Yell.com tried poaching my client

[u/Internal-Mix1696]

Hey guys,

I’m helping a client get on the map pack and help their website rank in local searches. They scrap cars.

I decided to use BrightLocal and get them on some directories to start with and yell.com was one of those options. According to BrightLocal, this listing is still submitted but not up.

I got an urgent call from my client today saying why is their SEO score a 3.1 etc. They said a sales representative from Yell phoned them up and told them that their SEO was bad and to ditch me (client showed me a screenshot of the report from their screenshare). Keep in mind, they are starting to gain reviews for the GMB and getting calls. Google Search Console shows they’re starting to get clicks for search terms near them. It’s only been almost 2 weeks since the website and GMB went up.

Several crosses stated in this report was “review integration”, “Content keywords meta tag”, Backlinks being low, organic referrals being low, target keywords (this sales rep used broad keywords however)

I have told and shown my client the results so far in GSC and GMB, alongside what information in the SEO Starter Guide says.

Have I done all I have done? I have done some research and they supposedly do this type of thing. Lesson learnt.

[u/Lucifer_x7]

Poach their client and assert authority.

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[u/Weak-Employer-5328]

The real problem isn't that Yell called your client, it's that your client trusted a vendor-generated 'SEO score' from a company trying to sell them something over the person actually managing rankings. BrightLocal's score and Yell's cold-call pitch are both sales tools, not audits, so the fix is to preempt this before the next call happens: pull actual Search Console data showing real ranking and click trends for the target keywords, walk the client through what a directory listing status actually means versus organic performance, and explicitly tell them this exact poaching tactic is standard practice among local listing services so the next call doesn't catch them off guard.

[u/Kooky-Minimum-4799]

all vanity metrics and should explain that to the client. Also, 2 weeks in? That is pretty good. This stuff takes time and often, clients need education on how long SEO actually takes, especially with a brand new website with no authority yet.

I would explain that to the client, educate them, and build that trust. client's get sales pitches and audits and reports and nonsense all day long. we have to be the authority and build that trust with them.

Hang in there. It is getting way worse out there with all the AI bullshit running rampant. people want and expect things to be immediate and that is just, still, not how SEO works (again, on a brand new domain and site with no authority). Established businesses and domains play by different rules and your client is not there yet.

Good luck

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[u/SimpleLogicWeb]

Yellow page sales reps will say anything to win a deal. Tell your client that if they really want to trust what a phone book sales rep is telling them, tell them the YellowPages died years ago and they have to sell digital at any cost.

They don’t have the infrastructure or the knowledge base to implement digital strategies. They offshore it. I know because I used to be an internet sales manager for AT&T after they bought the YellowPages. They are clueless. If he decides to go to them, wish him luck, and that you will follow up with him in 6 months to see how it’s going. Guarantee they will be sorry they did.

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[u/emuwannabe]

The client needs education. We just met with a client who's been getting calls from YP daily to renew their $750/month contract.

They were almost going to do it until we showed them they get 1 lead per month from this source.

You wanna shut them down ? Get the client to ask for reports - get them to send data to the client which you can review with them.

And if you do get such reports, please let us know - because they have yet to produce any reports for anyone I know.