"Manta" and other dubious web directories and how to remove from google

[Harold falcon]

I've been dealing with this ****** website called Manta. They appear to be a directory of businesses and professionals, and the gimmick is they want you to join and pay a hefty fee for the privilege of having a profile on their site. The problem is that they create a profile of you without your permission. They had a "profile" of me up on their website under two different spellings of my name, both with incorrect contact information and both with incorrect practice information. They also showed up on the first page of google hits for my name. When I first contacted them they said I had to join to edit my profile, but I had no intention of signing up for some crappy service that's going to spam me, and I don't want a listing there at all because I would rather not have some third party with a site that comes up on the first page of google about me. I was able to contact somebody in customer service and finally got it taken down, but it's still showing up in the google search page, and while the link doesn't work there's still a cached copy available.

Does anyone know of a way to alert google to fact that the page has been taken down and should be removed from the search engine? I assume it will disappear after a certain period of time but if I can speed up the process I'd like to do so.

Also has anybody else had to deal with this kind of garbage? I can just imagine Manta was spamming the hell out of google to get those pages to get up so high in the search results. I have a fairly uncommon name and I'd like it to remain garbage free in search results for my career's sake. I don't mind a LinkedIn page but I signed up for that one voluntarily.

 

[jrd617]



I was able to contact somebody in customer service and finally got it taken down, but it's still showing up in the google search page, and while the link doesn't work there's still a cached copy available.
Does anyone know of a way to alert google to fact that the page has been taken down and should be removed from the search engine? I assume it will disappear after a certain period of time but if I can speed up the process I'd like to do so.

You'll have to wait until the next Google caching cycle. When it realizes that the web data doesn't exist anymore, it'll get dropped from the search results. Could take a few weeks to months.

 

[otc]

You just have to wait for google to clear it out. I guess you are lucky that they were willing to delete your listing instead of ******* you over with incorrect contact info so people searching for you just give up.

I am lucky to have a multinational company that shares my full name...so the results are usually for them. Unfortunately these days google tweaks your search results so much that it is kind of hard to tell what comes up when you search for yourself.
I get less results about the company that bears my name since they are based in a non-english-speaking country and google knows I only want english. I also get results directly from google since google knows that I am me and thus sticks pictures from G+/picasa into the results. I get my linked in page but I am not sure that a random person googling me would find it.

I also get a foreign news story about being handed a life sentence after pleading guilty to second degree murder (today is the first I have seen this result)....luckily it is clearly from canada and includes a picture because otherwise people would wonder what I was doing out and about since I shouldn't be eligible for parole for another 13 years.

 

[Harold falcon]



You just have to wait for google to clear it out. I guess you are lucky that they were willing to delete your listing instead of ******* you over with incorrect contact info so people searching for you just give up.

It was difficult to accomplish and required multiple certified letters and threats of litigation. It's like the opposite of the old school yellow pages, where you had to pay to get your business in there. Now they want you to pay to keep your business out.

 

[ShayaEXQT]

I receive emails every now and then from them, their tips seems rather helpful.. haven't had any problems so far!

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[legorogel]

that is why you should set up google alerts with your name.
www.google.com/alerts

 

[Harold falcon]

I actually did some further research, and there does appear to be a way to remove the offending cached pages.

http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1663688

Once the page is gone, request the removal of a page or of the cached image at that link. I just tried it so I will see how long it takes to disappear now.

 

[Spamfork]

I know this post is old but Manta will delete your business if you want. It's also free to update and hide or add lots of stuff to your company page. Just so everyone knows - if you don't want to be on Manta for some reason just go here and select profile remove. It's free and easy - but in most cases crazy when you could use it to get more customers.

http://www.manta.com/coms2/page_about_manta_contact

Disclosure: I am connected to Manta

 

[Harold falcon]



I know this post is old but Manta will delete your business if you want. It's also free to update and hide or add lots of stuff to your company page. Just so everyone knows - if you don't want to be on Manta for some reason just go here and select profile remove.  It's free and easy - but in most cases crazy when you could use it to get more customers.   

http://www.manta.com/coms2/page_about_manta_contact

Disclosure: I am connected to Manta 

Just following up on this, **** you Manta-*****. Nobody wants to be part of your ****** service. You don't generate customers, you spam business people and try to extort money from them to delete or edit the profiles. I hope you got raped by the Nation of Islam and are burning in hell you cocksucking piece of rodent ****. **** YOU.

 

[tmentcreative]

Just following up on this, **** you Manta-*****. Nobody wants to be part of your ****** service. You don't generate customers, you spam business people and try to extort money from them to delete or edit the profiles. I hope you got raped by the Nation of Islam and are burning in hell you cocksucking piece of rodent ****. **** YOU.

Man, and I thought I got mad at these parasites. Dang.

Literally signed up to say this. Only got here by searching for how to be removed from manta. Isn't this site about clothes or something?

 

[Heather Manta]

This link doesn't work. If you want to update the information, just click "Own this business" or you can email them at [email protected].

 

[Christopher P]

Thanks. The linked seemed to work. How does Manta get their info? The account I reported had some of my work information meshed with a fake company name. It seems to be posted on about 8 sites like Manta, so I'm wondering if I can contact the distributor.

 

[Scottmandude]

Manta really sucks. Especially since Yext took them over. They screw with company citations to make you pay thousands of dollars correcting them. There should be a massive lawsuit against YEXT for this. A long time ago I spent a considerable amount of time making a new manta account. After yext took over they changed my directory heading making it incorrect on purpose. They did that to all the directories they control. Now today, My Manta account has been deleted and replaced with some incorrect generic information about my business. Manta sucks. YEXT should be broken up, and sued.