Yell websites: what to check before you sign
Yell has been selling websites and directory listings to small businesses for a long time, and plenty of trades have been offered one by a salesperson. This page is not a takedown; it is the list of questions worth asking of Yell or any provider before you commit.
Packages, prices and terms change, so check the current details with Yell directly. The questions below are what matters whichever provider you choose.
1. How long is the contract?
Some providers sell websites on fixed-term contracts that renew automatically. Ask how long you are committing for, how much notice you have to give, and what it costs to leave early. Get the answer in writing before you agree.
For comparison, my plans have no minimum term: you can stop at the end of any month.
2. Who owns the domain name?
This is the one that catches people out. If the domain is registered to the provider rather than to you, leaving can mean losing the address on your vans, cards and every review that links to it. Ask whose name the domain is registered in, and ask for proof.
Every domain I register is in the customer's own name. There is a full guide on who owns your domain name.
3. Who owns the content and design?
Your photos and words are yours, but the design and the platform the site runs on might not be. Ask what you can take with you if you leave: the content only, or a working site you can host elsewhere.
4. What exactly is included each month?
Hosting, security updates, changes to the site, help with Google, email: these vary a lot between packages. Ask for a list of what the monthly fee covers and what costs extra, and how quickly changes are made.
5. Will it be built for your trade?
A template site with your name swapped in looks like every other site on the same system. Ask to see live examples for businesses like yours, on their real domains, and check them on your phone.
Common questions
- Is a Yell website bad?
- Not necessarily. Whether it suits you depends on the contract, the ownership terms and what is included. Ask the questions on this page and compare the answers with any other quote you get.
- Can I move my website away from Yell?
- That depends on your contract and on who owns the domain. Check both before you sign, and if you are already a customer, ask them in writing what you can take with you.
- What do you charge instead?
- £249.99 to build, then £49.99 a month for a sole trader, no minimum term, with the domain registered in your name.
If you would rather somebody just did it
I build websites for self-employed tradesmen and small businesses across the UK: £249.99 to build, then £49.99 a month to host, maintain and update it. The sites I have built show on page one of Google for 103 searches between them, in Search Console.