Featured citations vs. regular citations

[SEODinosaur]

Do regular citations have the same impact as featured citations for Google Local? or is it the higher a company is isted the more impact it will have on a google local page?

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Donnie, Can you please define the term 'featured citation'? This is not one I've ever come across. Please describe what you mean by regular and featured citations and I'll be happy to share anything I know.

[TheSEODR]

I was thinking the "featured" listings meant the paid listings on directories like Yelp and YP.com

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Derek,

Possibly, that is what Donnie means. Thanks for chiming in and we'll have to see what he says when he returns. I'm actually wondering if he means citations from certain sources over others, or something like that. We'll see.

[SEODinosaur]

Hi again Miriam

I was referring to a regular free listing vs. a premium listing. If I were to use Yext for all my local citations I would get premium listings... Would these listings have a higher impact on my Google Local efforts?

[MiriamEllis]

Hey Donnie,

We're have a good chat today, aren't we? So, now, I'm still trying to understand your intent here. You can't get free listings via Yext. You have to pay for them as Yext's service is a paid service. I just know I'm not catching your meaning here. Do you have an example to share of an offer you've seen or something like that?

Maybe what you mean is...is there any ranking benefit to paying Yext to get your citations vs. you getting them for yourself, manually. If so, my answer would be: not that I've ever heard of. On an agency level, tools like Yext's are time savers and thus valued, but I still believe that manual citation development is the best way to have the most control over what you are doing.

[SEODinosaur]

Yes we are making good talk I was under the impression that when I sign up for Yext they automatically get me featured listings in all those directories... Why would anyone pay $450 for a couple hours of work? crazy... Anyways, if I did manually submit everywhere and decid to get featured in a few directories, would being listed higher on these pages help with Google Local efforts?

Again thank you very much, you are awesome!

[TheSEODR]

I don't think being placed higher on third-party directories via paid listings will boost your ranking on Places. As long as your NAP is consistent and crawlable on directories, then this is best practice. A free listing is just as helpful to your local efforts as a premium listing.

However, paying for a listing on a local chamber of commerce or industry-related directory might have more impact. Finding and obtaining listings from directories that are local and relevant to you is key for having the most impact on your google local page.

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Donnie,

Okay, I think I get it. Sorry to be slow on the uptake. I believe you saw this page on Yext:

http://www.yext.com/products.html

Yext's PowerListing product is described like this:

PowerListings

Business listing management made simple. Easily add your business
listings to premier local search sites like Yahoo!, Yelp and WhitePages.

It then goes on to list 9 directories for which they are charging you a certain amount  and 30+ directories for which there is no price listed. I found the setup of this page to be very vague, so in the spirit of offering you a really clear answer, I actually phoned Yext just now and spoke with John, a Senior Account Manager.

As I understand it, you've got 2 options with Yelp. You can purchase the $499 deal which will apparently give you enhanced listings in a variety of directories. He described these enhanced listings as ones that you could purchase yourself from the listed companies, but the benefit is central management of all + a quoted 50% cost savings from what you'd be charged if you made direct purchases of the enhanced listings.

Alternatively, you can purchase the Emerging Package from Yext which costs much less and which consists of listings in all the non-priced directories on that page I've linked to, plus you can choose a la carte enhanced listings with from the priced directories, but will be charged the retail price for these. Again, the benefit here is central management.

Now, here's something nice. John asked me to let you know that if you would like to talk to him directly, call him at (917) 210-6709 and he will not only be happy to answer your questions, but he will also give you a discount if you decide to sign up. How about that?

But, to return to your basic question, Donnie - will having an enhanced listing in a 3rd party directory positively influence your Google Local rank more than a free listing? You know, I would be very surprised if this is the case. I have seen no studies to indicate this, but I can't answer this with 100% certainty. So, my approach to purchasing Yext's service would be that managing the listings would be easier and that quoted 50% discount off the list price for enhanced listings would intrigue me if my clients wanted enhanced advertising. My clients are, for the most part, too strictly budgeted to warrant this, so that's a factor.

Hope this helps!

Miriam

[SEODinosaur]

Yes this helps thanks again.

[MiriamEllis]

Great! My pleasure, Donnie.