Local citations are an important part of local SEO because they help improve your ranking in Google and other search engines. They are also a great way to boost your reputation and increase the number of customers you get.
A local citation is any mention of your business online. It could be in a business directory, an industry-specific site, a blog or any other online source.
It’s not always easy to keep all of your citations up-to-date, especially if you have multiple locations or are moving frequently. However, it’s essential to keep your citations as accurate as possible so that people can find them and make an informed decision about your business.
Ensure that your NAP information (name, address, and phone number) is consistent across all your listings on local citations. Having inconsistent NAPs can negatively affect your brand image and hurt your search engine rankings.
You can easily verify the accuracy of your citations by using a tool like Moz Local’s Check Listings. This tool will scan your citations to identify any that need to be corrected or updated.
There are a number of ways to build your citations, including by manually filling out forms on various local business sites or through third-party citation building services like Yext. These tools will make it easier to update your citations and can save you a lot of time.
Citations are an important part of your local SEO strategy because they can significantly improve your rankings in Google and other search engines. They are not as important as they once were, but they are still worth considering to boost your local search visibility and grow your business.
Structured Citations – These are typically found on business directories or other third party websites that have large databases of reliable information. They will often show your NAP, website link, and other key business information in one place.
Unstructured Citations – These aren’t usually structured like business directories, but they do still contain key information about your business. They can be gathered from blogs, news articles, apps or even government database entries.
These can be a valuable source of local citations if you have the resources and time to build them. If you do, be sure to monitor them regularly so that they’re kept up-to-date with your changes.
Using a tool for automated citations is another option to consider, but there are some limitations to this approach. While it can be beneficial for businesses with a large number of listings, it can be very time-consuming and potentially frustrating for smaller businesses.
It’s best to opt for a tool that can automatically submit your business information to multiple sites, and then manage them from one place. Companies like Yext offer these solutions, so you can use them to submit your business information to hundreds of different listings without having to do it manually by hand.
Adding your business to popular local directories is a simple and effective way to start building your local citations, but it’s important to keep them up-to-date. Once you’ve added your business to these sites, be sure to keep them up-to-date with any changes in your business such as moving locations or changing hours of operation.