Local.com is a business directory listings site where businesses could, at one time, sign up for accounts, place their business contact information, and even advertise on the site. It is one of the more important local citation websites on the Internet. Unfortunately, Google still places a great deal of importance on your business listing on Local.com. That is why it is very frustrating for small business owners as well as website designers to go through the “Claim Your Listing” process only to find that it is currently not impossible to either claim or update your listing on this website.
The process is very misleading. It appears as though it is possible to do so by clicking, “Claim Your Listing.” When you click this link, you are taken to fill out a form. After filling out the form, you are then directed to a page with the following message:
Thank you for visiting Local.com. The page or resource you are looking for cannot be found. the link may be outdated or you may have typed in the wrong URL. Please check the URL for typos and try again or start your search again by typing in a business, product, or service in the search box.
WOMP-WOMP!
Instead of wasting your time filling out that stupid, useless form, the best recourse is to write an email to: customerservice@local.com Stating the following:
- They are currently displaying false information about your business.
- You would like them to either correct the information or remove the listing immediately.
If all else fails, you should be aware that, In many states, you may be able to sue an individual or entity for displaying false information about your business on the grounds of “false light.” Small business owners often get kicked around when it comes to things such as this; and it just plain isn’t fair. Why should we have to pay for services like YEXT when we are willing to put in the time and effort to seek out our listings, set up accounts, claim our listings, and ensure that our NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number) information is correct across the web? It’s totally reasonable to CHOOSE to pay for a service like YEXT that makes controlling NAP information across many websites easy. I don’t want to clean my house so I CHOOSE to hire someone to do it. I’m not forced into paying someone to clean my house because only cleaning companies can purchase cleaning products. It’s the same thing!
Let’s do something about this. If you’re with me, please write your Senators and state lawmakers today to push for more strict legislation regarding our rights as citizens and small business owners to display accurate information about our companies. After all, corporations are people, right?
