It's no secret that search engine optimization is one of the most important criteria of a successful business. A commonly-overlooked factor, though, is the importance of local citations.
Surprisingly, many entrepreneurs are even sure What they are or why they are important.
Not quite sure how to begin? We’ve got all the info you need. Let's explore everything you should keep in mind.
What Exactly Are Local Citations?
Although many people may be unfamiliar with the term, its meaning is relatively straightforward. A local citation is any instance where is your company's name, phone number, or address or mentioned online.
When it comes to local SEO,
they're an integral factor that determines a site's ranking.
To elaborate, a Facebook user may Post the location they're currently at (such as through FourSquare). This will create an online mention of the business, therefore establishing a local citation.
Are All Local Citations The Same?
Interestingly, there are two different types of local citations: structured and unstructured.
Structured citations convey a companies name, address, and phone number. One of the most common examples is a social media profile, as this includes all of the above information. The same can be said about online directories.
This data is 'structured' in the sense that it's always presented in a certain format. This is consistent between different brands.
On the other hand, unstructured citations are organic and contextual mentions of business information. This could include anything from blog posts and press releases to mentions on forum threads.
In general, it's best to focus primarily on structure and citations since these platforms are more authoritative. For example, it wouldn't do you much good if the only places your business was mention online was on forum posts.
How Can Local Citations Help My Business?
Although many people go straight to Google when searching for a particular product or service, not everyone uses this as their primary option. In fact, plenty of users take a vantage of Yellow Pages, Yelp, and other directories to find the services they are looking for.
Business directories also have a large influence on the search results for local search queries. For example, if you search something like "New York City attorney" you'll find that most of the top results are directories and not independent legal websites.
As you can tell, it's highly beneficial to have your company mentioned on these platforms.
How Can I Scale My Network of Citations?
Building up your overall volume of local citations can drastically help your business online. But, you'll need to choose them strategically since the quality of the citations outweighs the quantity.
The below steps can help you reach the metrics that you're after.
Focus on Data Aggregators First
Online data aggregators help compile information about businesses and allocate this data to other websites. As such, submitting your business information to an aggregator can exponentially increase your online presence.
There are three main ones that you'll need to focus on:
1. Factual
2. Data Axle
3. Neustar Localeze
You can search your business on each of the above platforms and claim your listing if it already exists. If it doesn't, you can submit it for free.
It's also important that you claim duplicate listings. Of course, be sure to check that the information currently listed is 100% correct. Otherwise, you may encounter complications in the future.
Target Directories
After you claim or submit the required information to data aggregators, you can then shift your focus toward directories. Some of the most notable are:
· Better Business Bureau (BBB)
· Yellow Pages
· Yelp
· Facebook
Although there are far more directories on the Internet, the above are platforms with some of the most traffic.
In general, you'll need to submit your business information manually. For entrepreneurs that don't have a large amount of time to do so, however, it's often worthwhile to enlist the help of a submission management service.
This also comes with the added benefit of allowing you to streamline the submission process, as many providers have platforms that integrate the most well-known sites into a single space. This will allow you to forego the tedium of navigating to different directories and manually submitting all of your info.
It should be noted that there's nothing wrong with completing this process by hand— it's simply a matter of how much available time you have to do so.
Submit to Local Sites + Build Unstructured Citations
Once you've handled your core citation responsibilities, you can then move on to submitting to local sites and building your foundation of unstructured citations. In general, local sites that you should focus on include business listings, business directories, and your city's Chamber of Commerce.
You can find sites related to these categories on Google. Simply take the time to browse through them and submits to the ones you feel are relevant and valuable.
Unstructured situations that you should focus on include press releases, blog posts, and reviews. Unfortunately, these can't be manually required in most cases— a third-party has to both be aware of your brand and be interested enough to talk about it.
Over time, you'll find that it becomes easier to acquire unstructured citations as your business grows, so keep this in mind if you aren't able to get as many as you'd like at the beginning.
Understanding and Incorporating Local Citations Can Seem Difficult
But the above information will make the process far smoother.
From here, you’ll be able to ensure that you know how to use local citations to their fullest extent and make the decisions that are best for your business.
Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to reach out to us today and see how we can help.
