NAP corrections without using Yext

[RandyHT]

There are certain places where my address or phone number appear incorrectly online.  I have tried to fix this, but many of these services are tied in with Yext, and I don't want to use Yext.  For example my phone number is incorrect on whitepages.com.  Also, my phone number was incorrect on Americantowns.com, and so i contacted them with the correct number, and then they deleted my listing altogether.  More and more directories are tied in with Yext.  Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make these corrections without using a service such as Yext?

[MiriamEllis]

My pleasure, Steve.

[RandyHT]

Thanks Miriam

[RandyHT]

Thank you

[MiriamEllis]

Hi SteveTG,

No one should feel obliged to use Yext - it's an option, not a necessity. I recommend that you go at this manually and correct your citations by hand. If one gets deleted, as in the case of Americantowns.com, create a new listing with the correct information. Bear in mind, too, that one of the issues that's been cited in the Local SEO community regarding Yext is the possibility that they only turn up a single listing per directory, despite the fact that multiple listings may exist - the upshot being that manual research and discovery may still be your best bet. Hope this helps!

[WhiteboardCreations]

SteveTG,

Unfortunately, many directory sites are tied into a larger umbrella company who has a "network" built to provide "value" for their users. Yext is one of the bigger ones. CitySearch and Local.com is others. When you post to them, they can take your listing and pump the info and content into all of their other sites. Aside from what you are trying to do, it's going to be a tough battle, but not impossible... Just could turn into a lot of research to find where you are listed and then to manually get access to your account for edits or manually contacting the site's admins for edits.

We have used UBL.org before, but again, they take your info and send it out to a bunch of places on your behalf (removes work for you and what you pay for essentially).

Hope this was helpful, even though doing this manually (or hiring someone to do this for you) isn't probably what you'd want to hear. - Patrick