We typically try to avoid citations when we’re driving in our car, but citations are a good thing when it comes to search engine optimization. So, what are citations - and why are they important for SEO? Simply put, a citation is any mention of your business - anywhere on the web. It can be any combination of your business's name, phone number, address, zip code, and web address (URL). Because citations play such a key role in improving your local search results, it’s important to acquire as many quality citations as you can.

Where do citations come from?

A good quality local citation will include your shop’s name, address, and phone number, which is referred to as your “NAP”. A citation that doesn’t include all three elements of NAP is sometimes referred to as a partial, or incomplete citation.

Are Citations and Links the Same Thing?

No, citations and links are not the same thing, although it is easy to get the two confused. A citation does not necessarily need to be a back link in order to add value to your website. Your value in a citation is merely the mention of your business. At that point, Google takes it from there and they identify that your business was mentioned through the presence of your NAP info, and that is how Google gives you credit for that mention. In turn, the more mentions - or citations - of your business online, the more prominent you appear to Google and that will help you tremendously with your local rank.

Why is NAP Consistency important when it comes to citations?

Google rewards consistency, so the more consistent your listings are, they higher Google will rank you. Once your information is out there, you don’t have a lot of control over where links start appearing, so it’s important to make sure the part you can control is set up properly. Keep in mind that the actual links from a majority of most online business directories are mostly not followed anyway, but that doesn’t mean the links aren’t valuable, because all links have value, and the citations that do include links are almost always better than your citations that do not include links.

Are all citations the same?

No, while all citations are valuable, some provide more value than others depending on their intended use. Citations fall into one of two categories, either structured or unstructured. The difference between the two is that a structured citation is your NAP information on a business listing directory such as Facebook, Yelp, Yellowpages, Superpages, Mapquest, etc., while an unstructured citation refers to your NAP information on any other site that is not specifically a business listing directory and many included mentions in blogs, magazine or newspaper sites, wikis and more.

Because there is such a large variation in the value of different citations, it’s important to remember that a mention of your business’ NAP on a prominent and well-known website is worth far more than a mention of your business on some unrecongizable web directory that was created for no other purpose than low-quality link building.

Why are Citations Important for Local Search Rankings?

Citations are how search engines like Google and Bing are able to verify that your business exists. They do this by using the data from multiple credible sources that all have the same accurate information about your business and that is how they not only know your shop is legitimate, but also that it is still open and operating.

Reaching clients with clear, concise information is key, so the more places your NAP information appears online, the more prominent you appear to Google. This can lead to a higher ranking of your site because search engines run on algorithms and if they determine that your business is mentioned on hundreds of websites while your competition is only listed on a few dozen, it will likely determine that your business is more popular and will give you a higher ranking. There are other factors that go into this equation, but keeping your information current and accurate is always a good starting foundation.

Tips for building citations:

• Make sure your business email is associated with your company domain and is not a generic Gmail or Yahoo address. There are many reasons why this is best practice, but for SEO purposes, listing submissions are typically more trusted and are more likely to go live when you use a domain-based email.

• NAP Consistency is critical! At the bare minimum, your name, address, and phone number (NAP) must be the same on every site!

• Add as much detail as you possibly can! Begin by adding photos of your business as well as a high-definition version of your logo. Be sure to include a full description of what your business does along with your operating hours, links to your social media accounts, etc.

• Claim your listings if you haven’t done so already. Most directory sites require you to verify your listing via email or through phone verification with a pin number to enter to claim your listing. This is extremely important and it is another trust signal because verified listings have more authority.

Having a strong citation profile with NAP consistency is one of the first things you can do to begin optimizing your local SEO. When it comes to local search, citations are one of the foundational basics which is why consistency is so important. Once you have citations set, you can begin building links, creating content and building engagement. As long as your citation profiles are set up properly, you shouldn’t have to worry about them again unless you change your business information with a new address, phone number, or operating hours.

Keep in mind that building citations is a time-consuming process that needs to be set up properly in order to prevent consistency issues down the line. That’s why it’s so it’s important to invest the time into having it properly set up and managed. If you don’t have time to do it right, we’re here to help! Bloomerang Solutions can help with with citations - as well as every other step of the online marketing experience. Give us a call today and let’s make your business bloom!