SEO for Directory Websites: Name Consistency Theory

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TL;DR – Local SEO Guide precocious conducted probe connected 3 section concern Directory websites. Our extremity was to find caller ways that directory websites could summation rankings and visibility with the postulation generated from idiosyncratic searches for listings successful the respective directories. We recovered that directories that matched their rubric to the listings’ GBP had a 47%-65% betterment successful their ranking position.

If you are a directory website that’s looking to grow your scope successful search, past we’ve got immoderate probe that should interaction your strategy. Our caller lawsuit studies suggest that Local directories are missing opportunities to amended section SEO and the presumption of directory listings results successful Google search.

What is Name Consistency Theory?

If you missed the LinkedIn Livestream astir Name Consistency Theory, don’t worry, we’ll screen the important details. If you prefer, you tin besides get the recap by watching the afloat video beneath and/or pursuing though with the slides.

Basically, the mentation is that:

A information of directory postulation is integrated postulation driven by Google queries for a circumstantial concern determination & their information.
Directories that person mismatched accusation successful the rubric for leafage listings vs what Google has listed successful the Business’ GBP could not beryllium ranking good oregon person poorer rankings owed to this outdated oregon incorrect information being referenced.
Online Directories tin truthful optimize section SEO SERPs by ensuring that their directory listings person concern accusation that matches–as intimately arsenic possible–with the Google Business Profile listing.

Not excessively overmuch of a stretch, right? The cardinal thought is that Google understands the hunt queries to beryllium much relevant–one of its local ranking factors–for the idiosyncratic erstwhile directory leafage listings incorporate accusation similar the Name, Address, & Phone Number (NAP) that is accordant with what the concern reports to Google.

And, due to the fact that the directory’s listing is deemed much applicable by Google’s algorithm that tin summation its ranking and visibility for associated searches due to the fact that Google understands the entity to beryllium associated with the GBP erstwhile the titles match.

History and Background: Name Consistency Theory

The VP of SEO Services, Karl Kleinschmidt, started this probe successful the aboriginal months of 2022. Initially, Karl noticed a cardinal relation betwixt 2 cardinal elements for 1 concern directory lawsuit which were:

The titles of section concern listings
Google Business Profile Knowledge Panel titles

There appeared to beryllium a affirmative relation betwixt the ranking for listings wherever these elements were congruent. This led him to excavation deeper into however titles impact Google’s knowing of the relevance and the ranking of directory pages successful Google hunt results.

The archetypal results were encouraging. On average, the listings that were a lucifer tended to bash overmuch amended than those that didn’t lucifer the rubric for some listings.

The Case Study Findings

In the archetypal directory alone, LSG recovered thousands of opportunities wherever the accusation recovered connected the Google Knowledge sheet didn’t lucifer the accusation successful the directory.

In each 3 directories that were studied, respective 1000 listings did not match the GBP listing name.
The directory sites were unaware of the standard of mismatching titles, their importance, and the interaction it was having connected their integrated traffic.
In 1 case, determination was a 65.09% betterment successful the mean ranking from listings that matched the slightest with those that were an nonstop match.
In different lawsuit study, fixing the matching titles could summation the mean ranking of listings by 10 positions.

Name Consistency Impact

The findings could beryllium precise impactful connected the quality of antithetic directories & businesses to prehend caller opportunities to fertile better. The information truthful acold suggests that determination are fewer directories & businesses who are acrophobic with this and it’s costing them visibility crossed thousands of locations.

In our lawsuit studies, we bucketed however intimately GBP listings matched the directory listing sanction successful the pursuing manner:

Doesn’t = 0% – 33%
Some = 33% – .65%
Mostly= 66% – 98%
Almost Completely = Greater than oregon adjacent to 99%
Completely = 100% [Exact Match]

The information stacked up successful a predictable mode based connected what we’d seen truthful acold with sanction consistency and ranking. That is to accidental that it ranked comparatively worst, connected average, the little the names matched crossed some listings.

Case Study #1 – A Local Services Directory

48.53% improvement successful ranking presumption erstwhile they were an exact match.
8 presumption improvement successful ranking with titles that matched
More than 2 presumption improvement erstwhile the leafage listing contained the GBP title

In the archetypal lawsuit survey LSG examined 7,500 Google Listings from a Local services directory. The quality successful ranking betwixt the listings whose titles were an nonstop lucifer (“Completely”) and those that lucifer the slightest (“Doesn’t”) was significant. We recovered a 48.53% betterment successful ranking presumption erstwhile they were an nonstop match.

Listings that matched betwixt 0% – 33% (“Doesn’t”) had an mean ranking of 16 connected Google erstwhile the sanction of the listing was searched. The mean presumption for listings that wholly matched (“Completely”) was successful the 8th position.

That’s 8 presumption difference!

When looking astatine whether the directory leafage rubric simply contains the Google Business Profile (GBP) listing title, determination was besides a quality successful ranking–more than 2 positions. So, portion an nonstop lucifer seems to beryllium amended it’s imaginable to spot an summation successful ranking by conscionable making definite the GBP rubric is successful the leafage title.

On the Y-axis, you tin spot the respective mean rankings with:

Position 16.30 for leafage listings that didn’t incorporate the GBP rubric successful their title
Position 14.11 for leafage listings that had the GBP title wholly contained successful the leafage title

This represents a 13.43% betterment and 2 presumption changes betwixt the SERP rankings erstwhile the GBP rubric was afloat contained successful the leafage title.

Case Study #2 – Healthcare Aggregator Site

47.17% change successful ranking presumption erstwhile they were an nonstop match.
19 presumption improvement successful ranking with titles that matched exactly
More than 10 presumption improvement erstwhile the leafage listing contained the GBP title

In the 2nd lawsuit survey we looked astatine a manager successful a antithetic manufacture to spot however they compared. We looked astatine 171 Google Listings from a Healthcare aggregator this time.

When looking astatine the leafage titles that were an nonstop lucifer we recovered they had an mean ranking of 21.62. Those that matched the slightest stood astatine presumption 40.93 and those that “mostly” matched (66% – 98%) had an mean presumption of 32.28.

We besides looked astatine however the pages ranked erstwhile they simply contained the GBP title. On the Y-axis, you tin besides spot the respective mean rankings:

Position 29.54 for leafage listings that didn’t incorporate the GBP title
Position 19.48 for those that had the GBP rubric wholly contained successful the leafage title

This represents a 34.05% improvement, and 10 presumption changes betwixt the SERP rankings erstwhile the GBP rubric was afloat included but not an nonstop match.

Case Study #3 – National Business Directory

65.09% change successful ranking presumption erstwhile they were an exact match.
6 presumption improvement successful ranking with titles that matched exactly
3 presumption improvement erstwhile the leafage listing contained the GBP title

In the 3rd and past lawsuit survey we looked astatine 569 Google Listings from a National Business Directory. The results were congruent with the erstwhile lawsuit studies.

On the Y axis, you tin spot the respective mean rankings with:

Position 9.31 for listings that didn’t match
Position 3.25 for those that were an exact match

This represents a 65.09% betterment and an mean 6 presumption alteration betwixt the SERP rankings.

Once again we examined however the pages ranked erstwhile they simply contained the GBP title. On the Y-axis, you tin spot the respective mean rankings with:

Position 6.04 for leafage listings that didn’t incorporate the GBP title
Position 3.33 for those that had the GBP title wholly contained successful the leafage title

This represents a 44.86% improvement, and 3 presumption changes betwixt the SERP rankings erstwhile the GBP rubric was afloat included but didn’t precisely match.

Why bash the concern listing names NOT match?

The astir communal reasons we recovered for the incorrect listing accusation included:

Changed the listing
Outdated data
Wrong information source
Could beryllium an indexing issue

How to Prioritize your Local SEO Strategy

One of the ways to prioritize the concern listings & locations to absorption connected archetypal is to see which would person the astir important impact. Unsurprisingly, these are the concern listings that person names that lucifer the slightest with the associated GBP name.

You whitethorn privation to scope retired to the concern to assistance find if a alteration is needed successful the GBP sanction oregon if the directory listing sanction should beryllium updated. The alteration successful ranking is simply a missed accidental for them to summation much postulation arsenic good arsenic summation their ranking for their pages.

Applications for Types of Businesses

This is not conscionable an contented for directory sites–although they surely would payment from fixing their listings and getting much visibility for their listings–all businesses that usage directories should beryllium conscious of this opportunity. For example:

Multi-location businesses tin usage this to guarantee determination is accuracy successful their section listings matches.
Any enterprise-level concern with Google Business listings would besides beryllium impacted by reduced rankings if the listing names successful directories don’t match.

Final Thoughts

There are plentifulness of opportunities to borderline retired your contention & summation your rankings by investing successful this competitory advantage–one that excessively fewer are taking vantage of astatine the moment. If you are funny successful learning much astir this strategy oregon privation to chat astir opportunities to amended your listings and/or concern rankings, you tin driblet america a enactment below.