What city to use for citations?

[SamB47]

Hey everyone,

I have a question about what city to use for citations in this case.

My client is a service-area business in the Seattle area. The business is home-based, in Everett, WA, which if you’re not familiar is in the northern part of the Seattle metro area. They only serve clients outside the home.

For their GBP that’s no problem, as of course their address isn’t shown. For all the citations we’ll be building though, I’m not entirely sure what we should do.

The client does not want their street address anywhere online. So, since their city won't be listed on their GBP, should we still use Everett as the city for all the citations, or should we use Seattle?

I'm unsure here because with some citations you have to list a full address, and then you're able to hide the street address later. And since they don't technically have a Seattle address, I'm not if that would be the way to go.

But I’m wondering because no one will be searching for “[service] in Everett”, they would search for “[service] in Seattle”.

What do you think?

[Suvidit-Academy]

It is generally recommended to use the city that your client's target audience is most likely to search for in their citations, even if it is not their exact street address. In this case, it sounds like your client's target audience is more likely to search for "[service] in Seattle" than "[service] in Everett."

If your client's business is listed in Google Business Profile with a Seattle address, then you should use Seattle as the city for all of their citations. This will help to ensure that their listings are consistent and that they are visible to potential customers in the Seattle area.

However, since your client does not want their street address listed online, you will need to contact each citation site individually to see if they allow you to hide the street address. Some citation sites may allow you to do this, while others may require you to list a full address.

If you are unable to hide the street address on some citation sites, then you may want to consider using a virtual office address or a post office box. This will allow you to list a Seattle address for your client's business without revealing their actual street address.

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Rahul Gupta (Digital Marketing Consultant)
Suvidit Academy - Digital Marketing Course & Training Institute

[educationedge012]

In this case, it's a good practice to use "Seattle" as the city for your client's citations, even though their business is located in Everett.
(PMP Exam Prep)
Since their service-area business doesn't serve clients at the home address and their Google My Business listing doesn't display the address, listing "Seattle" as the city on citations is more likely to align with how potential customers search for their services.
(Canada PR)
People are more likely to search for services in a major city like Seattle rather than a specific suburb like Everett.
(Study abroad)
Additionally, as you mentioned, you can later hide the street address on citations to maintain your client's privacy while still appearing in relevant search results for the broader Seattle area.