{"id":11501,"date":"2019-04-22T04:00:12","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T09:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/?p=11501"},"modified":"2019-04-22T04:00:12","modified_gmt":"2019-04-22T09:00:12","slug":"manual-citation-submissions-vs-data-aggregator-submissions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/blog\/manual-citation-submissions-vs-data-aggregator-submissions\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Manual Citation Submissions Perform Better Than Data Aggregator Submissions?"},"content":{"rendered":"

To get found online, small and large businesses alike need to create and claim online listings (also referred to as local citations<\/a>). It\u2019s a surefire way to attract customers online and present accurate data to search engines. Plus, businesses can ensure that their online data, like their name, address and phone number (NAP), is accurate. However, creating all of a business\u2019 listings, from Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) to Bing and everything in between, can be challenging. This is exactly why, at Advice Local, we put the work in for our partners that are representing local businesses.<\/p>\n

\"Local<\/a><\/div>\n

Differences Between Data Aggregators and Manual Citation Submissions<\/h2>\n

When companies rely on manual citation submissions, they must directly input information onto other sites by hand. This is a very time-consuming task; most sites require multiple verification steps.<\/p>\n

Data aggregators \u2013 sometimes referred to as local data aggregators \u2013\u00a0make things a bit simpler. The use of data aggregators helps a local business spread their NAP to a multitude of sources with minimal effort. Simply put, data aggregator submissions take care of verification steps and spread information much faster than doing it manually.<\/p>\n

Of course, not everything is data aggregators. While they do get a good chunk of the job done, it\u2019s important for local businesses to submit to other directories, like Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Yelp and other directories accessible via our Data Amplifier Network.<\/p>\n

So, which is the better option: manually submitting citations or submitting to the top four data aggregators to reach multiple sources<\/a>? Keep reading to learn the pros and cons of both methods, as well as our recommendation to achieve the most success with online directories.<\/p>\n

The Manual Citation Submission Process<\/h2>\n

It is possible for a manual citation building service to address all of the necessary directories and listing sites. Assuming that it takes 10 minutes to complete each submission (on average), and a big chain with multiple locations could require 300 submissions, you could easily be looking at two weeks worth of work just submitting to the top directories.<\/p>\n

Since it\u2019s completely free to submit citations manually to most sources, some businesses choose to do this to save money. However, depending on how many submissions are necessary and if the business has the manpower and time to spend on the task, the sheer workload can overrule the monetary savings.<\/p>\n

While manually submitting can give a business more control over their listings, their listings can still get overridden by other data sources quite easily. This is one way bad data can happen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Data Aggregator Submission Process<\/h2>\n

There are four main data aggregators in the United States, and each one is somewhat simple to submit to for a business with a single location. It can become time-intensive for multi-location businesses, however, unless the business has a team working solely on submissions for them.<\/p>\n

Data aggregators in the United States are powerful and one of the most important ways to ensure a local business gets found online. Submitting a local business\u2019 NAP to these sources allows the information to be shared with multiple sources \u2013 and the right kind of sources.<\/p>\n

Submitting to data aggregators<\/a> can improve consumers\u2019 trust in a local business. Did you know that 80 percent of consumers lose trust in local businesses if they see inconsistent or incorrect details online? When businesses submit correct NAP information to data aggregators, they can reduce the number of inaccurate citations around the internet.<\/p>\n

Each data aggregator is different, but they are all important:<\/h3>\n