Be more visible online

A business citation is simply a mention of your business on another website. Most of the time, it will feature your business name, address, phone number and may include a link to your website. Business citations are important because they are used by search engines to help decide how to rank businesses in their local search results. Also search engine, more specifically Google, use business citations to verify the accuracy of any business.

This is why it is of utmost importance to make sure wherever your business is listed, details are same and accurate. This accuracy of your business information scattered around the web is a key element to rank higher in search engines and you must monitor it.

Do you know that top search results on Google are mostly citation sites?

Get started with citation sites

Yelp, Foursquare, Google My Business, Merchant Circle, CitySearch – they’re all citation sites. If your business name is not linked on well-known directory sites, probably your competitors are listed then. When your business gets listed on a reliable citation site in a structured format, Google apprehend the fact that your business exists. Your business sounds more legitimate and genuine. Basically, Google triangulates the information It discovers on the internet on basis of three points - name, address and phone number (NAP).

For maximum benefit, citation should gather all three pieces of data. Such citations are referred as full citations. It might also incorporate your website's link. Directory sites like yelp, Merchant Circle, Google My Business, and Superpages use full SEO citations. Either free or paid service, these citation sites are one of the ways to generate an authentic local SEO citation for your business. When your business gets listed on top-notch directories, it can enhance your credibility, your business online profile, SEO performance and authority of citation site.

There are two types of citations.

Structured - Structured citations are those that you provide to a business listing directory.

Un-structured - when you present business data in non-directories like blogs, and newspaper's websites. That’s also work like a citation and influences your local SEO ranking.

How citation affects SEO?

The logic is simple, search engines use search algorithms to gauge where to rank the site amongst the sea of sites. Fact is citations are crucial component of search algorithms. So, being a website owner, if you have more citations than your competitor, your website is more likely to gain top position of search results.

In simple terms, citations help you get discovered by visitors looking for the products or services you offer. All these factors help in achieving a reputation and better SEO performance.

• Consistency of the business name
• Reviews for your brand
• Your business listing on Google+ Local platform
• Content of your site
• Popularity of site

Bonus tips

• Never list your business on low-quality citation sites as it can hurt your rankings.
• Claim and optimize the data on directories. This will remove any inaccuracies find on online directories.
• Make sure to fill correct and consistent information of your business.
• Ensure to get your business listed in niche-specific directory site and city related citation sites.

Verdict

Submit your listing and be found online. The more you are visible around the web, the more credible your business will be, chances are Google will also rank you higher. However, always aim for quality rather than quantity. Local and small businesses can always improve their traffic with citations.