Which Local Listing Should I Delete
-
I have a client that has two local listings in google for one suburb. My client only has one office in this area.
In the below two local listings no information has been completed except for information scraped from the yellow pages by google
Option A
One listing has a review that is 8 months old and shows in the blended local search results position A. However the address details are incorrect as info is from an old yellow pages ad. To verify this address it can only be completed by postcard as does not provide a phone number option.Option B
This listing has the correct address as per the yellow pages listing and has been verified and has no reviews. in position IAll other competitor local listings are not placed except for one
Should I edit Option A's address to update to the current address and delete Option B from the local listings. Verification can be completed by mail only
Or should I delete Option A with the incorrect address with one review and keep Option B as has just been verified and can start woking on this listing immediately.
I think I should use Option B, as in the 2 weeks I would wait to be verified I could gain more ground with the current listing.
What are your thoughts?
-
Hi Arthur,
It sounds as though "Option A" is being generated by an already-existing Yellow Pages listing with incorrect information?
If so, I think you should deal with the Yellow Pages issues first. You should also track down all the other data sources that might be providing incorrect information to Google. I highly recommend David Mihm's "Local Search Ecosystem" which you can find here: http://www.davidmihm.com/blog/seo-industry/local-search-ecosystem-2012/
Here's the thing, though. They're not true duplicate listings if they have different addresses. You may have some issues getting them merged until you can update the data. So, once you've dealt with the upstream data providers, I'd go ahead and modify the incorrect listing without claiming it, making it match the correct listing perfectly. Once you've done that, you should have more luck with the merging process.
My opinion is that claiming both listings is **not **the way to go. Having two listings for the same location in your account is in violation of the Google guidelines, and I see no advantage to it. Instead, you should follow this process order to merge duplicate listings: http://support.google.com/places/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=183009
As for which listing to chose as the primary - that's a tough one. Did you say that Option B is already ranked #1? If so, I'd probably go with that one, but only once everything else has been fixed.
In summary:
- Correct the upstream data providers that are causing the problem. Try to track them all down
- Modify the incorrect listing so it is identical to the correct one
- Claim one of them - I'm thinking the one that's ranked #1, but someone else may disagree
- DON'T claim the second one. Instead, follow the Google guidelines to report a duplicate listing.
-
The answer might not be as simple considering so many bugs keep appearing in the Google Places.
I will suggest that you should use the merge listing options (assuming that you are verified owner for both the listing) of Google Places that appears when you hit the "Report a Problem" from the footer of the listing page. Just give details along with the link of other listing say Option B from Option A's "Report a problem". This way you can even preserve the review that you have on Option A.
Go through following steps assuming that you want Option B
1. Update address of Option A
2. Get both listing verified
3. Report a problem on option A listing - select Merge listing and follow steps
4. Wait for about 3-4 weeks for it to take effect.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Address not recognized in Yahoo Local
Hey everyone, I'm working with a client to get their Yahoo listing all setup. The problem is that they're located in a fairly new industrial complex that looks like it hasn't been added to Yahoo's map data. I'm unable to create a listing for them because Yahoo doesn't recognize the address as valid. How long does it take for Yahoo to update their map data for newly constructed areas? Is there anyway to speed to process along (maybe something similar to Google Map Maker where users can suggest updates)? Does anyone know any workarounds or solutions for a problem like this? Thanks! Tim
Image & Video Optimization | | TimKelsey0 -
How to add local
When you have reviews of local stores, how can you upload them to Google+ Local (former Google Places) so they will show up on stores/compagnies Google+ Local page? Like this one for example: https://plus.google.com/116525083278574120722/about?hl=nl. It says 'Revies from internet: schilder-adres.nl'. So schilder-adres.nl somehow imported there reviews to Google+ Local. How can you add your local reviews?
Image & Video Optimization | | Men4Media0 -
Local Listing Directories value
Hello fellow mozzers, I would like to start a discussion on whether certain local listing directories are worth it. Most people are of course familiar with Google+ Local(Google Places), Yahoo Local, Bing Local, Yelp, Hotfrog etcetera.. I know there are a lot more of these big local listing directories. I am situated in Holland and we have a lot of small local listing directories.
Image & Video Optimization | | WesleySmits
Some of these directories are not really good quality. For example:
http://dordrecht.cylex-bedrijvengids.nl/bedrijf/pizza-presto-dordrecht-12014914.html This domain is filled with ads in prominent locations. They have a domain authority of 44 and as far as i can tell there are close to 0 reviews on companies. (So not a very active community). When you perform SEO for a local business you want the business to be found in the local search results. Google goes around the web to see if the business information (contact and address information, website etcetera) is consistent on different local listing directories. The links from the directories are still links and therefor they pass a certain amount of PageRank. How much value do you think local listing directories such as the links i will provide below will add to a business? Do you think it is worth the time to find these small directory sites and fill in information about the business there or is your time better spent on other SEO activities? I would love to hear your input on this subject Links http://dordrecht.cylex-bedrijvengids.nl/bedrijf/rietveld-doe-het-zelf-j-10800715.html
http://adviesbureaus.zoekeensop.nl/0392908-parket-expertise-bureau-etten-leur/
http://www.allewinkels.net/ijzerwaren-en-gereedschap/rotterdam/henk-schell-ijzerwarenhuis/0 -
How businesses get local citations without submitting them?
How do some businesses get listed in directories like YellowBook, SuperPages, MerchantCircle, etc. without submitting their information. For example, my dad's company listed themselves in YellowPages and Google Places years ago, but also show up in the ones listed above without having submitted the information to them or having paid anyone else to do it...
Image & Video Optimization | | ChaseCameron0 -
Google Local pulling incorrect business name
A client mistakenly put her business name in one of the directories with "In" after the name for" incorporated". She wants to remove the "In" because it just looks weird, but we cannot figure out how, its showing up in google local too now. She did update her infousa listing but that didn't help.
Image & Video Optimization | | handsun0 -
Local Citation Sites
After searching through many local citation site I find that most only apply to the US. Are there any really good ones in Canada?
Image & Video Optimization | | casper4340 -
Unique content for local pages
Hi, working on a website of a retailer who has about 100 shops accross the country and every shop has a page on the corporate website. Some questions about content on these pages: is it ok to add links to the brands they sell in those shops on every business-page? It's a link to the product listing they sell of that brand I wrote a generic text about the business where I can replace city, street it's located, ... Is it ok to use that kind of text on the local business pages? anybody some ideas I can write about on those loca business pages?
Image & Video Optimization | | nvs.nim0 -
Local Search - New Business - 4 different Erroneous, Unverified Google Places Pages
My client is a new business <1 year old. Google has 4 unverified places pages for this business - all have slight errors in the business name and address. Which one should I claim? Will Google let me change the business name once I verify ownership? How will I get rid of the other listings once I claim and correct one of them? In light of these data errors and/or as a general rule do you recommend the paid submission services for UBL and Localeze (http://getlisted.org/resources/why-listing-services.aspx)? Thanks for the help! Jeff
Image & Video Optimization | | jeffgibson0