What Is A Local SEO Citation And How To Build?

Citation building is a local SEO tactic that an inseparable part of your local SEO strategy. Citation is more than just a tool to improve your business’ search results, it is abundant.

According to Search Engine Land columnist Myles Anderson, citation inconsistency is actually the no. 1 issue affecting local SEO ranking.

If you have too many variations of your NAP scattered around the web, especially if some or many of those are outdated, this makes it hard for customers and thus, Google, to trust your information. If Google thinks your data is untrustworthy, this could downgrade your local search ranking.

What is a Local SEO citation?

A local citation is also known as an online directory or business listing. In simpler words, a local citation is an online footprint which showcases the facts and figures of your business, such as Name, Phone Number, and Address.

The information is collectively known as NAP or NAPW which also includes the URL of the website. Citation is not just a useful tool, rather it acts as the foundation block for local SEO. Having the right citations can do wonders for your business. Leading search engines gather information from the citation to determine the location of the business.

How Do You Build Citation?

Record the present and previous NAP information. Any variation in names, old addresses, phone numbers can be used for finding out the outdated listings.
Make note of directories and primary keywords which are related to the business’ names. Also, compile 50 structure citations which will help in ranking.
Claim, create, or locate the listings for businesses. This would determine the business’ ownership while claiming the listing.
Update all information and also remove duplicate listings. Make sure to update in batches rather than in a single go.

All businesses are different, and you’ll want to create custom citations based on your industry and area.

Two good places to start with creating directory citations are these lists:

Top local citations by category
Top local citations by city

With these lists, you can find the TOP directories that you should be listed in based on your situation.

When building these listings, you’ll want to make sure to fully fill out the profile, including your business description, hours, photos, NAP, and more.

Creating a citation isn’t a one-time task. It is advised to review citations every two-three months. The regular practice will ensure the information to be up-to-date.

The goal is to have robust optimization efforts to garner more traffic and exposure for business and website. Always formulate new plans to make sure search engine aids business as well as the site. Be patient when you’re building a business’ reputation via local SEO.