Local citations are important for any business that wants to rank well in search engine results, but especially for businesses that rely on local customers. These days, potential customers are more likely to search for businesses online before visiting in person. That means that if your business doesn’t appear in search results, you’re missing out on many potential customers.
One way to improve your business’s chances of showing up in search results is to ensure you have a strong online presence. One important part of having a strong online presence is building up your business’s local citations.
What Are Local Citations?
Local citations are mentions of your business on the internet, along with your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP). These citations can come from directories, websites, and social media platforms.
For instance, here’s a local citation for a medical practitioner:
Source: www.wellness.com
The important thing is that your NAP information is consistent across your local citations. That way, search engines can easily verify that your business is legitimate, and potential customers can easily find your contact information.
According to Moz, “citations are a key local ranking factor and one of the core elements of any solid local SEO strategy.” So if you want your business to rank well in search results, you need to make sure you have strong local citations.
Why Are Local Citations Important?
Local citations are important for two main reasons: they improve your business’s chances of showing up in search results and help potential customers find your contact information.
Search engines use local citations as one of the main factors when determining where to rank businesses in search results. So if you want your business to appear at the top of search results, you need to ensure you have many high-quality local citations.
Source: Brightlocal
In addition to helping search engines find your business, local citations also help potential customers find your contact information. If someone is searching for a business like yours and comes across a mention of your business that includes your NAP information, they’re much more likely to contact you.
How Can Citations Help People Discover Your Business?
It’s one thing to rank well in search engine results, but it’s another thing entirely to get potential customers to click on your listing. That’s where local citations come in.
Local citations help people discover your business by giving them the information they need to find you. That might seem small, but it can make a big difference in whether or not people contact you.
For example, let’s say someone is searching for a plumber in New York. They come across two listings in the search results:
