Anyone familiar with topratedlocal.com ?

[Tim Colling]

Top Rated Local®

One of my clients has received an email from this site, claiming that my client has won an "award" from the site. When you look at the site, it looks like most of of the "award" or "prestige" scams where you pay to play, like Who's Who.

Who knows anything about this site and whether it's at all legitimate?

 

[Phil Rozek]

@Tim Colling, I'm not too familiar with it. I've run across it a couple of times - don't remember where - probably in some "ultimate list."

I get the same impressions of it you do: seems pay-to-play.

Also, because the site is so slick and business-owner-focused, it makes me think searchers never use the site, and that it's all very new and untried. I get the sense it's one of those directories that won't be around 2 years from now, but who knows.

 

[Tim Colling]

Thanks, @Phil Rozek. I suppose that it may have some (perhaps very minimal) usefulness as a citation, but perhaps not much more than that.

It's kind of hard to take these award sites seriously these days.

 

[JoshuaMackens]

It's a basic local search directory. That's all.

 

[Tim Colling]

Thanks, @JoshuaMackens

 

[tedchan]

Has a interesting review aggregator widget type thing that gives it a strong (though scattershot) backlink profile.

For instance bottom right of this site:

White Birches Inn

@Tim Colling, I'm not too familiar with it. I've run across it a couple of times - don't remember where - probably in some "ultimate list."

I get the same impressions of it you do: seems pay-to-play.

Also, because the site is so slick and business-owner-focused, it makes me think searchers never use the site, and that it's all very new and untried. I get the sense it's one of those directories that won't be around 2 years from now, but who knows.

 

[Tim Colling]

Nice catch, @tedchan. You can do something similar in other ways, too.