Yellow Pages Group

Local Business Directory & Digital Advertisingyellowpages.ca

Yellow Pages Group operates YellowPages.ca and affiliated properties (PagesJaunes.ca, Canada411.ca, Canpages.ca), a Canadian digital business directory connecting consumers searching for local services with SMB advertisers across Canada via subscriptions and display ads.

Company typePublic
Founded1908
HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Yellow Pages Group does

Yellow Pages Group, operating through its legal entity Yellow Pages Digital & Media Solutions Limited, is a Canadian performance media and marketing solutions company built around the YellowPages.ca digital business directory. Founded in 1908 and headquartered in Toronto with a Montreal presence, the company operates a horizontally-segmented platform that connects Canadian consumers searching for local businesses, restaurants, home services, healthcare providers, and professional services with the SMBs that supply them. The platform spans YellowPages.ca (English), PagesJaunes.ca (French), Canada411.ca (people search), and Canpages.ca (partner directory), with mobile applications for iOS and Android and supporting products including YP Smart Lists and YP Smart Tips editorial content.

The underlying technology is a directory and local search platform comprising a Canadian business listings database, category and location-based search, mapping and directions integration, a reviews/ratings system, and free self-serve listing management tools for businesses. The company holds registered trademarks on the "Yellow Pages" brand, the "Walking Fingers" logo, YP.ca, YellowPages.ca, and Canada411, and benefits from over a century of brand recognition in Canada. The platform architecture is conventional web/mobile directory technology without disclosed AI/ML differentiation, proprietary large models, or unique data flywheel mechanics.

Yellow Pages generates revenue primarily through SMB-facing advertising on a freemium-to-subscription ladder: free basic listings serve as the entry point, with paid premium advertising packages (enhanced search placement, additional photos/videos, promotional content) and display advertising representing the monetization layer. Distribution combines self-serve web signup for SMBs with a dedicated advertising sales force accessed via solutions.yp.ca. The company is publicly traded on OTCMKTS under ticker YLWDF. Historical strategic activity includes a series of acquisitions between 2003 and 2015 (Advertising Directory Solutions, Trader Media Corporation, 411.ca, Canpages for $225M, Enquiro Search Solutions, DuProprio, and Purplebricks.ca for $50M), but no M&A or funding activity has been disclosed since 2015, consistent with a mature, maintenance-mode operation.

Yellow Pages Group firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Yellow Pages Group
Legal name: Yellow Pages Digital & Media Solutions Limited
Website: https://yellowpages.ca
Company type: Public
Founded year: 1908
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: Yellow Pages Group operates YellowPages.ca and affiliated properties (PagesJaunes.ca, Canada411.ca, Canpages.ca), a Canadian digital business directory connecting consumers searching for local services with SMB advertisers across Canada via subscriptions and display ads.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Yellow Pages Group industry classification

Industry

Product category: Local Business Directory & Digital Advertising
NAICS: Directory and Mailing List Publishers (51314)
SIC: Retail-Nonstore Retailers (5960)
akta.pro primary industry: Local Search & Business Directories (BPAMAAAE)

Keywords

Local business directory
Digital advertising platform
Business listing services
Performance media solutions
People search services

Where Yellow Pages Group is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Montréal
HQ country: Canada
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Yellow Pages Group business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Digital Advertising: Sponsored listings, featured placements, and enhanced business profiles for businesses wanting visibility in search results and category pages
Display Advertising: Banner advertisements and promotional placements on the YellowPages.ca website and pages
Premium Business Listings: Enhanced directory listings with additional features such as additional photos, videos, and promotional content
Free Basic Listings: Basic business listings provided free of charge, monetized through upsell opportunities to premium advertising features

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Freemium	Free	Free basic business listing with essential contact information and location details
Subscription	Annual	Premium advertising packages with enhanced visibility and promotional features

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Yellow Pages Group product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Yellow Pages Group operates Canada's leading digital business directory, YellowPages.ca, providing consumers with searchable local business listings, reviews, ratings, maps, and contact information across all major Canadian cities in both English and French. The company monetizes the platform primarily through paid advertising solutions sold to local businesses, including premium listings, sponsored placements, and display advertising, alongside a freemium basic listing tier.

Product overview

Yellow Pages Group operates a multi-platform digital business directory ecosystem centered on YellowPages.ca (YP.ca), a comprehensive Canadian online business directory. The portfolio includes PagesJaunes.ca for French-language users, Canada411.ca for people search, and Canpages.ca as a partner brand. Supporting products include YP Smart Lists (curated business recommendations), YP eDirectories (digital directory products), and mobile applications for iOS and Android. The company also offers advertising solutions enabling businesses to list and promote themselves on the platform, serving both free and paid listing options. The platform enables location-based and category-based business search across Canada, covering categories from restaurants and dentists to contractors and professional services, with coverage across major Canadian cities including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Halifax, Gatineau, Mississauga, and London.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

YellowPages.ca (YP.ca) Primary Canadian online business directory platform enabling consumers to search for local businesses, products, reviews, and deals by category, location, or keyword across all major Canadian cities.
PagesJaunes.ca French-language version of the Canadian business directory serving Quebec and Francophone Canadian users with the same local business discovery capabilities as YellowPages.ca.
Canada411.ca People search service enabling users to find individuals by name, phone number, or address, providing reverse phone lookup and people finding services within the YP ecosystem.
YP eDirectories Digital directory products and digital book resources offered to businesses and organizations as part of the YP product portfolio.
YP Advertising Solutions Advertising and marketing solutions for businesses to increase visibility on the YellowPages.ca platform, including sponsored listings, featured placements, enhanced business profiles, banner and display advertising, and both free basic and paid premium listing options.

Companies that use Yellow Pages Group

Customer profile

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Yellow Pages Group technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Yellow Pages Group partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

Canada411.caminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated people search directory service operated by the same parent company (Yellow Pages Digital & Media Solutions Limited), providing reverse phone lookup and people finding services as part of the YP ecosystem.
Canpages.caminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner directory service listed in the YellowPages.ca partners section, providing additional local business discovery options for users.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Yellow Pages Group competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Yelp: Yelp operates the leading North American local business review and directory platform with advertising for SMBs, closely overlapping YP's core business model of monetizing local business discovery through paid placements and enhanced profiles.
TripAdvisor: Tripadvisor is a reviews-driven local discovery platform that monetizes through sponsored placements for restaurants, hotels, and attractions, closely paralleling YP's premium listing and advertising model for SMBs.
Angi (formerly Angie's List): Angi operates a leading home-services directory with paid lead generation for SMBs, directly comparable to YP's home-services vertical and recurring subscription plus advertising model for local service providers.
Thryv (formerly Dex Media / Yellow Pages US parent successor): Thryv is the SMB software and marketing platform that emerged from the US Yellow Pages business, selling subscription marketing, listings, and SaaS tools to small businesses — closely analogous to YP's Canadian SMB offering.

Broad incumbents

Google Business Profile: Google's free business listing and advertising product embedded in Search and Maps is the dominant substitute for standalone directories; YP competes directly with it for Canadian SMB local advertising dollars as part of Google's broader ads portfolio.
Apple Maps Connect: Apple's business listing product within Apple Maps is a default local-discovery channel on iOS devices, competing with YP for Canadian mobile local-intent queries as part of Apple's broader ecosystem.

Emerging players

Thumbtack: Thumbtack is a local services marketplace that matches SMBs with consumers, using paid lead-gen and pro subscriptions. It overlaps with YP's home-services and professional-services verticals while representing a more transaction-oriented model.
Nextdoor: Nextdoor is a neighborhood-level local platform increasingly adding business discovery and advertising features for SMBs, competing with YP for hyperlocal Canadian advertising intent.
Houzz: Houzz is a home-services and renovation discovery platform with paid business listings and advertising, overlapping with YP's home-services category and SMB advertising monetization.

Others

Better Business Bureau: BBB is a membership-based trust and business directory organization with accredited business listings in Canada and the US, adjacent to YP in that it provides verified local business information and charges for accredited membership tiers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Yellow Pages Group financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Yellow Pages Group leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Yellow Pages Group funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Yellow Pages Group M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A8 records

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yellow Pages Group

What does Yellow Pages Group do?

Is Yellow Pages Group a public or private company?

Yellow Pages Group is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.

When was Yellow Pages Group founded?

Yellow Pages Group was founded in 1908. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is Yellow Pages Group based?

Yellow Pages Group is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.

How does Yellow Pages Group make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Digital Advertising is the primary driver. The others are display Advertising, premium Business Listings and free Basic Listings.

Who are Yellow Pages Group's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Yelp, TripAdvisor, Angi (formerly Angie's List) and Thryv (formerly Dex Media / Yellow Pages US parent successor). Broad incumbents are Google Business Profile and Apple Maps Connect. Emerging players are Thumbtack, Nextdoor and Houzz. Better Business Bureau is listed as an others.

Does Yellow Pages Group have an API?

No public API is recorded for Yellow Pages Group.

What industry is Yellow Pages Group in?

Yellow Pages Group's product category is Local Business Directory & Digital Advertising. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAAAE, Local Search & Business Directories. Its NAICS code is 51314 and its SIC code is 5960.