Google Local Results - Incorrect Listing Url's

[GrouchyKids]

I have decided to re launch a small side project that I had to abandon a few years ago.

I want to specifically target Google Local Results.

I do need to overcome a proximity to centroid issue in a fairly competative niche.

Unfortunately a number of my listings i.e. Facebook and Yelp have less than optimal URL's.

For example:

https://www.facebook.com/businessname.**targetlocation**.**keyword**/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/business-name-**key**-**phrase**-and-**keyword**-**location**

Well you get the idea.

NB: None of these listings currently have reviews.

Now I know that its best to keep the info consistent across the board, so I wonder if I would be better off scrapping these listings in favor of ones with URL's that match the business name.

• I can see that I can merge FB pages so am guessing that this would work for FB, has anyone any experience of this?
• Am assuming yelp will have to be deleted in some way.

Any thoughts?

[Lumina]

Before you do either of those things, make absolutely sure that you can even get the URLs you'd prefer. It may be that the reason your current URLs are less than ideal is because the simpler versions weren't available at the time of creation.

That said, if there are a substantial amount of posts, engagements, etc. it may not be worth making the changes. For Facebook, I suppose it can't hurt to create a new page and merge the two, favoring the new. But Yelp is a little trickier regarding that sort of process (or lack thereof).

Lastly, ensure that any webpage (on your site, partner sites, adverts, social media, etc.) that links to the Facebook and Yelp pages is updated with these new URLs.

[MiriamEllis]

Hey There,

You know ... this is a really interesting topic and not actually one I have a solid answer for. If we were talking about website URLs on your own site, I'd definitely be cheering for any refinements you want to make to improve UX/SEO. But with local listing URLs, honestly, the URLs are frequently so ugly, I haven't paid a ton of attention to them, nor can I recall seeing anything written about this. I mean, look at this Superpage URL for a Whole Foods Market in California:

superpages.com/bp/Sacramento-CA/Whole-Foods-Market-L0503237111.htm

It's not exactly beautiful, is it? Other directories do a much better job, but it's just never been something I've paid a ton of attention to.

What would be the goal you'd have in mind with changing your present URLs? Do you think it would make them more recognizable, shareable, friendly in some way? Curious about this. I think it was in 2013 that Google rolled out custom URLs, which I've never really heard a ton about since then (possibly because Google has recently made it nearly impossible to get to Google+ Local pages at this point!).

At any rate, this is an interesting and worthy topic and I hope more members of the community will contribute their thoughts as to whether having beautiful local listing URLs matters, and if so, how?

[GrouchyKids]

Great advice Bryan thanks...

You're probably right RE URL availability and I think that might be why the URL's were so complex to begin with.

There is almost zero engagement, one thing I do want to do is get some reviews, to improve my local results.

i know that FB will have perhaps less impact than Google but am guessing that the reviews will be far easier to achieve.

[GrouchyKids]

Hi Miriam,

Glad you like the topic

I'm thinking that cleaner URL's are better if you're trying to prompt customers for reviews, but I doubt the effect will be significant in my niche.

Other than that it's matching up the detail and I guessing that what I do might depend on the platform.

For FB the correct name is still found in the H2 tag.

For Yelp the name mirrors the URL in the H1 tag.

So I'm guessing that Yelp is perhaps more important to change than FB provided that I can get a better URL that is.

Do you have any insight into just how similar detail needs to be within your listings?  For example will Google understand the following:

The addition or lack of a line like "South West England"

Details that are identical but different like "UK" V's "United Kingdom"

in the H2 tag

[MiriamEllis]

Hey there ... check out Whitespark's list of acceptable abbreviations: https://www.whitespark.ca/acceptable-google-maps-nap-abbreviations-and-variations

I think it will help with your question.

[GrouchyKids]

Thanks so much that does help.

Great advice as usual.

Justin

[MiriamEllis]

So glad this helped!