NightshiftDirect

Glossary

Local citations

Local citations are mentions of a business's name, address and phone number on other websites, such as directories and industry sites. Citation is the industry's word for them; Google does not use it.

Also called business listings.

By NightshiftDirect Research. Published . Updated .

What Google says about them

Google's help page on local ranking does not talk about citations. It says prominence, one of the main factors behind local results, is based partly on information such as how many websites link to a business (Google Business Profile Help). A directory page that names you and links to your site is one of those websites.

That is as far as Google goes. It publishes no target count and no list of sites that matter, so a number of citations you are told you need is someone else's rule of thumb.

Which ones are worth your time

The ones your customers use. For most businesses that means the large general directories and map apps, then the sites of your own trade or profession, such as the association you belong to and the listings people check before they hire someone in your line of work. To find them, search for your trade and your town as a customer would, and note which directories come up. A handful of correct listings on sites people visit does more for you than hundreds on sites nobody opens.

Getting the details right comes before adding more. A listing that still shows a number you gave up sends callers to a dead line, and one with a former address sends them to the wrong door.

What to avoid

Be wary of services selling submission to hundreds of sites at once. Google's advice on hiring an SEO says to avoid anyone who talks about submitting your site to thousands of search engines, and calls that kind of exercise typically useless (Google Search Central). Bulk directory services make a similar pitch.

Before you pay for one, ask which sites it covers, whether your customers use any of them, and what happens to the listings if you stop paying.

Cleaning up the ones you have

Your business may already have listings you never set up, some of them years out of date. Cleanup means finding them, correcting the wrong details and asking for duplicates to be removed where a site allows it. The Local plan includes citation cleanup. If you do it yourself, start with the listings that show up when you search your own business name.

Your own site is the version every listing should agree with. The free scan checks it for one phone number across your pages and for your street address on the homepage.

Questions

How many citations does my business need?

There is no number to hit. Google publishes none, and a count tells you little by itself. Get your details right on the sites your customers use first, and add others only when they fit your trade or your town.

Should I pay for a listings service?

Only if it shows you exactly which sites it covers and they are sites your customers use. A few hundred directories that nobody visits add work to clean up later, and the same money does more on your profile and your reviews.

Where this fits in our work

We handle this as part of Local SEO: Your Business Profile, reviews, listings and site worked on together for the map results and local searches your customers make.

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