• Home
  • SEO & Internet Marketing
    • Search Engine Optimization
      • Charlottesville SEO Services
      • SEO FAQ
      • A/B Testing
      • SEO Meta Tags
      • SEO Site Registration
      • SEO Coding
    • Online Marketing
      • Internet Marketing
      • Local Search
      • Blog Writers
      • Social Media
      • Pay Per Click
      • Google AdWords Management
      • Geo Targeting
      • Sales Funnels
  • Copywriting
    • Content Marketing
    • SEO Copywriting
    • Web Content Writing
    • PPC Landing Pages
    • Copywriting for Conversions
    • PPC Ad Copywriting
  • Website Services
    • Webmaster
      • Webmaster Plans
      • WordPress Hosting
    • Web Design
      • Website Design Gallery
      • Landing Page Design
      • Charlottesville Web Design Pricing
    • WordPress
      • WordPress Developer
      • WordPress Help
      • WordPress Security
      • WordPress Development
    • Web Development
      • Charlottesville Web Development
      • Web Programming Services
      • Front-End Web Development
      • Back-End Web Development
      • Quality Assurance Resources
    • Application Development
      • Web Application Development
      • Single Sign On
  • About
    • Why Hire Us?
    • Reviews
    • Case Studies
    • About the Company
    • About Nick Stone
    • Web Service Clients
    • Contact
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Accessibility
    • Web Accessibility
    • Accessibility Coding
    • Accessibility Consulting
    • VPAT — Section 508
    • Web Accessibility Resources
  • Blog
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Charlottesville SEO Web Development

Charlottesville SEO Web Development

Virginia SEO & Webmaster Services

Improve Local Search Rankings – Citation Cleanup

improve Google map listings

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 they’re called in the SEO world — won’t hurt and can help.  Chances are, your business is listed in many directories you’ve never heard of because data aggregators scrape and disseminate your business info to obscure directories in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Name, Address, Ph0ne = 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 seek help directly from Yext, or from 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.

Want More Info about Local Search?

If you found this post helpful, sign up to be notified when we publish additional information.

Posted in Google, SEO

Footer

Recent Blog Posts

  • Landing Pages Convert with Focus
  • Website Optimization Suggestions
  • Cyber Threats Increasing for SMBs
  • Attributes of Effective Websites
  • Website Redesign Benefits

Stay Connected

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Site Info

  • Contact Page
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Sitemap
  • Employment Opportunities

Contact Details

969 2nd St. SE
Charlottesville, VA 22902
By appointment only

Tel: 434-284-2840
Email: info@nick-stone.com

969 2nd St. SE, Charlottesville, VA 22902

© 2006 – 2019 • Nick Stone Group