in Seattle, is the most trusted and comprehensive source for consumers to quickly and easily find relevant, accurate contact information in North America. The company's network of sites include WhitePages.com (www.whitepages.com), WhitePages.ca (www.whitepages.ca), 411.com (www.411.com), Address.com (www.address.com), PhoneNumber.com (www.phonenumber.com), and its 1,300 partner sites including Superpages.com, YellowPages.com and Canada411. The on-the-go user can also access contact information via cell phone, Blackberrys and other web-enabled mobile devices.

For more information, press only:

John Lusk
WhitePages

Current Press Releases

News Archives
Press Release Archives