Citations help your local rankings and overall visibility to customers. The more you can rack up, the better – right?
Wrong. There are some sites you simply don’t want your business to be listed on.
If I had to categorize them, I’d call them consumer-protection / complaint-board sites.
How would you like to be the proud owner of juicy citations like these?
Didn’t think you’d want a piece of that action.
(Please note: I picked the above listings at random. For all I know, the businesses listed there do a great job.)
Here are some sites I’ve found where a citation = bad local visibility:
BBB.org (if you have a bad rating there)
CompanyNameSucks.com
Complaints.com
ComplaintsBoard.com
ComplaintsList.com
PissedConsumer.com
PlanetFeedback.com
RipoffReport.com
Scam.com
ScamBook.com
TheSqueakyWheel.com (charges $5)
My guess is Google will not put a wet towel on your rankings if you’re mentioned on any of the above sites. (But who knows…maybe.)
It doesn’t really matter, though: The goal is to attract customers. If any of the above sites shows up in the search results when someone types in the name of your business, you’re repelling customers.
If you’re in the unenviable position of being listed on one of these sites, at least respond to the complaint. Many sites give you (the business owner) some way to address the beef – as a way of making things right or of telling your side of the story. Whatever you do, be wary of companies that claim to be able to remove complaints.
If angry customers are doing your citation-building for you, you’re in trouble. But things will never get out of hand as long as you care and try to do a good job: