In the realm of local search engine optimization (SEO), citations refer to instances where your business name, address, and phone number (referred to as NAP) are mentioned on websites other than your own. Google’s local algorithm considers your NAP details as an indication of relevance and evidence that you are a genuine local business operating from the address provided in your Google My Business profile.
Why Citations Matter
Citations are essential for local SEO and are crucial for appearing in local search results. Therefore, when managing a local SEO process, search marketers prioritize building citations and managing them. To understand the basics, refer to our article on What is Local SEO?.
The local algorithm of Google consistently aims to provide the most suitable local businesses for every local search. Relevance and prominence determine the websites that are displayed, with citations playing a significant role in establishing relevance.
By providing citations, you assist Google in confirming the stated location of your website.
As Google indexes the web and detects multiple reliable websites displaying your business information, such as your NAP (name, address, and phone) details, it will recognize you as a valid local enterprise. This growing trust enhances the possibility of Google featuring your business in its local search results.
As your NAP details get listed on more local sites, the algorithm will gradually associate the number of listings with the visibility and reputation of your business, resulting in potential improvements in local rankings.
Which Citations Do You Need
There is no definitive list of essential business citation sources as each industry and city may have their own significant citation websites, such as local chamber of commerce, reliable online directories, Yellow Pages websites, and industry-specific business directories.
To effectively reach your target audience, it is essential to research and identify the most prominent citation sources for businesses like Facebook, Google, Yelp, Apple Maps, and Foursquare.
If you are unsure of where to begin, you can utilize a local citation finder such as Whitespark. Whitespark is a company that provides services for local SEO and citation building. By visiting their website, you can access a list of the leading citation sites in different countries and industries. To start, conduct a simple Google search using your location and industry, and take note of the first three results. These particular citations will be particularly advantageous for your business.
How to Get Your Citations Listed
Even if you don’t manually add them, citations can still exist on websites. When listing your business, numerous reputable local directories or websites receive data feeds from other sources, allowing your information to automatically appear. If you have a new business and want to include your business listing on citation sites, there are three methods you can employ to find citation opportunities.
- Manual submission (do it yourself): You or someone on your team enter the data into the listing sites by hand one by one. It’s a time-consuming process, but it helps you ensure that your info is absolutely correct on every site.
- Manual submission (pay someone): There are several services available that can handle the manual submission or NAP data for you. If you don’t have the bandwidth to add your information to citation sites yourself, you can pay a service to complete the process for you.
- Aggregator submission: You can work with a service like Whitespark or BrightLocal to submit your NAP data to the primary data aggregators, which will result in your details being fed to hundreds of other sites.
How To Audit And Optimize Your Local Citations
Optimizing your local citations goes beyond NAP consistency alone. It involves various elements such as having excellent business descriptions, website links, photos, and reviews. Simply putting your business out there and hoping for better outcomes is not sufficient.
Here are a couple of additional methods to enhance local citation optimization:
- Verifying or claiming your business
- Remove listening from directories that are irrelevant
- Adding as much business information as possible
- Including relevant links to your website
It is crucial to verify your business through Google’s directories and citation sources in order to demonstrate to Google that your business is authentic.
Another step to consider is removing any irrelevant listings present in unrelated directories. This action not only signifies to Google that you are the legitimate owner of your business, but also enhances your company’s credibility. To further enhance your ranking, it is highly recommended to include links and other crucial details within your NAP.
To enhance your NAP and increase your chances of appearing on the first page of Google Maps within your local area, obtaining positive reviews is an additional tactic you can consider.
Receiving reviews, whether they are positive or negative, is a highly effective method of increasing local citations. Reviews play a significant role in attracting customers, as even just a single review can have a major impact on a potential sale.
The significance of local SEO for businesses lies in its ability to enhance both offline and online traffic. Recent studies indicate that 49% of customers consistently evaluate reviews, and out of those customers, 72% place trust in both positive and negative reviews.
When attempting to identify areas for improvement, SEO audits play a crucial role. If there is uncertainty about the inclusion of all pertinent information, conducting a citation audit is the most comprehensive method to ensure accuracy. By manually performing this task, you can discover all listings and variations of your NAP, ultimately determining areas that can be enhanced.
If you want to do a quick check, you can utilize Moz Local by following these step-by-step instructions: Firstly, enter your business name in the input bar located to the left. Secondly, input your zip code to the right. Lastly, click on the button that says “Check my Business Listing.”
Moz local examines your website and retrieves all relevant listings from the main local indexing platforms (which are authoritative and impactful) and reveals any inconsistencies it discovers.
By analyzing the information systematically, identify any disparities and document them in a spreadsheet. Make a reminder to inform the website administrators about the need to rectify the NAP details, ensuring consistency with the available data. Since Moz local only covers the major indexing platforms selected by Moz, it is probable that there are still citations from less reputable or organized sources.
If you are willing to spend the time, you can perform a thorough audit on all the remaining citations, even though they might not have as much impact. Alternatively, you can use our citation audit and cleanup services which can provide a more comprehensive and detailed analysis.
You can also consider utilizing our citation audit service as an alternative. Additionally, observing your competitors can assist in enhancing and optimizing your website and local citations. Rather than imitating your competitors, strive to make superior adjustments and create better content.
If you don’t want to spend time analyzing your competitors, there are numerous tools available for managing your backlink profile. These tools can also notify you of any broken backlinks your competitors may have, allowing you to potentially contact a webmaster and obtain a backlink in return.
The Best Ways to Improve Local NAP with Citation Building
There are two main types of citation building: unstructured and structured citations. So, what sets them apart? Structured citations are mentions of your business on external websites that provide your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Examples of high-authority sites that offer structured citations include Facebook Business Page, Foursquare, and numerous others.
Unstructured citations encompass various sources such as blog posts and videos that are not specifically organized. Each of them holds significance and contributes to the formation of citations and ranking authority. Another effective method to enhance your local NAP and citations involves developing tailored citations tailored to your industry and location. To initiate the process of creating directory citations, you can refer to the following lists as a starting point:
- Top Local Citations By Category
- Top Local Citations By City
By following these step-by-step instructions, you can identify the leading directories that are most suitable for your particular circumstances. It is crucial to complete the profile thoroughly when creating these listings, including essential details such as your business description, operating hours, photographs, NAP (name, address, phone number), and other relevant information.
Rephrase each step of the thinking process below while retaining the original meaning. Do not include additional information and do not omit any information. 1. Consider the given problem or situation in detail. 2. Analyze and break down the problem into its essential components. 3. Develop a clear and logical plan of action. 4. Execute the plan systematically and carefully. 5. Monitor the progress and adjust the plan as necessary. 6. Evaluate the outcomes and determine if the problem has been adequately addressed.
Inconsistent citation and business information can result in ranking problems in local directories and for your business category. Having the same NAP information on all citations enhances your ranking in Google search and validates your business data in Google’s crawling algorithm.
There are several methods to obtain citations for your business. You can obtain them through natural means or manually input your business information with the help of a team member. Alternatively, you can purchase citations individually or employ services to handle all the challenging tasks on your behalf.
Whether you choose to invest in Google’s trust or take on the task yourself.
To ensure the best results, it is crucial to take a step in the right direction by optimizing your NAP consistency. Occasionally, businesses may encounter difficulties if changes occur, such as their address or phone number. When this happens, it becomes necessary to conduct an audit to verify that all citations align consistently.
