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Basic Divi Theme Options Walkthrough: Steal Our Exact Settings & Set Your Site Up for Success

Thu, 28 May 2020 20:51:14 +0000

See Basic Divi Theme Options Walkthrough: Steal Our Exact Settings & Set Your Site Up for Success in its original habitat on The Digital Home of Greensboro's Top SEO Consultant or read the entire post below

When you're new to Divi, the Theme Options can be a little overwhelming. Luckily, they don't contain anything too tricky. Some concern design. Others deal with integrations, the WordPress backend, or other important areas. But none of them require an expert. In this Divi Theme Options Guide, we'll try to make it as easy as possible. Simply steal our settings and go.

Divi Theme Options

Divi offers pretty much everything a webmaster needs. Depending on what you want to do with your website, you may need to adjust your settings. Here, we'll assume you've already installed WordPress, edited your WordPress settings, installed Divi, and are ready to begin to designing your site. You can also use this to check against a site you already have but it's always better to get it right before you begin. We always recommend checking these twice.

General

Divi General Settings are fairly basic. This is where you find social media profiles, date format, and other basic options. It’s also where you choose which colors you would like in your custom color palette. Aside from these, the most important thing to do here is to add your logo so that it appears in the menu bar. Go to Divi >>> Theme Options. Copy these settings: If you'd like more detail:

Divi General Theme Options Overview

Set Logo - Add your logo. It will appear in the menu bar based on your Customizer settings.
Set Fixed Navigation Bar - Enable for a sticky menu bar that remains visible as users scroll.
Set Enable Divi Gallery - Enable for the ability to add Divi's gallery to content in Classic Editor.
Set Color Pickers Default Palette - Set your default color palette. Reflected in Divi Builder.
Set Grab the first post image - Enable to use the first image as the featured image if none set.
Set Blog Style Mode - Disable to use post excerpts on archive pages. Enable for full posts.
Set Sidebar Layout - Choose Right Sidebar for the default blog look. Can edit per page/post.
Set Shop Page & Category... - Choose Right Sidebar for default shop look with WooCommerce.
Set Google API Key - Add your Google API key for proper functioning of Divi Maps Modules.
Set Enqueue Google Maps Script - Enable for proper functioning of Divi Maps Modules.
Set Use Google Fonts - Enable to use the Google Fonts libraries within the Divi Builder.
Set Show Facebook Icon - Enable to display the Facebook icon in Divi's top and bottom bars.
Set Show Twitter Icon - Enable to display the Twitter icon in Divi's top and bottom bars.
Set Show Google+ Icon - Enable to display the Google+ icon in Divi's top and bottom bars.
Set Show Instagram Icon - Enable to display the Instagram icon in Divi's top and bottom bars.
Set Show RSS Icon - Enable to display the RSS feed icon in Divi's top and bottom bars.
Set Facebook Profile URL - Add your Facebook Page URL for top and bottom bar links.
Set Twitter Profile URL - Add your Twitter Profile URL for top and bottom bar links.
Set Google+ Profile URL - Add your Google Maps Page URL for top and bottom bar links.
Set Instagram Profile URL - Add your Instagram Profile URL for top and bottom bar links.
Set RSS Icon URL - Add your preferred RSS feed URL for top and bottom bar links.
Set Number of Products... Archive... - Enter a "9" or your preferred number of products.
Set Number of Posts... Category... - Enter a "6" or your preferred number of posts.
Set Number of Posts... Archive... - Enter a "5 or your preferred number of posts.
Set Number of Posts... Search... - Enter a "5" or your preferred number of posts.
Set Number of Posts... Tag... - Enter a "5" or your preferred number of posts.
Set Date format - Enter "M j, Y" or your preferred date format based on the WP codex.
Set Use excerpts when defined - Disable the use of excerpts unless you use them.
Set Responsive shortcodes - Enable to make shortcodes respond to various screen sizes.
Set Google Fonts subsets - Disable unless you need Google's Non-English font library.
Set Back to Top Button - Disable Back to Top unless you prefer it with your design.
Set Smooth Scrolling - Disable Smooth Scrolling unless you prefer it with your design.
Set Disable Translations - Disable unless you need translated theme strings on your site.
Set Enable Responsive Images - Enable responsive image sizes for better page performance.
Set Minify & Combine Javascript Files - Enable this option to speed up your site's page load.***
Set Minify & Combine CSS Files - Enable this option to speed up your site's page load.***
Set Custom CSS - Add your custom CSS to Divi here. Also available in Theme Customizer.

***May cause compatibility issues with certain web hosts, plugins, or other WordPress technology.

Navigation

Divi Navigation Settings are also basic. We prefer to customize our menu elsewhere in WordPress. But a quick run through is always smart. Plus, you might even find that some of these options suit your needs. For example, you could use these options to automate menu updates or optimize your one page website design. Go to Navigation >>> Pages. Copy these settings: If you'd like more detail:

Divi Pages Navigation Theme Options Overview

Set Exclude pages from the... - Edit your menu here if you aren't using default WP menus.
Set Show dropdown menus - Enable the use of dropdown menus on the navigation bar.
Set Display Home link - Enable your home page link if you aren't using default WP menus.
Set Sort Pages Links - Choose "post_title" or your preferred navigation sorting variable.
Set Order Pages Links by... - Choose "asc" or your preferred navigation sorting order.
Set Number of dropdown tiers... - Enter "3" dropdown tiers or your preferred number.

Go to Navigation >>> Categories. Copy these settings: If you'd like more detail:

Divi Categories Navigation Theme Options Overview

Set Exclude categories from the... - Edit your menu here if you aren't using default WP menus.
Set Show dropdown menus - Enable the use of dropdown menus on the navigation bar.
Set Hide empty categories - Enable this to hide categories that do not have posts in them.
Set Number of dropdown tiers... - Enter "3" dropdown tiers or your preferred number.
Set Sort Categories Links... - Choose "name" or your preferred navigation sorting variable.
Set Order Category Links... - Choose "asc" or your preferred navigation sorting order.

Go to Navigation >>> General Settings. Copy these settings:

Divi General Navigation Theme Options Overview

Set Disable top tier dropdown... - Disable this unless you prefer to use parent category links.
Set Alternative scroll-to-anchor... - Disable this unless your anchor links are inaccurate.

Builder

Divi Builder Settings is another important but short list. The builder settings let you customize your overall Divi experience. Choose whether to use the new WordPress block editor or not. Enable the Divi builder on a per-post-type basis. And refine your CSS outputs. Go to Builder >>> Post Type Integration. Copy these settings:

Divi Builder Post Type Theme Options Overview

Set Enable Divi Builder on post ... - Disable the the Divi Builder on any post types you prefer.

Go to Builder >>> Advanced. Copy these settings:

Divi Builder Advanced Theme Options Overview

Set Static CSS File Generation - Enable this option to cache your CSS for better performance.
Set Output Styles Inline - Disable this option unless you need/prefer Divi's old output styles.
Set Product Tour - Enable to get a tour of Divi Builder the first time a user opens it. Very helpful.
Set Enable The Latest Divi Builder... - Enable to maximize all the features Divi 4 has to offer.
Set Enable Classic Editor - Enable the Classic Editor to use the WYSIWYG editor for posts.

Layout

Divi Layout Settings are another simple group. Here, you'll find a few basic settings for post metadata, thumbnails, and comments. If you don't have a blog, you can skip most of this. But if you do, these settings can affect the engagement rates of your content. Go to Layout >>> Single Post Layout. Copy these settings:

Divi Single Post Layout Theme Options Overview

Set Choose which items to display... - Choose author, date, and categories or your preference.
Set Show comments on posts - Enable comments to allow users to comment on your posts.
Set Place Thumbs on Posts - Enable this option to use your featured images as post headers.

Go to Navigation >>> Single Page Layout. Copy these settings:

Divi Single Page Layout Theme Options Overview

Set Place Thumbs on Pages - Disable to prevent featured images displaying as page headers.
Set Show comments on pages - Disable to remove the comment section from your pages.

Go to Layout >>> General Settings. Copy these settings:

Divi General Layout Theme Options Overview

Set Post info section - Choose author, date, and categories or your preference.
Set Show Thumbs on Index Pages - Enable featured images on post archives.

Divi Ads Settings aren't that robust. They allow you to add an adsense banner at the bottom of your blog posts. It's not much, but at least it is easy to use. Go to Ads >>> Manage Un-widgetized Advertisements. Copy these settings:

Divi Ads Theme Options Overview

Set Disable Single Post 468x60 banner - Disable unless you want a basic advertising banner.
Set Input 468x60 advertisement banner... - Leave blank or add your AdSense banner URL.
Set Input 468x60 advertisement destination... - Leave blank or add your destination URL.
Set Input 468x60 adsense code - Leave blank or add your AdSense destination code.

SEO

Divi SEO Settings are pretty good as far as WP themes go. We prefer to use dedicated SEO plugins. But you can definitely pull off some decent SEO with Divi's SEO settings alone. Titles, meta descriptions, canonical URLs—not bad at all. Go to Divi >>> Theme Options. Copy these settings:

Divi Homepage SEO Theme Options Overview

Set Enable Custom Title - Disable unless you prefer to set your titles in Divi directly.
Set Enable Meta Description - Disable unless you prefer to set your descriptions in Divi directly.
Set Enable Meta Keywords... - Disable and forget these exist, as they are no longer relevant.
Set Enable Canonical URL's - Disable unless you need to set canonical URLs with Divi.
Set Homepage Custom Title... - Leave blank unless you have enabled custom titles.
Set Homepage Meta Description... - Leave blank unless you have enabled meta descriptions.
Set Homepage Meta Keywords... - Leave blank and forget these exist, as they are not relevant.
Set If Custom Titles are Disabled... - Choose "BlogName | BlogDecription as default title.
Set Define a Character to Separate... - Enter " | " as the character to separate the title.

Go to SEO >>> Single Post Page SEO. Copy these settings:

Divi Single Post Page SEO Theme Options Overview

Set Enable Custom Titles - Disable unless you prefer to set your titles in Divi directly.
Set Enable Custom Description - Disable unless you prefer to set meta descriptions in Divi.
Set Enable Custom Keywords - Disable and forget these exist, as they are no longer relevant.
Set Enable Canonical URL's - Disable unless you need to set canonical URLs with Divi.
Set Custom Field Name.. Title - Leave default unless you have enabled custom titles.
Set Custom Field Name... Description - Leave default unless you are using custom descriptions.
Set Custom Field Name... Keywords - Leave blank and forget these exist, as they are not relevant.
Set If Custom Titles are Disabled... - Choose "Post title | BlogName as default title.
Set Define a Character to Separate... - Enter " | " as the character to separate the title.

Go to SEO >>> Index Page SEO. Copy these settings:

Divi Index Page SEO Theme Options Overview

Set Enable Canonical URL's - Disable unless you need to set canonical URLs with Divi.
Set Enable Meta Descriptions - Disable unless you prefer to set meta descriptions in Divi.
Set Choose Title Autogeneration... - Choose "Category name | BlogName as default title.
Set Define a Character to Separate... - Enter " | " as the character to separate the title.

Integration

Divi Integration Settings are crucial for advanced marketing. If you want a website that makes you money, you'll definitely have some code to add here. This area prevents the need for extra plugins for your marketing scripts and other advanced customizations. Go to Integration >>> Code Integration. Copy these settings:

Divi Code Integration Theme Options Overview

Set Enable Header Code - Enable to add code to the < head > of all website pages.
Set Enable Body Code - Enable to add code to the top of the < body > of all website pages.
Set Enable Single Top Code - Enable to add code specifically to the top of all blog posts.
Set Enable Single Bottom Code - Enable to add code specifically to the bottom of all blog posts.
Set Add Code to the < Head >... - Enter your preferred < head > code here.
Set Add Code to the < Body >... - Enter your preferred < body > code here.
Set Add Code to the Top... - Enter your preferred top of post code here.
Set Add Code to the Bottom... - Enter your preferred bottom of post code here.

Updates

Divi Updates Settings are needed to keep your Divi install current. Username and password is all you need to enter here. This should have been completed when you installed Divi. Go to Updates >>> General. Copy these settings:

Divi Updates Theme Options Overview

Set Username - Enter your Elegant Themes Username here to receive product updates
Set API Key - Enter your Elegant Themes API Key here to receive product updates.
Set Version Rollback - If you need to rollback a recent update, you can do so here.

Beyond the Basics

There are a variety of reasons your settings may differ. If you're just getting started, you can pretty much copy our settings and go. Over time, you can figure out how to further utilize Divi to achieve your digital marketing goals. Combining Divi's Theme Options with the Customizer, Theme Builder, Dynamic Content, and other features you can create just about anything you want to create. You don't need much to create a beautiful site that helps automate your sales process. You just need Divi. That's one of the reasons why we choose it. In the right hands, it truly is a "do anything" WordPress theme. Have questions or comments about the enormous list of options Divi gives you? Please drop them below. We love to help others get it right. Plus, we're always looking to improve our training. And if you'd like help with WordPress Optimization, you can get started with a free SEO audit.

BBB.org Manual Citations Walkthrough: How to Claim, Edit, Correct Errors, Remove Duplicates, & Everything Else You Need to Know in 2020

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 15:53:33 +0000

See BBB.org Manual Citations Walkthrough: How to Claim, Edit, Correct Errors, Remove Duplicates, & Everything Else You Need to Know in 2020 in its original habitat on https://greensboroseopro.com or read the entire post below

BBB.org is one of the top 15 most important citation sources for Local SEO. It's one of the Internet's most popular business directories.

Whitespark puts them number 13 on their list of citation sources for the US.
They are one of Moz Local’s Direct Network partners.
We put them at number fourteen on our list of best local citations sources.

If you want to perform well in Google Maps and other local search results, optimize your Better Business Bureau listings. Before you can do that though, you have to find them.

Findings Listings

Begin search at BBB.org. The BBB website tries to recognize your location automatically. In the top right corner, you'll find a symbol. It controls your "Home Location." Sometimes, this can interfere with your ability to find listings. Not always, but we sometimes notice issues when searching for listings from a different location or when using a VPN. It can also give you some trouble when hunting for duplicates. We recommend setting the "Home Location" for any and all locations you need to search. Once set, proceed to search. If it recognizes your business, it will try to autofill your brand info. You can select it to go straight to your listing. But we recommend completing the search to make sure you don't have any duplicates. You may find you business in a list. Or you may not find any results that match your info. Record any and all listings you find for your business. Their format includes city and category: https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/greensboro/profile/seo-services/greensboro-seo-pro-0503-1000000023. If you've found your business on BBB.org, it's time to claim it. If not, it's time to create it.

Manually Claim Listings

Taking ownership of your business listings offers several advantages. But it can be a tedious process. Generally, top-tier platforms like Better Business Bureau are the most annoying. This is especially true if you've changed names, numbers, and/or locations often. Depending on your goals, automated solutions like Yext may be tempting. However: We have seen Yext fail to suppress duplicates on multiple occasions. Given BBB's spot as one of the most important business directories online, it's crucial that your presence there is 100% accurate. So take control of all profiles. This may be easier if you don't have any yet.

Create New

Create a new BBB profile here. It's really that easy. However, they have a backend approval process. So you aren't guaranteed to get your listing published. We've had profiles get rejected the first time. It's rare. But it does happen. Resubmitting has worked for us so far. If we ever needed to take additional steps, it would probably look like the claim process.

How to Claim Existing

The Better Business Bureau is a legitimate company. Unlike most citation sources, they are more than a online business. Perhaps that's why they seem like they care more than many of the others. BBB.org probably has the best support of any online directory. They are fast, friendly, and very helpful. Similar to Chamber of Commerce, the BBB is managed city by city. Their support team is segmented by city as well. Therefore, your Home Location must be set to the correct address. From there, you simply click the name of your location. You'll be brought to the main page for that location. Scroll down to the "Email this BBB" link. Click it. A short form will pop up. Fill in your name and email. (We recommend a branded email address.) Then write a message telling them about your business. We like to include a link to one of our main profiles like Facebook or Google Maps as well. Submit and you can usually expect a reply via email in less 48 hours or less. This is more of an "edit request" than a profile claim. But it gets the job done. If you're correcting info, they often remove the original URL and create a new one. This means the duplicate process is much the same.

How to Handle Duplicates

The BBB doesn't usually have duplicates. When they do, removal is typically fast and painless. Set your home location. Click it. Return to the "Email this BBB" link from the claim process above. Fill in your name and email. Now, all you need to do is write is duplicate removal request message. We recommend you include all incorrect URLs and links to your correct profiles elsewhere. Using a branded email address also gives you additional credibility. Removing duplicates on BBB.org usually takes less than 48 hours. It is a manual process on their end. So you need to check behind them. But we haven't had many problems with them so far. Again, the Better Business Bureau has better support than the majority of other online citation sources. Whatever your duplicate situation, make sure you get it fixed. Duplicates are terrible for local SEO and the BBB has been among the best citations sources for several years. Our advise: Do whatever it takes to remove duplicates on the Better Business Bureau. It's an important leg of the journey to page one of Google. Need more help claiming and optimizing your Better Business Bureau? Leave your questions or comments below. We'll answer 'em all. Plus, we have more in store for this and our other local SEO citations posts down the road. In the meantime, you might also be able to pick up some hints by taking a look at our marketing company on BBB.org. Or, learn more about our Local Citations Services via our Free SEO Audit.

Manta Manual Manta Walkthrough: How to Claim, Edit, Correct Errors, Remove Duplicates, & Everything Else You Need to Know in 2020

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 17:32:31 +0000

See Manta Manual Manta Walkthrough: How to Claim, Edit, Correct Errors, Remove Duplicates, & Everything Else You Need to Know in 2020 in its original habitat on https://greensboroseopro.com or read the entire post below

Manta is one of the top 15 most important citation sources for Local SEO. It's one of the Internet's most popular business directories.

Whitespark puts them number 17 on their list of citation sources for the US.
They are one of Moz Local’s Direct Network partners.
We put them at number twelve on our list of best local citations sources.

If you want to perform well in Google Maps and other local search results, optimize Manta listings. Before you can do that though, you have to find them.

Findings Listings

Go to Manta.com. Search your business name. It will try to autocomplete your search with a brand name. The recommendations aren't always helpful. And you aren't required to set a location. Manta is fairly prone to duplicates and errors. It's also hard to be 100% confident that their search tools find all NAP variations. But it is usually pretty easy to find the duplicates you expect. When there are a ton of NAP variations though, we find that you get better results when you don't set a location. You may also have to scroll through several pages of results to find everything. Not fun. But that's just how it is. 🤷‍♂️ At least their profile URLs are simple: https://www.manta.com/c/mx4qkt1/greensboro-seo-pro Google "site:" search is not an effective way to find duplicates. Google usually only has one profile indexed per brand name. If you've found your business on Manta, it's time to claim it. If not, it's time to create it.

Manually Claim Listings

Taking ownership of your business listings offers several advantages. But it can be a tedious process. Generally, top-tier platforms like Manta are the most annoying. This is especially true if you've changed names, numbers, and/or locations often. Depending on your goals, automated solutions like Yext may be tempting. However: We have seen Yext fail to suppress duplicates on multiple occasions. Given Manta's spot as one of the top local business data aggregators, it's crucial that your presence there is 100% accurate. So take control of all profiles. This may be easier if you don't have any yet.

Create New

Add your business to Manta here It's very easy to add and optimize new profiles on Manta. They have a fairly simple wizard that gets you started. Then they try to upsell you on Yext: Just click that "Not right now" link and you'll come to the dashboard. From there, you have a variety of additional info you can add. The full claim process is much the same.

How to Claim Existing

If a profile is claimed you'll see a check mark beside the brand name. If not, you'll see a question mark. Hover over the little "UNCLAIMED" tag and a message will pop up. Click the "Claim this listing for free" link. You'll be brought to through the same wizard you would be for a new profile. Surprisingly, Manta does not require any sort of phone or domain verification. This makes it one of the easiest top-tier platforms to get control of. On the other side, this makes it easier for duplicate profiles to form. If you have duplicates, you'll need to claim one and get rid of the others.

How to Handle Duplicates

Again, Manta is fairly prone to duplicates. And it may take some work to find them all. But once you do, getting them removed is easy. Simply go to the Contact Us page. Fill out your contact details. Set "Profile - Remove" as the inquiry type. Then write them a little message including all of your incorrect URLs. They will respond with an email and support will remove your listings manually. Removing duplicates on Manta usually takes less than 48 hours. It is a manual process on their end. So you need to check behind them. On one occasion, their support deleted all listings, including the correct one. This has only happened once and we simply created a new one but it is worth considering. All in all, Manta support is usually prompt, courteous, and helpful. That's more than we can say for most online directories. Whatever your duplicate situation, make sure you get it fixed. Duplicates are terrible for local SEO and Manta has been among the best citations sources for several years. Our advice: Do whatever it takes to remove duplicates on Manta. It's an important leg of the journey to page one of Google. Need more help claiming and optimizing your Manta? Leave your questions or comments below. We'll answer 'em all. Plus, we have more in store for this and our other local SEO citations posts down the road. In the meantime, you might also be able to pick up some hints by taking a look at our marketing company on Manta.com. Or, learn more about our Local Citations Services via our Free SEO Audit.

Citysearch Manual Citations Walkthrough: How to Claim, Edit, Correct Errors, Remove Duplicates, & Everything Else You Need to Know in 2020

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 13:48:56 +0000

See Citysearch Manual Citations Walkthrough: How to Claim, Edit, Correct Errors, Remove Duplicates, & Everything Else You Need to Know in 2020 in its original habitat on Greensboro, NC's Best Website or read the entire post below

Citysearch is one of the top 20 most important directories for Local SEO. It plays a major role in the local search ecosystem.

Whitespark puts them number 14 on their list of citation sources for the US.
We put them at number sixteen on our list of local citations sources.

If you want to perform well in Google Maps and other local search results, optimize Citysearch listings. Before you can do that though, you have to find them.

Findings Listings

Go to Citysearch.com It will automatically redirect you to a location based index. For example: http://www.citysearch.com/guide/greensboro-nc. Their search tool works well enough. It will reveal duplicates across multiple zip codes with a single search. Still, we recommend searching all potential zip codes if you know you have a high likelihood of duplicates. Google "site:" search is not an effective way to find Citysearch listings, as Google does not index them all that well. We've found that 9 out of 10 times, Citysearch reflects Express Update. You can expect to find the same profiles on each. However, there are no guarantees in SEO citations. We always search for potential NAP variations individually. Once you've found your listings, it's time to claim them.

Manually Claim Listings

Taking ownership of your business listings offers several advantages. But it can be a tedious process. Generally, top-tier platforms like Citysearch are the most annoying. This is especially true if you've changed names, numbers, and/or locations often. Depending on your goals, automated solutions like Yext may be tempting. However: We have seen Yext fail to suppress duplicates on multiple occasions. Given Citysearch's spot as one of the top local business directories, it's crucial that your presence there is 100% accurate. So take control of all profiles. Before you can do so though, you must already them.

Create New

Citysearch does not have a way for users to add businesses manually. Via Citysearch About Us:

Business Listings

How do I add my business to Citysearch?
Citysearch partners with InfoUSA for local business data. They offer an Express Update service that allows merchants to update their listing data as well as add new businesses. Once you've added your business please allow 1 - 2 months for the information to be on Citysearch. Find out more at: http://www.expressupdate.com.

What this means: If you are not listed on Citysearch yet, go add your business to Express Update. Then come back here in 60 days. 😁 Once you are listed, you must claim to optimize your profile.

How to Claim Existing

Citysearch is pretty strict about their directory. Again, via Citysearch About Us:

Business Listings

How can I correct incorrect information about a business?
Unfortunately we don't currently have a way for our users, other than business owners, to add, close or edit businesses. If you own a business you can correct information by unlocking or "claiming" your business on the Citysearch profile page. You'll need to verify that you own the business by entering a verification code that is sent to your business phone. Once claimed you will have the opportunity to make edits and add content to your business profile page. If the phone number, address or other business information is incorrect you can contact Customer Service at customerservice@citygrid.com.

TL; DR: They don't accept suggested edits. You must claim a profile before you can make changes. You can find a claim link on your profiles. Unfortunately, you end up in on a Yext upsell screen. 🙄👎💩 Unlike Yahoo, we haven't found a way around Yext for Citysearch yet. We will continue to look for ways in. Until then, we make sure Citysearch listings are correct but leave them unclaimed. In the meantime, we find other ways to optimize our Citysearch listings. Create a user account via the login page. Then you can add photos to your listing. You can also add your business description as a "question." You'll probably have to do some editing because it doesn't accept most symbols, including quotations and apostrophes. Not ideal but it's definitely better than nothing. You always want to do whatever you can to maximize your directory listings. A big part of that is correcting duplicates.

How to Handle Duplicates

Citysearch's model limits duplicates: If Express Update doesn't have it, neither will they. But it doesn't make them immune: If Express Update does have it, so will they. Therefore the first step to get duplicates removed from Citysearch is to remove them from Express Update. In our experience, this is all you usually need to do. But we always record our duplicate URLs and make sure we come back 60 days later to make sure they are gone. So far, we have seen 100% success on Citysearch by fixing Express Update. If we have issues in the future, we will contact them at customerservice@citygrid.com from a branded domain email address. But that has not happened yet. And based on their connections with Express Update and Yext, it may never happen. That's definitely better than most other business directories. Whatever your duplicate situation, make sure you get it fixed. Duplicates are terrible for local SEO and Citysearch has been among the best citations sources for several years. Our advise: Do whatever it takes to remove duplicates on Citysearch. It's an important leg of the journey to page one of Google. Need more help claiming and optimizing your Citysearch listing? Leave your questions or comments below. We'll answer 'em all. Plus, we have more in store for this and our other local SEO citations posts down the road. In the meantime, you might also be able to pick up some hints by taking a look at our marketing company on Citysearch. Or, learn more about our Local Citations Services via our Free SEO Audit.

Bing Manual Citations Walkthrough: How to Claim, Edit, Correct Errors, Remove Duplicates, & Everything Else You Need to Know in 2020

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 13:47:32 +0000

See Bing Manual Citations Walkthrough: How to Claim, Edit, Correct Errors, Remove Duplicates, & Everything Else You Need to Know in 2020 in its original habitat on GreensboroSEOPro.com or read the entire post below

Bing Places is one of the top 10 most important citation sources for Local SEO. It is the Bing version of Google My Business.

Whitespark puts them number five on their list of citation sources for the US.
They are one of Moz Local's Direct Network partners.
We put them at number seven on our list of best local citation sources.

If you want to perform well in local search results, optimize your Bing listings. First though, you have to find them.

Finding Listings

Go to Bing.com/maps. Search your business name. If you're listed, Bing will try to autocomplete the search. If you have duplicates or other brands with similar names, you'll see multiple options. A knowledge panel will come up once you complete the search or choose one of the autocomplete options. Click the "Share" button to get a URL you can save for your records. Their shortened links come out like: https://binged.it/2QGlIKT Their full URLs come out like: https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=15b69d6c-99ef-4667-91c7-144def15dc1e&cp=36.055318~-79.839285&lvl=16&imgid=8ea09960-8946-42e7-b042-a4dd88f95f23&v=2&sV=2&form=S00027 They carry a lot of unneeded info like zoom level and other rubbish. You can reduce it down to: https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=66f2685c-4e16-4bd3-a022-dc8b6370e92f When recording profile URLs, we prefer this version... for now. Our preferred version used to look like: https://www.bing.com/local/details.aspx?lid=YN873x13802778289626544111 Now, the content at that URL looks anemic. Depending on your competition level, this may not matter to you. It may be enough to find your business, claim, optimize, and move on. But if you're looking to drive links to your Bing listing, you'll need a URL that sticks. We aren't sure whether their binged.it links are permanent or not. They are generated when you click the share link. Multiple short links can point to the same business. Short links can also include multiple listings. We know that some last for years; we can't vouch for them all though. In any case, we can worry about collecting citations links later. If you've found your business on Bing, it's time to claim it. If not, it's time to create it.

Manually Claim Listings

Taking ownership of your business listings offers several advantages. But it can be a tedious process. Generally, top-tier platforms like Bing are the most annoying. This is especially true if you've changed names, numbers, and/or locations often. Depending on your goals, automated solutions like Yext may be tempting. However: We have seen Yext fail to suppress duplicates on multiple occasions. Given Bing's spot as one of the top search engines, it's crucial that your presence there is 100% accurate. So take control of all profiles. This may be easier if you don't have any yet.

Create New

Didn't find your business on Bing? In our experience, if autocomplete doesn't reveal your business, Bing doesn't have it listed. That's okay though. Bing makes it fairly easy to create a new business profile. Their local business platform is called Bing Places. Get started at Bingplaces.com. Click the "New User" button. This will begin a profile creation wizard. You can either sync your profile with your Google My Business listing or create it from scratch. If your business's Google My Business profile is already optimized, you can import your info. It will be pre-fill your business info and verify it automatically. There is probably nothing wrong with this option. Still, we choose the manual path. In our estimation, verifying directly with Bing sounds more future proof. Moreover, we opt for postcard verification over phone verification. Once verified, proceed to the Edit business menu screen. Optimize everything.

Basic Info
Category Information
Additional Business Details
Contact Details
Photos of Your Business
Working Hours

The goal: make Bing trust your brand 100%. You'll also get an email confirming that a postcard is in the mail. As you see, their postcard comes fast. Once it arrives, you can return to your email to log back in and enter your PIN. Don't forget to come back and verify your profile. Sure. It's a bit of a pain. But it helps Bing keep their directory clean. And it helps you get more customers. If you want to perform well in local search results, add your business to Bing. Or, if you've already found your business, simply take control.

How to Claim Existing

We recommend claiming all profiles that belong to your brand. It's about the same as creating new listings, plus a few extra steps. From your listing: Scroll to the bottom of your knowledge panel. Click the "Is this your business?" link. It will bring you to a profile claims wizard. Make sure your info is correct then click the "Continue" button. It will bring you to a login screen. We choose to create a new Microsoft account if the business does not have one already. From there, you'll have to verify. For listings that already exist, we verify by phone unless we are correcting the address. Again, your goal is to make Bing trust you. Because the listing already exists, we know they think you're a real business already. Once verified, proceed to edit your business details as if it were a new profile. If you have found multiple profiles for your business: You'll need to do a few things differently.

How to Handle Duplicates

Luckily, duplicates are usually easy to find on Bing. Even luckier: They are also easy to remove. Autocomplete usually reveals them. Choose one listing. Record the URL via the "Share" button. Then you can repeat the search and choose another. Alternatively, Bing will let you add multiple map pins to the same map. However you do it, record all duplicates. From there, removal is simple. Scroll to the bottom of each listing's knowledge panel. This time choose the "Suggest an edit" link. This will expand a second panel. Choose the "Permanently Closed" option. To maximize approval: We always add a little message that points to your main listing. When we do this, we typically see duplicates removed by our first follow up, 2-4 weeks later. Once you get it right, you'll have no ambiguity in your knowledge panel results on organic Bing search. Compared to most citation sources: Removing duplicates in Bing Maps is easy. Even if it wasn't, we'd still get the job done. Local directory consistency is crucial to local SEO. If you want to show up on page one of Google (and Bing) optimize your business on Bing. Need more help claiming and optimizing your Bing listing? Leave your questions or comments below. We'll answer 'em all. Plus, we have more in store for this and our other local SEO citations posts down the road. In the meantime, you might also be able to pick up some hints by taking a look at our marketing company on Bing Maps. Or, learn more about our Local Citations Services via our Free SEO Audit.