Boost Your Rank on Google Maps and Local Search
You can boost your local search rankings and your Google map position for relevant keyword searches by listing your site accurately in the many online directories that Google considers important.
Citations and Data Aggregators
Even if your rankings in search and maps are already good, more reputable “citations” — as SEO professionals call them — won’t hurt and can help. Chances are, many directories you’ve never heard of already display your business because data aggregators scrape and disseminate your business info to obscure directories in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Name, Address, Phone = NAP
Google penalizes businesses when directories display inconsistencies in your Business Name, Address, and Phone, collectively known as NAP.
Accuracy is key. They also may punish for duplicate citations in the same directory. Fixing citation discrepancies can bolster your local search position.
A Time-consuming Ordeal: DIY Manual Cleanup
If you have more time than money, you might consider the DIY approach: claiming and cleaning up all those citations yourself. Be forewarned; it is a tedious task that involves interacting with each directory’s proprietary system. Each asks different questions. Many require you to designate your business within categories that don’t match groupings elsewhere. The authentication process — proving you are authorized to claim or edit a listing — also varies and can be cumbersome.
Yext, Dex & Hibu
In the plus column, Yext (and their resellers) will push your edits to their network of directories quickly. And a few directory listings, including those at Yahoo!, are now editable only with a Yext subscription.
In the minus column, you must continue paying.
Another drawback is that your Yext-controlled listings may contain inaccuracies. If you’ve signed an annual contract with Yext or a reseller such as Dex or Hibu, review each listing yourself and ask your rep to fix any problems you can’t correct in your customer portal.
Can I Reclaim and Repair Citations Yext Controlled?
Yes, but Yext doesn’t automatically release your listings when you cancel your subscription. To reclaim and clean up citations Yext has accessed, you must first ask Yext to release them.
We Recommend Whitespark
If you’d prefer to pay a one-time fee that’s less than Yext charges per year, and not pay again until your phone or address changes, hire a company like Whitespark.
Whitespark’s fee fluctuates. The price their site displays today is $679. For that one-time fee, they will claim and tidy your citations in roughly 40 directories, fixing inconsistencies, eliminating duplicates, and registering your business, as necessary.
For a higher fee, Whitespark will claim and clean about 120 generic listings for you plus 15 location-specific or industry-specific listings.
Whitespark offers multiple services related to claiming/fixing/augmenting citations (directory listings). Contact Whitespark to learn more.
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