How Business Citations Boost Your Rankings and Revenue

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about business citations as well as the proper ways to build them.

A business citation, also known as a “local citation”, is an online mention of your business profile. In other words, it is an online reference for important information about your business. Other names for a local citation are “online directory listing”, “business listing” and Google Maps citations.

You can find business citations on business directories or business directory websites. You can also find them on blogs, wikis, news sites, and supplier sites. However, you shouldn’t just submit your business information to any directories. Make sure you are submitting your NAP and other information to established business directory websites that are an authority in your industry.

What should all citations include?

The NAP or name, address, and phone number is an important part of local citations. And whenever you set up your local business listing, whether at Google, Yelp, Facebook, or elsewhere, you’ll need to fill out forms with a set of fields such as:

• Business name/title
• Address
• Phone number
• Alternate phone numbers
• Fax number
• Brands carried
• Certifications
• Description
• Categories
• Tagline
• Images
• Additional media
• Social profiles
• Payment forms accepted
• Attributes
• Website URL

What are business citation styles?

Structured Citation

This is a standardized local citation commonly found on review sites and directories such as:

• Google My Business
• Yellow Pages
• Yelp
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Make sure to provide accurate information since these directories show the complete NAP of listed businesses.

Unstructured Citation

Where do I find citations?

Top aggregators

Spy on your competitors

Newspapers & Local Directories

As mentioned earlier, people don’t always use search engines to find a local business. As with the top aggregators listed above, many people also use local newspapers & directories to look for local products or services. Because these directories are focused on a small area, they tend to have a higher value compared to other types of directories. Also, some local newspapers even have a local directory database where you can submit your business profile. To get more results when you want to search for local newspapers & directories, type in “city name + directory” and “city name + business listings” in the search bar.  And again, if you want to narrow down the results, just add the industry you’re in.

Social signals are also a major factor when it comes to search engine rankings. So don’t miss the opportunity to provide your business information on each of your networks such as:

• LinkedIn
• Foursquare
• Facebook, etc.

Moreover, some local bloggers have a local business page in their area. It should be your starting point to search for your “city name+blog”. Again, to narrow results, include the industry as well.

Creating a local business citation takes time. Thus, you must find the right moment to do it correctly. Creating your listing is another trust signal and this is very important for your local business.

Step 4: Add more details about your business

Step 5: Claim your listings

What is a NAP citation?

Many people usually refer to the presence of NAP data all over the internet as citations. Examples of citations are your NAP data showing up on online directory sites such as:

• blogs posts
• newspaper articles
• Angie’s List
• Yelp

About a couple of years ago, local citations used to be the key ranking factor for local SEO. It used to be the major tactic used if a business wants to gain more visibility in local searches.

However, citation alone can’t help you to rank number one on Google, but you still need local citations to, at least, be visible in the local search results.

A survey conducted by Bright Local showed that business citations still give value to businesses and agencies alike. Citation management is still one of the most common services offered by digital marketing agencies.

While the strong effect of citations to local SEO performance is no longer as powerful as it was a decade ago, the value to local businesses and agencies remains intact.

It is a good practice to provide the directory sites all the information about a business. And so, this is a good opportunity to also provide your business URL. Citation link building can help bring potential customers to your business. Keep in mind that this is what we hope to achieve with link building. Still, any type of link building process can be time-consuming and tedious. And so you’ll need a system that helps you to keep track of your link building activities.

1. Use a Spreadsheet to record all the important data in one place. This helps you organize things such as login credentials, completed and pending work, etc.

2. To keep yourself consistent with your NAP, you can note the information down somewhere at the top of your spreadsheet. Make sure the notes are organized. This will help you become consistent as you begin building links.

3. Make sure your anchor text is your business name. Although it may be tempting to use your keywords as anchor text, it is not necessary for citation link building.

Business citations influence how your prospects find your business. Being consistent in providing accurate NAP and other details of your business to online business directories can have a positive impact on your reputation, local search rankings, and revenue.