Where to Get Business Citations [Local SEO]

Updated by Chima Mmeje — November 21, 2024.

Business citations are online mentions of a company's name, address, and phone number (NAP) that help people find businesses online and can boost search engine rankings. These mentions, also known as business listings or simply listings, can be found on business directories, websites, and apps like Yelp or Yellow Pages. They play a crucial role in local SEO by allowing search engines to verify the legitimacy of a business. When search engines see consistent and accurate information about a business across various platforms, they are more likely to trust the business and rank it higher in search results.

There are many types of Citations that require monitoring and maintenance across search engines, local business directories, and apps. So, where do you need to create and maintain local business citations across the web? It should be a straightforward question, but the landscape is constantly changing. With new directories emerging and major data platforms merging, altering, or rebranding, keeping guidelines on this topic up-to-date is certainly as challenging as maintaining accurate citations themselves.

This guide will cover the main purpose of citations, a list of the main places local business information is gathered and distributed across the web, organized by citation type, and information on how to start building citations to benefit your business's online visibility.

Quick Links

• The Main Purpose of Citations
• Where to Get Citations
  • Search Engines
  • Primary Data Aggregators
  • Major Directories and Important Platforms
  • Geo/Industry-specific Platforms
  • Unstructured Citations
  • Owned Properties
• Structured Vs Unstructured Citations
• Start Building Structured Local Citations

Business citations offer several advantages for local businesses, including:

• Increased Online Visibility: By listing a business in online directories, you'll enjoy more visibility on the platforms that your consumer base uses so that they can find accurate information about your company and connect with it. This increased visibility can lead to more website visits and customer inquiries.
• Improved Local Search Engine Rankings: Business citations help search engines like Google find a broad and accurate representation of your business around the web on quality platforms, increasing your chances of ranking well in the local SERPs for important terms. This can drive more organic traffic to the business’s website.
• Enhanced Credibility: Business citations can help establish a business’s credibility and trustworthiness by providing consistent and accurate information about the business. When customers see the same information across multiple platforms, they are more likely to trust the business.
• Increased Foot Traffic: By providing accurate and up-to-date information about a business, business citations can help drive more foot traffic to the business. Customers are more likely to visit a business if they can easily find its location and contact information online.

Any local business you market has to have the table stakes of accurate structured citations on major platforms like Facebook, Yelp, Infogroup, Acxiom, YP, and other online business directories.

Citations require monitoring on search engines, local business directories, apps and more. These directories often dominate local searches, providing valuable citation opportunities. Below are the places you need to check and monitor your local citations to ensure your business information is accurate and consistent.

Search engines are fed information from numerous sources, including primary data aggregators. Business information is then delivered via search results. The key players are:

• Google
• Bing
• Apple

Google is such a fundamental local business asset that many local SEO experts don't term it a “citation.” That being said, your Google Business Profile listing (formerly Google My Business) is the most important listing to develop and manage well. Google's domination of local search makes your listing there incredibly valuable. As important as your google business listing is, you're not done there, Bing and Apple are also important platforms in this sphere.

Large databases known as “primary data aggregators” make the information they have available to online directories and search engines. Aggregators list, distribute and share information about local businesses. They are a key part of the .

In the US, primary data aggregators include:

• Foursquare
• Data Axle (formerly Infogroup)
• Neustar Localeze

Local business owners and marketers can create citations on a variety of important local business data platforms that exist to publish this type of data.
 

At the very least, each local business needs to create and manage an accurate listing on all of the above platforms, ensuring that they don't have duplicate or inaccurate listings.

There are several options for dealing with your core citations. You can build and manage them manually, keeping track of their ongoing status in a spreadsheet. You could also pay a third party to do this for you. Finally, you can opt for the convenience of an automated citation management service like Moz Local, which not only builds citations but also alerts you to any changes made to them and tracks your progress over time.

Some core citations are free, while others are either paid or offer both free and paid listings.

Depending on your industry and the physical location of your business, additional platforms may offer opportunities for building more high-value structured citations.

For example, hotels and other hospitality industry enterprises can get listed on the very popular travel review website, TripAdvisor.com. Doctors can get listed on a site like HealthGrades.com. Attorneys can get listed at FindLaw.com. General contractors, home service providers, and many other business models will be able to seek out professional/trade association sites on which to build additional citations.

Chamber of commerce websites, local business associations, and community hubs also offer places to get listed which are specific to the geography you serve.

Some of these citations will be free, while others may require payment. A good rule of thumb is to only pay for a listing on a geo/industry platform if it will send enough traffic or transactions your way to justify the expense.

An unstructured citation occurs on any website or app that isn't specifically structured for the publication of local business listings. For example, mentions in a news article, a blog post, or on a social media platform act as a reference to your business, just like a structured citation.

In the world of local citation building, the best unstructured citations include a link and are called linktations. Even if a citation does not include a link, it can still be a valuable mention of your business online.

You can either intentionally develop unstructured citations for your business, which often requires a strategy for growing citations, or simply earn them based on merit and public interest/sharing of information.

You can intentionally build unstructured citations by submitting editorials or other material to local newspapers, getting featured on blogs, sponsoring groups or events, or engaging in social media campaigns. Additionally, you can earn voluntary mentions of your business by publishing exceptional content, being newsworthy, or by simply being popular.

Once a local business has built its Google Business Profile listing, its core citations, and its geo/industry-specific citations, it's rarely worth it to continue building an endless supply of citations on low-quality directories. Instead, focus on earning new unstructured citations from noteworthy websites and apps, as they can introduce your brand to new audiences and bring new traffic and transactions to your business. In competitive markets, valuable unstructured citations (like a mention in a major online news piece) can be competitive difference-makers.

Don't forget your website. We're mentioning it last, but your website is the most authoritative representation of your business data on the Internet. Be sure that your name, address, and phone number are formatted and spelled consistently any place they appear on your site. Don't overlook your header and footer, or references deep within pages of your site. If any part of your business data changes, audit your entire website to correct all references.

Listings on formal directories such as data platforms and major directories listed above are called “structured citations.” When other types of platforms (like online news, blogs, best-of lists, etc.) reference a local business' complete or partial contact information, that's called an “unstructured citation.”

Examples of structured citations include Yelp, Superpages, Facebook and so on.

Examples of unstructured citations might include community organizations like Chamber of Commerce websites, the local YMCA. Press release sites like PRweb.com and PRnewsire.com. News sites with local media coverage (or just media coverage in general — it's not always local.) Blogs, hobby sites, DIY sites. Trade organizations, many local businesses are affiliated with some type of governing/regulating body, trade organization, award organization, and many more.

Optimizing citations is crucial to ensure that a business’s online presence is accurate and consistent. Here are some tips to optimize citations:

NAP Consistency

NAP consistency refers to the consistency of a business’s name, address, and phone number across all online directories and citations. It is essential to ensure that the NAP is consistent across all platforms to avoid confusion and improve local search engine rankings.

• Use the Same Business Name, Address, and Phone Number: Ensure that the business name, address, and phone number are the same across all online directories and citations. This consistency helps search engines and customers trust the information.
• Avoid Abbreviations or Variations: Stick to a standard format for the business name and avoid using abbreviations or variations. For example, if the business is listed as “John’s Plumbing Services,” do not use “John’s Plumbing” or “JPS” in other listings.
• Consistent Format for Address and Phone Number: Use a consistent format for the address and phone number. For example, if the address is listed as “123 Main St.,” do not use “123 Main Street” in other listings. Similarly, use the same phone number format, such as “(123) 456-7890.”

Tracking and measuring the value of citations is essential to understand their impact on a business’s online presence and local search engine rankings. Here are some tips to track and measure the value of citations:

Tracking Citation Statuses and Performance

• Use Tools Like Moz: Utilize tools like Moz to track citation statuses and performance. These tools can help monitor the number of citations, their accuracy, and their consistency across various platforms.
• Monitor the Number of Citations: Keep an eye on the number of citations your business has. More citations can lead to better local search engine rankings, but only if they are accurate and consistent.
• Track Performance Metrics: Monitor the performance of citations by tracking the number of views, clicks, and conversions they generate. This data can help you understand which citations are driving the most traffic and business.
• Use Analytics Tools: Use analytics tools to measure the impact of citations on website traffic and local search engine rankings. By analyzing this data, you can identify which citations are most valuable and make informed decisions about where to focus your efforts.

By following these tips, businesses can optimize their citations, track their performance, and measure their value to improve their online presence and local search engine rankings.

Before starting to build and maintain local citations it's helpful to see which citations your business already owns, and how accurate they are. Fortunately, we've built a free tool at Moz that can check all the important citations and data aggregators for your business listings. If you find any that are missing or inaccurate, you can start with these.

And if you're ready to start building and maintaining your citations, with a paid plan Moz Local helps you easily create and manage your local business listings on Google, Facebook, and other sites to help consumers find and choose your business.

Check your local citations and business listings below:

• What is a Local Citation?
• Local SEO Cheat Sheet [Free PDF Download] - Keep on top of your local SEO tasks with our free downloadable cheat sheet.
• Local SEO Certification - In this six-part Certification, you’ll receive nearly six hours of on-demand, instructor-led content, covering the fundamentals, local competitor research, location data management, reputation management, and measuring and tracking success.
• In Real Life: Local SEO Tactics - In this course, local business owners learn how to get the most out of their SEO strategy using skills and knowledge they already have.
• 4 Step Guide to Local SEO - In this quick video series, Moz Customer Success experts walk through important local marketing best practices and how to put them into action using Moz Local.
• The Essential Local SEO Strategy Guide - A comprehensive beginner's guide to SEO marketing for small businesses.
• The Impact of Local Business Reviews on Consumer Behavior | SEO Industry Report - Our local business review survey outlines key takeaways regarding the impact of reviews on consumer behavior and local business success. Learn more about the fundamentally important inclusion of online local business reviews in any local SEO strategy.