Business Name Containing the word 'THE' - Variations Among Major Aggregators

[russofford]

Hi,

I'd like to hear from the community about their experience with or opinion on having a business name vary within the major aggregators due to the name of the business starting with the word "The".

For example, a (fictitious) client called "The Widget Store" is listed with and without the "The" and the "The" also appears before and after the "Widget Store" name such as this:

• Widget Store (InfoGroup)
• The Widget Store (Localeze)
• Widget Store The (Acxiom)

Should these variations be of concern when taking into consideration the citation value of their corresponding IYP website listings in search engine's eyes?

Thanks for you input,

Russ

 

[Travis Van Slooten]

Re: Business Name Containg the word 'THE' - Variations Among Major Aggregtors

I'll chime in here with my two cents Since we're dealing with the aggregators, I think it's very important you pick one and be consistent across the board. If the company name is officially: The Widget Store - and that's how the business wants to be branded, then use that across the board. And if they just want: Widget Store - then use that.

My gut tells me that Google sees all 3 versions as the same as long as the address and phone numbers match up but I'd error on the side of caution anyway and just get everything consistent - especially with aggregators.

Travis Van Slooten

 

[Eric Rohrback]

Wouldn't having multiple variations of a business name risk the appearance of dupe pages? Then reviews would merge to incorrect pages and things could get screwy? I know we're talking about IYP, but have we seen anything conclusive that Google will see all 3 as the same? I'm not trying to shoot anyone down, I'm just genuinely curious.

 

[Travis Van Slooten]

We know that Google is "pretty good" at matching up addresses (i.e. Street is recognized as St., Boulevard is recognized as Blvd., etc.). I have to believe that as long as the address and phone numbers match, Google will match "The Widget Store" with "Widget Store" or "Widget Store The." Having said that, Google doesn't always get it right and there is always a chance things won't match up with Google. That is why I recommend to get everything consistent. If a given directory changes the format on you and you have no control over it, then there is nothing you can do other than hope that Google will make the match.

Travis Van Slooten

Wouldn't having multiple variations of a business name risk the appearance of dupe pages? Then reviews would merge to incorrect pages and things could get screwy? I know we're talking about IYP, but have we seen anything conclusive that Google will see all 3 as the same? I'm not trying to shoot anyone down, I'm just genuinely curious.

 

[MiriamEllis]

Consistency of data is the basis of Local Search Marketing, so definitely, pick a single iteration of the business name and use it everywhere the name is published. Correct any citations that don't match.