Yext Class Action Suit?

[Adam Kaufman]

Hi, I have been in this business for 20+ years. I have had a bit of success. Can someone tell me why there is no class action suit against #yext, #mapquest, etc, etc? Extortion, anyone?

 

[JoyHawkins]

Hey @Kaufman

In what way is it extortion?

 

[Adam Kaufman]

If I have a small business and my business data is wrong on Mapquest, Citysearch. I didn't put it there. The only way I can fix it is by paying Yext. Extortion, with a sprinkle of collusion.

 

[DanLeibson]

I suggest starting with everyone involved in Local.com 15+ years ago

 

[Cherie Dickey]

Yext isn't the only option for those updates. Citysearch feeds from infoUSA/Express Update, so I'd check there. Mapquest has updated things for me in the past via a domain based email as well. Mapquest also pulls reviews from Yelp, so it would be helpful to make sure your info there is correct too.

It's definitely a pain, but not impossible to update most directories.

 

[whitespark]

There are only a few sites that are absolutely impossible to update without Yext. Yahoo is one of them. Most of the others you can get the update done by contacting their support. If you can't update it, then don't worry about it. A handful of incorrect citations out there aren't going to hurt you. No class action law suit necessary.

 

[Mike Vannington]

If I have a small business and my business data is wrong on Mapquest, Citysearch. I didn't put it there. The only way I can fix it is by paying Yext. Extortion, with a sprinkle of collusion.

Interesting. Does any LSEO happen to have an attorney for a client? I wonder also if this isn't some kind of "legal" niche. A registered letter from an attorney demanding a correction might scare them into compliance. An entrepreneurial attorney might be able to fire-off those kinds of letters in volume, for a low cost. Just spitballing here. Most businesses are terrified of lawyers, lawsuits, etc... Why risk a lawsuit when you can tweak a bit of data in less than 5 minutes?

Also (more spitballing), I wonder if defamation, slander, etc... (there's a nuance there, I just don't know what it is) might apply, given that they are in fact knowingly publishing false information that is actually causing you finanacial harm. I just wonder if the false statement "xyz business is at 123 main street" is the legal equivalent of the false statement "the owner of xyz business is a convicted felon".

How much does Yext cost, anyways? I remember when these cites stopped updating their data, and Yext took over, but never found out what happened when the debris stopped flying.

 

[Mike Vannington]

There are only a few sites that are absolutely impossible to update without Yext. Yahoo is one of them. Most of the others you can get the update done by contacting their support. If you can't update it, then don't worry about it. A handful of incorrect citations out there aren't going to hurt you. No class action law suit necessary.

With everything else being absolutely equal, who ranks higher; the business with a 100% perfectly consistent NAP, or the business with a "handful of incorrect citations"?

 

[Mike Vannington]

Citysearch feeds from infoUSA/Express Update, so I'd check there. Mapquest has updated things for me in the past via a domain based email as well. Mapquest also pulls reviews from Yelp, so it would be helpful to make sure your info there is correct too.

Is there any kind of graphic or document that shows where data flows from & to? If not, that sounds really useful. The LSEO that made one and put their URL watermark on it would get their name out there.

 

[Rich Owings]

Is there any kind of graphic or document that shows where data flows from & to?

Yes, and it's even interactive: https://whitespark.ca/local-search-ecosystem/

 

[JoyHawkins]

With everything else being absolutely equal, who ranks higher; the business with a 100% perfectly consistent NAP, or the business with a "handful of incorrect citations"?

I can't imagine a real-life scenario where everything else is equal. They would all have to be at the exact same location with the exact same number of reviews, the exact same website and the exact same backlinks. Citations such as Yahoo are not worth losing a bit of sleep over.

 

[Mike Vannington]

I can't imagine a real-life scenario where everything else is equal. They would all have to be at the exact same location with the exact same number of reviews, the exact same website and the exact same backlinks. Citations such as Yahoo are not worth losing a bit of sleep over.

It's a hypothetical question, hopefully in an attempt to boil the equation down to a single factor, or very limited set of factors, with the ultimate point being, however low the value of these citations being "lost" (for lack of a better characterization), they still have SOME value. What that value is, is the question. My post is an attempt to define the LSEO landscape in (hypthetical) "mathematical terms", divorced and separated from any other factors. This idea stems from a fundamental belief that I have, that I've mentioned in another post, which is that Google is at core a computer, and it's "decisions" are based on data that Google uses to determine (in this particular case) placement on a search results page. LSEO is about attempting to discern what those factors are, and how important each of them are, relative to all the other factors (or "signals"). Also, it just now occurs to me that the math wizards at Google may have secondary "equations" that affords higher or lower weight ("juice") based not in the singular and standalone data (a Yahoo local citation, for example), but on the relationship of multiple factors together, i.e.:

1) Yahoo + Yellow pages = a pound of juice.
2) no Yahoo, and no Yellow pages = a half pound of juice.
3) Yahoo, but no Yellow pages = a quarter pound of juice.
4) no Yahoo, but Yellow pages = 3/4 pound of juice.

Note this is the present "outer limits" of my theorizing, i.e. "spitballing". Doesn't mean (or matter if) I'm right or wrong; it's an attempt to share the idea that thinking about these things (analysis) might result in a new (and profitable) discovery. Another way of saying it is the "structure" of my thinking.

 

[Adam Kaufman]

You are missing my point. This is not about ranking my customer's location. It is about the dirty business practices & collusion between Yext & publishers.

 

[Mike Vannington]

You said "Yext holds local businesses hostage"
JoyHawkins said "You don't need those citations anyways."
I said "Good idea, maybe you can sue" (to you, here), and also "Those citations may be more valueable than you think." (to JoyHawkins)

 

[PaulSteinbrueck]

There are only a few sites that are absolutely impossible to update without Yext. Yahoo is one of them.

I thought there was a way around that. Is the info in this article no longer accurate?

Now You Can Fix Your Yahoo Local Listing without Paying for Yext | Local Visibility System

www.localvisibilitysystem.com

 

[PaulSteinbrueck]

Yes, and it's even interactive: https://whitespark.ca/local-search-ecosystem/

That's really cool! But how is it that Yext is not shown at all?

 

[Rich Owings]

Yext feeds some of these sites, just like Moz Local does.

 

[Cherie Dickey]

But how is it that Yext is not shown at all?

Because Yext isn't a directory or data aggrigator. It's just a platform that works as an intermediary between the business owner and the directories concerning that business' data (similar to Moz and Brightlocal) - for a fee.

 

[Mike Vannington]

Yes, and it's even interactive: https://whitespark.ca/local-search-ecosystem/

Oh that is SO COOL. It's even interactive!

 

[Mike Vannington]

I thought there was a way around that. Is the info in this article no longer accurate?

Now You Can Fix Your Yahoo Local Listing without Paying for Yext | Local Visibility System

www.localvisibilitysystem.com

Thanks, man. That is PURE GOLD. (This is exactly why I came here.)