Earning positive local citations is a crucial part of any local SEO strategy. Citations act as votes of confidence that verify the existence and location of a local business to search engines. The more high-quality local citations a business has, the more likely it will rank higher in local pack search results.
In this comprehensive guide, we cover actionable local citation building tactics you can start implementing right away to improve your local search presence.
Why Are Local Citations Important?
Here are some of the key benefits of earning authoritative local citations:
- Boosts local pack ranking in Google - More citations make Google more confident you are a legitimate and reputable local business worthy of ranking higher. Studies show a correlation between more local citations and higher local pack placement.
- Drives more in-store traffic - Higher visibility in local pack results leads to increased store visits, calls, and directions requests. 72% of customers who search on their smartphones visit or call a store within 5 miles.
- Reinforces crucial NAP consistency - NAP refers to the Name, Address and Phone number of your business. Having consistent NAP details across key sites reinforces you are the authoritative business listing in the area.
- Improves local rankings across search engines - Local citations not only help with Google, but also Bing, Yahoo and other search engines that utilize citation signals.
Simply put, more quality local citations equals better local search visibility. Now let’s explore proven tactics to build your local citations.
7 Powerful Local Citation Building Tactics
1. Manually Submit Key Business Listings
The first place to begin is by manually submitting your NAP information to key sites Google trusts for local search.
Some of the most influential sites include:
- Google My Business
- Apple Maps
- Bing Places for Business
- Yellow Pages
- Yelp
Complete profiles with these major sites should be your top priority. Provide as much detailed business info and photos as possible. The more robust your profiles, the more likely search engines will trust your listings.
Pro Tip: When adding your business name across profiles, avoid using abbreviations or shorthand. For example, use “Central City Dental Office” instead of “CC Dental”. Abbreviations can break citation consistency.
2. Claim & Optimize Key Directory Listings
Along with search engines and review sites, local business directories remain vital citation sources. Leading options include:
Take time to create and enhance free listings with top directories. Include your business category, hours, payment options, photos, and other details that users may search.
The more informative your directory profiles are, the better.
3. Encourage Customer Reviews
Customer reviews serve as social validation signals to Google that help justify local pack placement.
Actively encourage customers to leave positive online ratings and reviews with sites like:
- Yelp
- TripAdvisor
- Industry-specific sites
You can motivate customers by:
- Asking them directly after purchases
- Adding review badges on your site
- Offering incentives for quality reviews
Aim for at least 15-20 total online customer reviews as a baseline for strong local ranking potential.
4. Network With Complementary Local Businesses
Does your business have strategic local partners, suppliers, affiliates or advertisers?
Ask partners to link to your website and link back to further boost local SEO relevance. Thematic reciprocal links show search engines your business is endorsed within the actual community.
Some local link pairing ideas include:
- Accountants/Bookkeepers/Financial Planners
- Home Service Providers/ Hardware Stores
- Venues/Event Planners/Caterers
- Healthcare Facilities/Pharmacies
- Salons/Spas/Gyms
Prioritize resource pages and blog content for link exchanges where the context aligns.
For example, an accountant could link to a financial planning resources page on your site. In return, you link back to a relevant small business tax guide on their blog.
5. Sponsor Local Events/Organizations
Sponsoring local events, charities and organizations presents many business benefits. Not only can you raise community awareness and give back, but you also earn local links and exposure.
Opportunities may include:
- Local little league teams
- Chamber of commerce events
- Industry conferences/seminars
- City initiatives and festivals
- Radio call-in contests/giveaways
Look to include some of these local sponsorships in your overall outreach and content strategy. Ensure your business is credited with resource links wherever possible.
6. Refresh & Syndicate Content Regularly
Fresh and relevant website content will attract more users, links, citations, social shares and reviews over time.
Content ideas centered around your location and audience can cover:
- “Best of city” rankings and things to do lists
- Local holiday shopping/event guides
- Interviews with long-time customers and community partners
- Polls, surveys and quizzes collecting local opinions
- Infographics with city/neighborhood statistics
Also syndicate your blog posts and resources through sites like Medium to expand local exposure and net additional citations.
7. Monitor & Maintain Existing Citations
As you build local citations, you need to monitor and fix any NAP inconsistencies that develop over time.
Key tools to track citations include:
Check back monthly for updated reports to spot duplicate, incomplete or inaccurate listings and address as needed. This will protect your progress.
The Impact: Higher Local Search Ranking
| Tactic | Estimated Impact | Effort Level |
|---|---|---|
| Manual NAP Submission | High | Medium |
| Directory Listings | Medium | Low |
| Customer Reviews | Medium | Low |
| Local Link Building | Low/Medium | Medium |
| Local Sponsorships | Low | Medium |
| Fresh Local Content | Low/Medium | High |
| Citation Monitoring | Medium | Low |
As shown above in the comparative table, some citation building tactics require more effort but deliver bigger ranking dividends. Whereas other opportunities like reviews and directories involve less work for solid supplemental benefits.
Aim to incorporate a blended approach of quick wins and big plays based on available time and resources. Just a few new high-quality citations per month will compound over time.
Frequently Asked Local Citation Questions
Here are answers to some of the most common local citation and listings FAQs:
What are the best free online business listings?
Top free listings include Google My Business, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook and Yelp. Complete and claim these profiles first and keep them updated.
How many total citations are recommended?
Shoot for 20-50+ total citations from quality sites like directories, review platforms and industry sources. However, focus more on authority than hitting an arbitrary number. Even just 10 strong local citations can impact visibility.
Should I hire a local citation building service?
Reputable local SEO agencies can help efficiently build and manage listings/citations across hundreds of sites. But you can see solid DIY results with consistency applying the tactics above over time. Evaluate costs vs. benefits and target the right opportunities for your business.
How quickly can local citations improve my rankings?
New citations can take 2-12 weeks to positively impact search visibility once indexed and factored in by Google. Allow up to 6 months for citation building efforts to fully permeate rankings. Monitor impact over time, earning citations is an ongoing initiative.
What happens if citations details are inconsistent?
Conflicting NAP business details across listings can negatively impact trust and influence search rankings. Use citation tracking tools to fix errors and keep listings aligned as much as possible.
Take Action to Earn More Influential Citations
Gaining additional quality local citations for your business is a smart, low-cost marketing tactic. But you need a plan of attack to make it happen.
Start putting the local citation building tips covered in this guide into practice today. Over time, elevating your total citations from prominent sites will lead to higher local pack placement and more traffic.
Just remember that earning citations is an ongoing process, not a one-time task. Commit to steady progress submitting to impactful directories, review platforms and link acquisition opportunities.
Make local citations a cornerstone of your overall local SEO and digital marketing strategies in 2023 and beyond if you want to outrank competitors in your area.
The more prominent and trusted your NAP listings are on well-established platforms, the faster search engines will validate your business as the premium location to direct searches and calls from nearby customers.
Social Plugin