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What Are Local Citations And Why Are They Important

What Are Local Citations And Why Are They Important featured image
29 Aug 2021
Nirlep Patel
Digital Marketing

What Are Citations?

The online mention of your business name, address and phone number is considered as local citations. Citations appear in different places like business directories, social networks, etc. The citations which mention Name, Address and Phone Number are called NAP citations. These are commonly used on online platforms to provide essential business details, which will help the customers connect with the business. 

NAP citations are most common for Local Citations. They make it convenient for the individual who has made a particular search query.

Why Are Local Citations Important?

Local citations play an important role in brand building. They play the role of CTA (Call to action). Business descriptions provide information about the business and its specialty. Local citations add contact details for customers to connect with the company. 

Here Are Some Of The Benefits Of The Local Citations,

Impact On Search Rankings

Local citations have an impact on search ranking. It can be positive or negative, depending on the credibility of the information. The credibility and trust of the clients go hand in hand. 

Any change in your business location or your contact details that you fail to update will adversely affect your listings. Customers will be given misleading information, which will affect your rankings. However, updating the listing and informing customers about the changes will improve your business rankings. Also, updating information will help in creating a favourable opinion. 

It Becomes Easier For The Customers 

When you update your NAP citations, it provides contact details and makes it easy for customers to find your business. For example, if you own a bakery and a customer searches for ‘cake shops near me, the search engine will provide your details based on location details. Also, if your phone number is mentioned, lead generation becomes convenient. 

Third-Party Reviews

If you have regular updates, it will boost your ratings. As a business having positive reviews and feedback, your ratings will improve. It will create a better result ranking. Local companies can experience significant benefits through citations. 

Reduces Duplicate Listings

Consistent and credible content will get an index on search engines. Local citations will provide different online directories and update all the information consistently. Authority boosts relevant listings up. 

How To Build Citations?

Often businesses will benefit from structured and unstructured citations. However, no company needs a source from every site. Quality wins over quantity. 

Citation building can be done through the following four steps:

  1. ‘Big three’ data aggregators 
  2. Submit to other core sites 
  3. Submit to popular industry 
  4. Unstructured citation 

Step 1: ‘Big Three’ Data Aggregators 

Thousands of directories are available online. If they relied on the business owners submitting NAP information directly, there would be data gaps. Data aggregators solve this problem. These companies collect data and submit it to other websites. 

There are three leading aggregators in the US, 

  • Express update
  • Neustar Localeze 
  • Factual 

These aggregators are entirely free to submit and update the information. You need to check your business listing, and if it’s not there, you can submit a new listing.

Step 2: Submit To Other Core Sites

The big three aggregators will collect information and send it to all the major sites but not all of them. Thus, it is essential to submit the details to other core sites in your country. 

Sites like Apple Maps; Facebook can help submit the details. Local areas can also be helpful. Manual submission should also be made to get better listings. One cannot rely on just popular aggregators to create the listing.

Step 3: Submit To Popular Industry

Once baseline citations are sorted, it’s time to look for industry-specific and location-specific citation opportunities. For example, if you run a hotel, you register it on Trivago.com; however, if you have a tiffin service or a restaurant, you can register on Swiggy or Zomato. Industry-specific citations help you to reach a targeted audience specifically focused on your industry. 

Step 4: Unstructured citation

Unstructured citations are altogether different as compared to other citations. These are generated through press mentions and reviews. Service ratings can also generate unstructured citations. 

As compared to structured citations, unstructured citations are harder to get. Haro, Google, Ahrefs’ site explorer can help in creating backlinks. Someone has to write about your business for you to gain unstructured citations. 

It is important to maintain the accuracy and credibility of the content. Updating information helps the business. Consistency in the business pays off. 

Citations created through consistent updates provide an advantage to the online presence of the company. As compared to other Local SEO techniques, citations can be overlooked; however, they’re essential to generate reliable leads for a steady business.