Citations

Local Citations – What are they?

“A citation is nothing more than a mention of your business on the internet”. So what is the fuss about?

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Online Directory Secrets – Panaceas Digital Solutions

Do you know why do some of your competitors rank so highly for local keywords?

In 99% of cases, it is because they leverage the power of local citations.

When creating a strong online presence for a local business, citations are key to boosting your visibility for local and mobile search results.

Of course, you still have to pay attention to your Website or Landing page. This means being on top of your on-page SEO and working hard on your link building strategy improve your rankings.  However, if you’re looking to significantly improve the visibility of your local, you should definitely start caring about local citations.

What’s a local citation?

Local citations represent the principal way that Google and the other search engines identify a business. Simply put, a local citation,  often referred to as a NAP – just comprises an online mention of the Name, Address and Phone number of a company.

The main components of a citation must include the business’ name, address and phone number, it is also important to understand that local citations may also include business: hours of operation, company description, website, etc. This information helps Google further and better understand your business.

The objective here is that you can include all the relevant elements you want, to construct a complete image of who you are as a business. Therefore, you can add a logo, images, and videos, even taglines, and reviews.

Now you know what a local citation is, where would you list all this information? The most common citation sources include Google my Business,  and other review sites such a Yell, Yelp, Yahoo,  Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), news and directory sites – even Chamber of Commerce websites.

In order to leverage the power of local citations,  you need to create or claim your listing on the websites that are most relevant and also the most likely to help you rank your business. It is important to ensure that you list all your information correctly utilising the same format throughout. Also, do make an effort to fill out all fields, even if they’re not required.

Please remember that local citations don’t necessarily have to link back to your website to “count”. Mentioning your business on local websites, review platforms, and directories will help your business become an authority, establish trust with the search engines and with your customers. Most importantly it will significantly improve your ability to rank well in local search results.

You may be wondering “Why do citations matter for a local business?”

If a set of reliable sources list the same information about your company, the search engines will “know and understand” that your business is a legitimate entity.

The more citations you have and the more accurate you present your information, the better you’ll influence your rankings and the higher you will rank.

Incidentally mentioning your business on your own website will not count as a local citation. However, the information you share on your web page should still match the citation sources.  You should make an effort to claim your listings and control of the accuracy of your data.

To conclude:  having a strong local presence is one of the best/easiest ways to optimize for local SEO. Make sure you create a citation profile for your business and keep it consistent. The more accurate you present your NAP online, the more credible data you will provide to  the search engines so they can rank you.

Bonus report   – 10 Ways to Get Positive Reviews