What is Local Citation SEO?
Local citations are mentions of your business on the internet. It includes your business name, address, and phone number (NAP), along with website address. Local citation SEO is a key factor to improving your ranking in local search results.
Local citations can include your business name, business name and phone number, NAP, business name and website, and more. A complete citation includes NAP, if it does not include name, address, and phone number, it may be referred to as partial citation. It is imperative that you remain consistent when it comes to citations, ensuring that all your information remains the same across all the directories and platforms.
It can get a little confusing when speaking to digital marketing gurus when they start using terminology you don't know, such as NAPW (Name, Address, Phone Number, Website) or UNAP (URL, Name, Address, Phone Number). These are extra data points that help search engines find your business.
Interestingly, a citation does not need a backlink to your website for it to be a valuable asset to your local SEO strategy. A citation mentions your business and that is a valuable asset on its own. Google can identify your business has been mentioned through your NAP information, crediting you for the mention. The more mentions you have on the web, the more prominent your business appears, helping you improve your ranking in local search engine results pages (SERPs).
There are two categories when it comes to citations; structured and unstructured.
Structured citations is your NAP of your business displayed in online directories. When you see a list of citation sites, they are always business listing directories. They enable you to submit your business to secure a citation. These sites include Yellowpages, Yelp, MapQuest, Superpages, Facebook, and more.
Unstructured citations is when your NAP appears on a website that is not a business listing directory. These are often found in blogs, newspaper sites, magazine sites, wikis, and more. There is seldom a link back to your website, though it remains a valuable citation, helping to boost your brand visibility.
Local citations are very important to the success of your local SEO strategy. They offer a range of excellent benefits, including:
Local citation SEO helps search engines, such as Google, verify that your business is authentic. When a number of credible sources have the same consistent information about your business, it shows the search engines that your business is the real deal. When listing your business on prominent local and national directories, it helps your business become an authority in your industry, building trust, and showing potential customers that you are credible.
Google takes citations into consideration when it comes to ranking local businesses in SERPs. Surveys showed that citations made up around thirteen percent of the top fifty ranking factors.
It is important to remember that not all citations are equal and not all are advantageous. What makes citations good for your local business? There is a choice of citations available. Mentioning your NAP on top quality directory sites is better than listing your business on a spammy website directory that was created for low quality backlinks.
Citations vary in value and can be broken into different categories.
When it comes to local citations SEO it is important to ensure you remain consistent when adding your business name, address, and phone number. If anything changes, you want to update all your citations, so that they remain the same across the web. Local citations are an excellent way of helping your business improve your ranking in local SERPs, reaching your local audience and driving them to your website or store.
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