Moz beefs up Moz Local with new features, distribution and automation

Moz has overhauled and enhanced its Moz Local offering, adding new features and automation the company says were requested by users and the broader local SEO community. The product previously offered listings monitoring and syndication.

Moz says that it had conversations with its numerous customers, agency partners and the broader community before revamping the product. The new features add speed and workflow improvements, according to the company.

These new features include:

• Google My Business sync: automatically synchronizes listings with GMB. Users can manage changes and updates directly from the Moz dashboard
• Listing alerts: provides an activity feed if listings data are overwritten or in some other way changed vs. the information in the Moz-managed listing
• Reputation monitoring/management: new monitoring of Google reviews, which joins comparable functionality for a range of directories, including Foursquare, Yelp, YP and others. New reviews are also available as they’re published, within the Moz dashboard. Users can respond to Google reviews as well.
• Expanded distribution: new data providers/partners added to its existing sources (Acxiom, Factual, Infogroup, Neustar Localeze and “a few powerful directories”). Those new distribution sources include Hotfrog, Apple Maps, HERE, TomTom and Navmii. Some of these come through a partnership through NavAds.
• Improved SEO metrics for organic rankings and the Local Pack.

In the same post announcing the product expansion, Moz identifies its major competitors:

• Brandify
• Bright Local
• MomentFeed
• Rio SEO
• SIM Partners
• Vendasta
• Yext

One of the more interesting new features is the activity feed, which shows agencies or marketers that the system is working. This has been one of the challenges for SEO practitioners, especially when it comes to the SMB market: proving that listings/presence management is actually delivering value.

Expanded reputation management has been added, in part because Google review counts and corresponding scores are now ranking factors. However, it’s also a key consumer consideration. Moz competitor Yext recently launched a new reviews product because of their growing importance on various fronts.

Many will read this and think these features already exist elsewhere. Indeed they do; however, Moz argues its local SEO expertise is unsurpassed and that, holistically, the new tools together produce a superior product. Moz also says that use of its software delivered a nearly 20 percent average “Listing Score” increase across its customer base, as well as greatly improved visibility/reach.

The new and improved Moz Local is intended to equally serve the small business, agency and enterprise markets. It’s available in three tiers: essential, professional and premium, which range in price from roughly $9 to $21 per month.