Thank you for your interest in the Yokel Local Internet Marketing. Please review this page for answers to common questions. However, if your question is not answered here you can contact us here.
Overview
Q. Who is Yokel Local Internet Marketing (YKL)?
A. YKL provides a unique service where business owners can create enhanced business profiles and for a nominal fee, verified data will be distributed to all major outlets including:
- Search Engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing
- Online Yellow Pages (Superpages, Yellowpages, YellowBook)
- Social Networks such as Yelp
- Portals and Guides such as AOL MapQuest, CitySearch
- Cell Phones and Mobile (BlackBerry and iPhone)
- 411 Directory Assistance
- In-Car GPS Navigation and Telematics such as OnStar
Distribution Process
Q. Which Search Engines and Directories receive the data?
A. YKL works directly with its partners and effectively feeds directly into such databases as infoUSA, Acxiom and Dun & Bradstreet, (3 of the top anchor databases in the industry) and are considered “trusted source” content by all major publishers and directories. They directly and indirectly reach over 250 points of distribution.
Q. Can I control where the listings go?
A. YKL is able to provide more certainty about its distribution by working with its partners and vendors who provide the underlying databases to the publishers, so it is not possible to deselect specific sites. A principle of YKL is to make the data freely available to all legitimate Search Engines and Directories in our industry in order for the business listings to be universally distributed. You may, of course, still claim your listing on individual sites if you prefer.
Q. When can I expect my listing to start appearing?
A. As the Directories and Search Engines each have varying data refresh schedules we suggest 60-90 days as general guideline. Some directories may change the information within weeks, but others do not refresh their data for a month or two. We cannot control that, but we can assure you we will make the data available to the publishers and database vendors as quickly as their schedules permit.
Data
Q. Will the directories use all of the data I send?
A. Some directories only publish the base information such as business name, phone, address and web address. However, we assure you that we make all of the data available to publishers, who are increasingly accepting more enhanced data.
Q. Is there specific format, limitations, etc. when creating my listings?
A. As we mirror Google guidelines as a benchmark, there are character limitations for fields such as business name, description, products, etc. Your YKL representative will guide you on this as we collect data for your listing. Use of plain text is recommended as special characters, trademarks, etc. will cause an error response. Please also refer to our Best Practices guide.
Q. What format should my photo file be in.
A. In order to distribute these more effectively, image files should be:
- Smaller than 1MB
- Under 1024×1024 pixels
- In one of these formats: JPG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, BMP
Q. I already have owner verified/claimed listings on some sites. Will my submissions with you overwrite this or create a duplicate?
A. If we are submitting listings that are already claimed, this prevents us from further editing so changes will require you to provide YKL access to your claimed listings so we can make changes directly with applicable directory/SE. Be sure to submit to us the same content that you have submitted directly so that it will be viewed as a ‘match’ and avoid creating a duplicate listing. Our depth of distribution can offer further credibility to your business as the directories and search engines ‘spider’ the internet.
Reporting and Verification
Q. How can I track my listing and what kind of reporting do you offer?
A. Unfortunately, the Directories and Search Engines do not have the capability to advise when they actually publish a listing. Again, you should use the general guideline of 60-90 days for verified listings. If your listing did not pass verification you would be advised within this timeframe.
Q. What process is used for verification?
A. For our Standard product this would be a phone verification from our key data partner infoUSA (identified as Express Update) to validate that the business name is as submitted, and to verify location address. (Note: refused calls will be considered unverified and will not be distributed)
Q. What is the “Comprehensive Verification”?
A. All new submissions above the Standard level will go through a process of stringent verification – this will result in more credibility for your listing and you will get a custom Business Verified seal for your site. For Comprehensive Verification, we will first conduct a search for your business against a wide array of public and credit records. Usually 95% of businesses are matched this way and require no further contact. For those few that cannot be verified, you will receive a call or email from our partner Edentify which will attempt to corroborate your information with other business and government records.
Q. What happens if my information cannot be verified?
A. This is a very rare instance for a real business. YKL will distribute the listing with whatever level of verification has been passed; the benefit of this is that many publishers are expected to speed up publication without the need for re-verification. Important distributors like infoGroup will make at least three attempts to contact you if needed before notifying YKL or its partners that it was unsuccessful. If that occurs, YKL will notify you and you will have an opportunity to adjust the information to ensure full distribution. There is no extra fee for this resubmission.
Updates and Changes
Q. How often can I make changes to my listing(s)?
A. Changes may be made at anytime. However, remember that the directories will not update the information regularly. This is not a venue for promoting “weekly specials” or other data that changes frequently. You may be able to do that via the Coupon Link or other links; this update method is primarily for basic business facts such as name, address and telephone number.
Q. Can I request a deletion?
A. A deletion may be requested if the business has ceased operations. YKL will send the request to its partners for submission to the data vendors.
Q. Will old listings be removed or updated?
A. YKL is an effective path to correction due in part to our knowledge of and access to vemdors and partnerships with anchor databases. As these partners are trusted source content to many of the major directories, by having correct information in our/their records, and via the depth of distribution, it will expedite the updating of accurate data. However, we cannot guarantee that every directory will be able to match/update for all erroneous listings.
Renewals
Q. Why are there Monthly maintenance fees?
A. We are a complete online marketing solution. Its our goal to continuously monitor, maintain and update our clients online presence. Maintaining a solid online position and reputation requires adjustments to be made often, sometimes daily. We have rigorous daily checks and balances to ensure our customers are receiving the very best online presence available. Many directories and data providers need to be reviewed regularly for accurate information so we have to repeat at least part of the process often. Some directories remove listings if they are not actively updated – it also helps keep data fresh and information about your business accurate.
Q. What if I do not continue with maintenance?
A. If you do not continually maintain your information, your record will be removed from our “active” file that we provide to the directories. Different sites and distribution partners will treat deactivated YKL listings in different ways according to their policies. Some may keep the listings active and some may delete the record, and this is beyond our control.
Payments
Q. Some of these sites allow me to load my information for free, so why do I have to pay?
A. Our value is efficiency, time savings, depth of distribution and knowledge of local internet marketing strategies. Many important venues such as 411 Directory Assistance, mobile phones and GPS navigation devices do not offer capability for public access to submit data. Our nominal fee is cost effective for any sized business.
Q. What forms of payments do you accept?
A. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express via PayPal, and Checks
Q. What is your refund policy?
A. Our policy is that all sales are final, but customers may cancel service anytime with a 30 day notice.
What is your contact information?
Yokel Local Internet Marketing
Attn: Customer Support
285 E. Warm Springs, Suite #104
Las Vegas NV, 89119
Office Phone: 702-331-3331
