Moz Q&A is closed.
After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.
Bright Local - Citation Burst. Winner or Loser?
-
Bright Local have a package called "Citation Burst." This looks great but, we all know directory submissions can have an extremely negative impact.
Has anyone used Bright Local for Citation Burst, please let me know?
Thanks
Gary
-
Bright Local's Citation Burst Fade Haircut can be considered a valuable tool for businesses aiming to improve their local search engine visibility. yes
-
@melindafarrel bro are tocking in Hey there! Are you looking to switch up your hairstyle? You’re in the right spot! We’re thrilled to introduce you to the exciting world of burst fade haircuts. This trendy style is all about creativity and making a statement.
-
The potential impact of Bright Local's Citation Burst campaign depends on several factors, making it difficult to definitively declare it a "winner" or "loser." Here's a breakdown of both sides:
Potential benefits:
Rapid citation growth: Citation Burst can quickly increase your local citations across prominent directories, potentially boosting your local SEO ranking and visibility.
Improved local relevance: Increased citations can signal stronger local presence to search engines, strengthening your relevance for local searches.
Time-saving: Manually building citations can be tedious and time-consuming. Citation Burst automates the process, freeing up your time for other marketing tasks.
Potential drawbacks:Quality vs. quantity: Some argue that focusing solely on citation quantity can result in low-quality, spammy citations that hurt your credibility with search engines.
Sustainability: The long-term effectiveness of Citation Burst depends on whether the acquired citations remain active and accurate. Ongoing maintenance and monitoring are crucial.
Cost-effectiveness: While convenient, Citation Burst isn't free. Weigh the cost against the potential benefits and other local SEO strategies before deciding.
Overall:The verdict on Bright Local's Citation Burst is ultimately indeterminate. It can be a valuable tool for businesses looking for a quick boost in local citations, but it's crucial to consider potential drawbacks and implement it as part of a comprehensive local SEO strategy.
Instead of focusing on winners or losers, consider evaluating Citation Burst through the lens of your specific business needs, budget, and overall SEO approach. Carefully research and compare options before making a decision.
Remember, local SEO is a long-term game, and building sustainable success requires a combination of tactics, not just a one-time citation burst.
Want to know more about my work. Visit my website of Podcast Agency UK
-
Bright Local's Citation Burst can be considered a valuable tool for businesses aiming to improve their local search engine visibility. yes
-
Bright Local's Citation Burst can be considered a valuable tool for businesses aiming to improve their local search engine visibility.
-
Bright Local's Citation Burst can be considered a valuable tool for businesses aiming to improve their local search engine visibility.
-
Bright Local's Citation Burst can be considered a valuable tool for businesses aiming to improve their local search engine visibility.
-
Bright Local's Citation Burst can be considered a valuable tool for businesses aiming to improve their local search engine visibility. It rapidly distributes accurate business information across various online directories, potentially boosting a company's local SEO efforts. However, its effectiveness can vary based on factors like data accuracy and directory relevance. Overall, its value depends on how well it aligns with a business's specific goals and strategy for online presence and local SEO.
-
im am compelled to use brightlocal as moz local is useless to me in new zealand, I came across this discussion looking to see how trustworthy brightlocal is, seems it might the solution
-
There are more countries supported with brightlocal, eg, au and nz. Its interesting to see the differences in whats available.
-
Yes relevance is a key performance indicator.
Thanks again Tom. Your feedback on this subject has been invaluable. If you do come across any data which supports citations to SERPS, please do let me know. I very interested to know its true impact.
-
I can't give you any quantifiable data I'm afraid but all I can say is that "they work" from my experience - both for the local map/carousel listing and for the normal vertical search.
One thing that I have seen is that they are more successful when you a) make every citation exactly the same (address, number etc) and b) when you include those details on your website, preferably sitewide in a footer or header.
It's pretty much Google's way of seeing if you're a local authority - looks for your address and phone on your site, looks for that same stuff on places on yelp, yell, qype etc. The more of those citations you have, the better really.
I've yet to see citations like that have a negative effect, providing all of the sites are reputable and legit. That's why I'm slightly hesitant about some of those local/business specific directories - are some of those really "authority" websites? But for citations, it's all good and you don't really have anything to lose.
Plus you throw in the fact that some people do start their searches on some of those sites, particularly yelp, and all of a sudden having a listing there is a decent traffic channel itself. I've seen a few sites where some of the top referrers are these citation sites.
Just make sure you really are who and where you say you are. If it's virtual offices/VOIP phone numbers, you're gonna have a bad time. Wouldn't surprise me if Google can already detect these automatically.
Would make for a good case study if done en masse for sure.
-
Thanks so much for your detailed reply Tom. Unfortunately Moz is not available to the UK, yet!
I would love to dig deeper into the true impact citations have on SERPS. What are your thoughts on this?
-
Hi Gary
I think what Bright Local are looking to do here is earn you more business citations, rather than directories. It's funny, because the difference is only a subtle one, but rather than getting you on websites that are more "traditional" directories, they instead will look to get you listed on places like yelp, yell, forsquare, bing, yahoo, qype and so on.
Those kind of citations definitely do help. It does look as though Bright Local offer directory listings on moderated, niche specific and local directories, which is less of a risk (but valuable? I'm not so sure). In the package you can also hand-pick which ones you want - so you could opt out of them all if you chose to, which might not be a bad idea.
Looks like it automates/outsources what can be a pretty laborious process, so it might be worth looking into if the price is right. Bright local are a pretty reputable brand so I'd say the quality would be there.
Of course, you could build those citations yourself and good place to start is right here on Moz. Moz has the best ones by city, and best by category, while BrightLocal has an international list, as does WhiteSpark. You can probably find more by searching for "best citations for [country]".
Hope this helps.
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
-
Does Google prioritise local domains?
I'm in Australia targeting Australian traffic. I often see US domains in the Google SERPS and wonder if that indicates an opportunity for local (Australian) domains to rank?
Local Listings | | Lazeh0 -
Local Search - can I use a shortened company name
Can I use a shortened version of our company name for local search or does it need to match the name registered at companies house exactly?
Local Listings | | paulfoz16090 -
How do you do Local SEO in a small town?
Good afternoon everyone! I wanted to start a discourse on a subject that I think might benefit a few select readers. What would be your best plan-of-action to successfully propose and execute a Local-SEO campaign for a small, local business in a rural town? The type of town that has next to zero local directories, the type of business that has hardly any (if any at all) "fresh mentions" on the internet, etc. I'm interested to see how other SEOs would handle tackling this kind of campaign. Can't wait to hear what people have to say!
Local Listings | | TaylorRHawkins
Thanks!
Taylor1 -
For Google's Structured Data, should I change my listings from Product schema to Local Business schema?
I was reading Google's Structured Data spec, and I'm considering changing the schema of our listing pages from the Product schema to the Local Business schema. Is this a good idea? To give you a little more info, the pages that I'm classifying are listings for physical spaces that our website rents out for activities, such as meetings. Here's an example of a listing: https://www.peerspace.com/pages/listings/550ddcde2f352d0800fc186b Our goal is to add the proper schema.org tags to the page so that our spaces show up in local searches, such as "meeting space in San Francisco." The problem is that when we add location microdata (addressLocality, addressRegion, etc.) to our current "Product" schema, Google tells us that "Products" can't have a location. However, we aren't quite a "Local Business" either, since we don't publicly share our space's street addresses—only the space's neighborhood/city/state for privacy reasons. As a result, we get an error from Google's Structured Data Tool as a "Local Business" page because "streetAddress" is required for Local Businesses. Should we switch to the Local Business schema anyway, even though we get structured data errors for streetAddress? Or is it better not to include the location information in the microdata so that we don't have errors? Does Google penalize you for incomplete tags? Any input is appreciated!
Local Listings | | stuartstein0 -
Best Practice When Selling One Location of Company with Multiple Branches - Local Search
I have a client with a small business with 4 different branches. Currently, we have a main landing page for the company, plus distinct landing pages for each branch with maps, territories, distinct phone numbers, etc., for each branch. The company recently sold one of the branches to a competitor as they do not want to service that area anymore. They have asked me what they should do now. Obviously, we are going to remove the location page for that branch, but we also need to transfer the phone number to the other company for use as part of the sale. What tasks should I look into for separating the branch from the rest of the company while still maintaining best practice for the rest of the site/company? Thank you for your help and suggestions.
Local Listings | | Ayres-SEO0 -
1800 number for google local
Hi A client with a local business has a 1800 number on their google plus page and most citations. How important is it to use the local number and not a 1800 one for google local? Should we change the phone number to the local number and update all listings? Or should we just continue with the 1800 number and stay consistent? I have added the local number as a second number on the google plus page.
Local Listings | | henya1 -
Description on Google+ & ALL Citations the same or?
Does it matter if the description is different on Google local and all the citation websites? Some websites allow a lot of description, some don't. So my question is it only the company name+address that needs to be the same across the board or the description has to be the same too?
Local Listings | | surfsup0 -
How can I manually build local citations for a client?
Note: I am not interested in paying for services to build citations for me. I am managing building a client's citations. On many sites I am asked to create an account and verify my information. I have tried to create accounts using my client's email address and specified password so that they can manage their citations down the road should their NAP change. However, many sites require further verification such as security questions or a phone code. It isn't practical or effective to ask a client to confirm and verify all of these accounts. What is the most effective way to manually build local citations for a client? How can I get around the issue of email and phone verification?
Local Listings | | BlairKuhnen0