Citations

What are Citations?

Citations are online mentions of your business's name, address, and phone number (NAP). They appear in business directories, social media profiles, websites, apps, and anywhere your business information is listed.

Think of citations as digital references to your business that help search engines verify you're a real, legitimate company operating at a real location.

Types of Citations

Structured Citations

Your business listed in formal directories with consistent formatting:

• Yell
• Thomson Local
• Yelp
• Industry-specific directories
• Social media profiles

Unstructured Citations

Mentions of your business in content like:

• Blog posts mentioning your business
• News articles
• Event listings
• Local websites

Why Citations Matter for Local SEO

Citations are a key local search ranking factor. They:

• Verify your business exists and is legitimate
• Confirm your location for local search
• Build trust through multiple consistent mentions
• Provide backlinks from directory sites

Citation Quality Factors

Factor	Why It Matters
Accuracy	Incorrect information confuses Google and customers
Consistency	NAP must match exactly everywhere
Authority	Citations on respected sites carry more weight
Relevance	Industry-specific directories add topical relevance

Building Citations

1. Start with major platforms: Google, Bing, Apple Maps, Facebook
2. Add national directories: Yell, Thomson Local, Yelp, FreeIndex
3. Include industry-specific directories relevant to your sector
4. Ensure perfect NAP consistency across all listings
5. Add complete information: hours, photos, descriptions, categories

Maintaining Citations

Audit your citations annually. Business moves, phone number changes, and outdated listings create inconsistencies that hurt local rankings. Use tools like BrightLocal or Whitespark to monitor citation health.