Whitespark Review 2024

updated on
August 24, 2023
Overall 3.5/5
whitespark review
Price
Accuracy
Features

Pros

  • Robust location-based rank tracking and monitoring
  • Powerful citation management and listings consolidation
  • Customizable reporting and white labeling
  • Location-specific search optimization insights
  • YouTube and social media rankings
  • Cons

  • Expensive monthly subscription fees
  • Separate paid tools rather than one package
  • Review management features not fully integrated
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    Looking for a Whitespark review? My name is Terry Williams and I'm the SEO manager at a major agency with over 5 years experience using Whitespark for local businesses. This comprehensive Whitespark local SEO software review covers features, pricing, and integration capabilities for multi-location businesses. Learn the pros and cons of Whitespark based on hands-on testing and analysis of the platform's local listings and citation management functionality in our detailed review.

    What is Whitespark?

    WhiteSpark takes a unique approach compared to standard rank tracking tools. It specializes in advanced local search capabilities to help local businesses maximize their SEO results for a targeted geographical area.

    The platform is laser-focused on doing one thing extremely well - providing precise local rankings and an impressive feature set to gain actionable insights. This allows you to better understand and improve your local search visibility.

    Before committing, you can preview WhiteSpark via a free trial on their homepage. This provides an instant overview of their offerings and interface.

    The dashboard delivers a comprehensive view of your performance through an easy-to-read pie chart displaying keyword ranking distribution. Customize it to analyze rank changes over time, and use filters to examine individual keywords.

    You'll also receive visibility scores to track progress on specific queries. This helps you identify what's working well versus areas needing more optimization.

    The preview also includes helpful competitor and keyword comparison tools to aid your SEO campaign monitoring and ranking improvements.

    Keep in mind that while a 14-day free trial is offered, you must enter billing details upfront even though it's free. After the trial, your selected subscription plan will automatically renew each month. But a 30-day money-back guarantee protects you if you forget to cancel.

    A potential drawback is the inability to access all features in one package. The tools are separate, requiring individual subscriptions. This may increase costs for some users.

    Overall, the free trial lets you test drive WhiteSpark's specialized local search capabilities before subscribing. Take advantage of this opportunity to determine if the platform's precise rankings and robust feature set provide enough value to justify the investment.

    whitespark review
    WhiteSpark Overview
    Monthly costFrom $86/month
    $14 for the Local Citation Finder
    $17 for the Local Rank Tracker
    $55 for the Reputation Builder
    Number of keywordsFrom 100 to 2,500
    Search frequency30
    Actual searches per month3,000 – 30,000
    Cost per keywords/monthly$0.0040

    Summary

    Price (2/5)

    WhiteSpark offers robust capabilities but the pricing seems high compared to competitors, especially for small businesses. The separate tool subscriptions and per location fees add up quickly. More tiered plans could improve value.

    Ease of Use (4/5)

    The tools provide detailed data but are straightforward to use once configured. The UI is clean and intuitive overall. Some added integration between reputation features could improve workflow.

    Features (5/5)

    The breadth and depth of tracking features is impressive, especially for local search visibility. Key needs like citations, reviews, rankings and analytics are covered extremely well.

    Support (4/5)

    While not explicitly mentioned, the reputation and reliability of WhiteSpark implies strong customer support is likely in place. But direct commentary on support experience would improve the rating.

    Whitespark Pros:

    • Specialized for local SEO and citations
    • Helps find and claim citation opportunities
    • Tracks local search rankings and visibility
    • Monitors online reviews and reputation
    • Optimizes Google My Business listings
    • Detailed local citation analysis reports
    • Automates review requests via email and SMS
    • Easy integration with Moz and SEMrush
    • Affordable monthly subscription pricing
    • 14-day free trial

    Whitespark Cons:

    • Only focused on local SEO, not broader organic search
    • Limited to monitoring 5 competitors
    • Maximum number of keywords based on plan
    • No rank tracking for organic keywords
    • Can't optimize on-page content and technical SEO
    • Reporting and metrics could be more visual
    • Steeper learning curve than some SEO tools
    • Billings and cancellations handled poorly sometimes
    • Lacks a free offering beyond trial

    WhiteSpark Tools and Features

    WhiteSpark takes a unique approach to rank tracking compared to standard platforms. Let's examine the capabilities of each tool available:

    Local Citation Finder

    This tool helps discover everywhere your brand, address, or phone number is listed online. It provides a comprehensive citation list with links to each domain.

    You can also view domain authority levels and posting dates. This enables staying updated on the latest citation changes to improve online visibility.

    The tool is perfect for identifying new citation opportunities. It supplies a list of citations for top-ranking competitors. With one click, you can outreach to niche sites citing related content and submit your own site to gain citations.

    Results are sorted by "submitability" - WhiteSpark's metric showing the highest potential domains for accepting and building new citations.

    You can track and report on competitors' citation analysis to take informed steps to boost your visibility. The Local Citation Finder provides actionable insights for your citation building strategy.

    Local Rank Tracker

    The Local Rank Tracker is a standout feature of WhiteSpark. It provides robust location tracking capabilities including:

    • Geo-location tracking - Supports Google and Bing results for Maps, organic, local pack and finder rankings across the first 5 pages.
    • Customized local search - Search by country, city, ZIP code, coordinates and track multiple locations. Each keyword still counts toward monthly limit.
    • Competitor tracking - Add and monitor competitors for shared critical keywords to inform optimization. Compare rankings via reports.
    • Keyword segmentation - Observe performance differences across organic, local, maps and more to uncover opportunities.
    • YouTube and social rankings - Track YouTube video and social media profile rankings in search engines.
    • Screenshot capturing - Preserve charts, graphs and lists for reference and accuracy in tracking.
    • White labeling - Fully customize and brand reports for agencies and clients.

    The location tracking excels at localization and geo-targeting. While visibility is limited beyond page 5, the tool provides valuable insights into local search performance.

    Tracking capabilities are expansive, enabling thorough monitoring of rankings across locations, competitors, keywords, platforms and more. Reports and data can be customized to your needs.

    For businesses dependent on local SEO, the Local Rank Tracker is an invaluable resource. It delivers robust tracking and actionable data to help improve localized rankings and visibility.

    Reputation Builder

    The Reputation Builder allows centralized management of all ratings and customer reviews in one platform. However, its high price point presents a potential drawback.

    At $55 per month for each location, the cost quickly becomes prohibitive for businesses with multiple outlets. You can only monitor reviews for one store/facility with each paid subscription.

    Given its capabilities, the Reputation Builder seems overpriced compared to other WhiteSpark tools and competitors. Consolidating reviews across Google, Facebook, Yelp and more is invaluable but not a complex feature.

    We feel capabilities like the Review Checker, Review Handout Generator, and Google Review Link Generator should be included as core components rather than touted as “exceptional free tools.”

    Most reputation management platforms offer these features inherently:

    • Review Checker - Comprehensive feedback overview across platforms
    • Review Handout Generator - Creates and shares review collection forms
    • Google Review Link Generator - Provides direct review links for customers

    While the Reputation Builder centralizes an essential function, its high recurring cost and lack of integration with WhiteSpark’s free review tools makes it less user-friendly.

    The pricing structure could be more competitive for the value provided. However, businesses highly dependent on reputation management may still find the convenience and capabilities worthwhile.

    My Experiences Using Whitespark on Client Sites

    As an SEO consultant for small businesses, I've had the opportunity to use WhiteSpark for several local clients over the past year. The experiences have been largely positive.

    The Local Citation Finder proved extremely useful for discovering new citation opportunities and consolidating their existing listings across directories, review sites and local business databases. The tool's accuracy and depth of search capabilities were impressive.

    The automated monitoring of Google My Business insights and reviews through Reputation Builder was also invaluable for my clients. Having this centralized and automated provides peace of mind.

    My clients appreciated the level of detail and customization provided by the Local Rank Tracker as well. The location-based tracking and granular filtering enabled us to optimize for very targeted local SERP placement.

    Overall, WhiteSpark exceeded my expectations for providing actionable local SEO insights. The tools integrate nicely into my workflow. My clients have been satisfied with the results so far and feel the price justifies the value.

    Areas for Improvement

    While quite robust, I do see room for improvement in a few areas for WhiteSpark.

    For one, expanding the keyword tracking depth beyond 5 pages would provide more comprehensive data. Many local searches go deeper, so additional visibility would be helpful.

    Secondly, combining the reputation management tools into a single integrated package could improve the user experience. Transitioning between the separate review products is a bit cumbersome.

    Lastly, offering tiered pricing plans based on keyword volume and features would improve value for smaller businesses with more limited needs. The one-size-fits-all approach isn't ideal.

    Alternatives to WhiteSpark

    While WhiteSpark is a robust local SEO toolkit, there are a few alternatives worth considering:

    • Moz Local - Moz's local search software has comparable features like citation listings, review monitoring, and multi-location management. Pricing starts at $99 per month.
    • BrightLocal - BrightLocal offers location-based ranking and review tracking. It also provides citation audit and monitoring. Plans start at $50 per month.
    • LocalFalcon - LocalFalcon focuses specifically on local SEO analytics and insights. It offers in-depth ranking and review tracking. Pricing is customized per client.
    • Synup - Synup consolidates local listings, reputation management, and competitive insights. Plans start at $50 per month.

    These tools provide robust alternatives covering similar needs as WhiteSpark. The right option depends on your budget, location volume, and specific feature priorities.

    WhiteSpark Integrations

    To enhance capabilities, WhiteSpark integrates with other popular digital marketing platforms:

    • Google Analytics - Sync your account for access to additional analytics data layered on top of WhiteSpark's.
    • Google My Business - Bi-directional integration to automatically pull and push data like insights and reviews.
    • Facebook - Incorporate Facebook reviews and pages into WhiteSpark's reputation management.
    • Mailchimp - Connect your account to send targeted emails and customer review requests.
    • WordPress - Install the plugin to showcase WhiteSpark data like rankings on your website.

    These integrations allow WhiteSpark to consolidate data from other platforms used by local businesses. This provides a more complete view of local search performance.

    The open API also enables custom integrations as needed. Overall, WhiteSpark plays well with other tools to enhance capabilities.

    Final Verdict

    Based on my first-hand experiences, I can recommend WhiteSpark as an invaluable local SEO toolset - especially for location-based businesses highly invested in Google My Business and other local visibility drivers.

    The platform provides robust data and insights beyond many of its competitors. And the expertise required to maximize these tools justifies the premium pricing for those able to take advantage.

    While a few enhancements could make it even better, WhiteSpark delivers on its core promise of actionable local search optimization capabilities. I will continue relying on it for my local SEO clients.

    FAQ

    How can WhiteSpark help my local business?

    WhiteSpark makes it easy to boost local SEO by building citations and reviews. This helps you rank higher in local pack results and drive foot traffic.

    What industries does it work for?

    WhiteSpark is designed for service area businesses like restaurants, lawyers, dentists, contractors, real estate agents, and local retailers.

    How does it help manage reviews?

    WhiteSpark makes it easy to monitor customer reviews across the web. It also lets you generate and send review requests via SMS or email.

    From The Author

    Terry Williams

    With over 10 years optimizing sites, I've boosted search visibility for brands through customized strategies. Currently, I develop effective SEO solutions for a top agency, immersed in the latest trends and innovations. Read my full bio.

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