Value of Citations? Citations had little to no impact?

[BipperMedia]

@Raph2805 -- that is AWESOME!

Increasing the rate of indexation will build massive location authority for your GMB... while simultaneously unlocking the authority that's been pent up (so to speak) because of the lack of indexation.

Please keep posting updates on the results you get from this... very exciting stuff!

 

[Mark Lovett]

Hey Bobby, Is it possible to get a url to an example of such a page that you described above? Im trying to picture what it looks like on the front end.

 

[Travis Van Slooten]

Hey Bobby, Is it possible to get a url to an example of such a page that you described above? Im trying to picture what it looks like on the front end.

Or even a partial screenshot. I'm curious too what it looks like on the "front end" of the website when a human is reading the page. For example, do you just have it listed as "Manta.com" or do you have the long ugly url listed for each citation? And how do you label it this section on the sitemap - "See Our Listing Online:"

 

[BipperMedia]

@Travis Van Slooten @Mark Lovett -- hey guys... thank you for the follow up questions.

I'm more than happy to help by sharing links to example sitemaps... but please DM me as I work hard to honor and respect the policies here at the Local Search Forum with sharing links in the public forum feed.

Thank you again

Bobby

 

[djbaxter]

Feel free to post an example or two of your sitemap page.

 

[marston gould]

I can't imagine how anyone would plan to move the needle of productivity, at least at a measurable and substantial increase, without citation distribution... at least applicable to locations that are in hyper competitive markets or large metro areas (or both).

Citation distribution, when done properly, also includes the URL that you use as the landing page URL in your GMB... so it's sort of like a combination of local and organic SEO, but both of which contribute directly to fueling your rankings and productivity in search (both local and organic).

I think there's two main reasons people are turned off by, or find no value in, citation distribution:

1) they use API platforms like Yext, Synup, or Moz Local. The truth with these "automated content production and automated distribution platforms" is that you end up with citations never make it, or make it properly, to the partner end point.. this is a problem that we've seen at a pretty large scale with Moz Local and their so called "aggregator" distribution service.

2) 20% or less of the citations that are actually distributed never get indexed by Google... a combination of the automated function but also a combination of people never taking the additional steps necessary to increase indexation.

There's other factors, of course, that influence local rankings and productivity... but I do not believe any of these "other" factors are sufficient without a properly executed citation distribution strategy.

And let me just lay out a few components that I see as a proper citation distribution strategy:

• manual citations -- so you don't lose them ever (again, if you cancel with API platforms, your citations typically disappear along with your cancellation)
• manual aggregator distribution
• high DA sites / global directories
• high DA sites that are niche to your business / industry
• locally / contextually / geographically targeted citations that are relevant to your proximity
• manual strategy for increasing your indexation rate of citations

I may be missing a couple (I'm typing through this fast...) but this is definitely a good start.

Citations don’t get indexed (and thus ranked) because of the ridiculous out dated use of rel canonicals, meta refreshes, 301s/302s, no indexed and no follows used by these dumb domains. Their attempts to restrict page rank doesn’t help them or those whom they cite