Email in Local Search Directory Listings

[CakeWebsites]

Hi!

I am relatively new to the world of SEO . . . let's say I'm still testing the waters.

My role is at the company I work for is Local Search Specialist. I'm claiming/verifying/publishing listings for my employer's clients in attributing search directories. Yada yada yada. You guys are pros.

Anyway, I have become apprehensive when listing a client's email in directories besides Google Places. I know that content matching between the client's website, Places, and attributing directories is a must; but spam is the worst. I'm trying to avoid spammers and sketchy directories contact the clients with sales pitches via email as much as possible.

Should I create an additional email specifically for these directory listings and keep tabs to see if real people are using it as a means of contact? Not list the email at all? What should I do?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Any insight/words of wisdom is appreciated!

[NakulGoyal]

In most cases using a generic email works. Some sort of a catch-all mailbox, where SPAM gets filtered. I usuallysetup a local@domain.com email and set forwarding to a gmail specially for that domain. That gmail could then be set to forward to my email. In that way, all the SPAM gets filtered. I hope that makes sense. It works for me. I hope it works for you :).

[MiriamEllis]

Hello Cakes Website,

Thanks for coming to Q&A with your question. I'm the Local SEO Associate here in the forum. You've brought up a meaningful concern. I would strongly recommend that you keep your clients' emails consistent across the major local business indexes...including but not limited to Google Places. As you are a Local SEO, you are probably already familiar with David Mihm's Local Search Ranking Factors annual survey, but just in case you aren't, here's the link:

http://www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml

I'm referencing this so that you can take a gander at the 10 most important citation sources in the document. In these, and all of the major indexes I would consider it best to use a standard business email throughout.

And then, train your clients to either forward emails containing sales pitches from the directories to you so that you can offer them guidance, or teach them to delete them. We all have to deal with spam, unfortunately, but avoiding some of it is not going to be of equal value to maintaining consistency across all citations of the business.

This is my opinion on this, and I hope it is useful to you.

Miriam