Get Found & Build Credibility With Local SEO Citation Management

Citation management is a key pillar of local SEO, a digital marketing technique that is gathering pace. A local citation is any form of mention of your business details online. NAP citations (Name, Address, Phone number) can appear on social media platforms, websites and apps or online business listings and directories.

Citations can help you enhance your SEO ranking and expand your reach. If your business details appear on popular sites and directories, it’s much easier for prospective clients to discover you and to get in touch.

Why Are Local Citations Important?

Local citations are beneficial for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized local businesses, for several reasons. These include:

1. Making your business easy to find

   The most significant advantage of local SEO citations and local SEO listings is making your business easier to find. There’s no use in having the most brilliant products or the best offers on services if nobody is aware of your business.

   Citations can increase visibility and accessibility, enabling customers to discover your brand, find contact details at the touch of a button, and take the next step.

   If your business features on popular local listings, you stand a much better chance of attracting attention and generating and converting leads. Statistics suggest that over 60% of smartphone users who conduct a mobile search will contact a business near them (source).

2. Improving your search ranking

   Local SEO is more influential than ever before. More than 80% of smartphone users who carry out a local search will either visit or contact a business within 24 hours.

   Local citations play an influential role in boosting search ranking. If you have consistent information about your business across several listings and sites, this will help you cement your position at the top of the results. The higher the ranking, the more likely prospective customers are to get in touch or follow a link. More than 75% of traffic comes from page 1 of the search results.

3. Enhancing credibility

   Consumers today want to be able to access information and learn more about businesses they are thinking about hiring or buying from. If you have a large number of accurate, up-to-date citations, this can help to build consumer trust and enhance credibility.

   Customers can read about your business and get the details they need within seconds, and having access to listings, websites and social handles provides reassurance.

   If your consumers can’t find information or links when they conduct a local search, they may not think your company is trustworthy or reputable. They may simply decide to go for a competitor that does appear in local SEO listing sites.

4. Expanding your reach

   Focusing on local SEO and ensuring your business appears in popular, reliable, trusted listing sites and social platforms can help you expand your reach. Google alone processes more than 60,000 searches per second, and the number of local searches has skyrocketed. Now, around 50% of searches have a local focus.

   Local citations can help more customers discover your business and set you apart from competitors. This can enable you to attract more customers and build a loyal client base in the local area.

What Is Included in a Local Citation?

The fundamental elements of a local citation are the Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP). In addition, listings may feature extra elements and details, including:

• Opening hours
• Business category
• Directions
• Reviews
• Images
• Videos
• Geographical coordinates
• Email address
• Social media links
• Payment options
• Menus

Local SEO Listing Sites

When you think about SEO, it’s natural to conjure up images of the Google homepage. While Google is the most popular search engine and Google My Business listings are a leading data aggregator, it is wise to ensure that your business appears across several different sites, platforms and apps.

Businesses can have citations across a range of platforms and local listings. Examples include:

• Search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo
• Social media apps and networks like Facebook and Instagram
• Review sites such as Tripadvisor, Yelp and Trustpilot
• Local business directories, for example, Yell.com and Foursquare.com
• Maps, including Google Maps and Apple Maps

There are also specific websites and listings that are geared towards consumers looking for particular types of businesses, such as hotels and restaurants.

If you run a hotel, it’s beneficial to create citations on sites like TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Expedia.com. For restaurants, top citations include Tripadvisor, Opentable.com, grubhub.com and Foursquare.com.

Businesses that provide services such as roofing and building work can benefit from citations on websites and apps such as Angi.com and Porch.com.

Effective Local SEO Citation Strategies

At Unravel, we recognize that business owners don’t have time to update listings and manage local SEO, content marketing and social media marketing strategies. We specialize in providing cutting-edge, targeted, customized marketing services. We enable our clients to capitalize on the growing popularity of social media, search engines and online reviews and listings.

We work with clients to establish key objectives and draw up a local SEO citation strategy. This will increase exposure, expand reach, attract new customers, build trust and credibility, and create high-quality leads. By focusing on listings that attract attention and ensuring that information is up-to-date and accurate, we can improve search rankings. This makes your business easier to find and encourages more customers to discover your business.

Our team has expertise in creating listings and using local SEO citations to create a buzz around businesses and persuade customers to take the next step. With local SEO directory submission, you can reap the rewards of becoming more visible online while focusing on the daily tasks that keep your business running.

Minimizing risks associated with local SEO citation

In addition to helping our clients benefit from local citations, our expert team is also dedicated to minimizing risks. While local citations can have a hugely positive impact on search ranking and consumer perception, it is also possible for them to have a negative effect.

If the information in listings is inconsistent or inaccurate, this can hinder search ranking and affect consumer trust and confidence. We will analyze existing listings, addressing any issues and ensuring that every citation is accurate and high-quality.

Research indicates that up to 80% of consumers lose trust in businesses that provide inaccurate, inconsistent or outdated contact information (source).

Search engines will consider the number of citations, accuracy of information, quality and profile of sites, listings, and directories when determining search ranking.

Selecting the right listing platforms

Selecting the right platforms for your business is key to success when using local citations and SEO services. We will help you identify and choose the best platforms, channels and sites in line with your individual requirements and objectives. We have experience in working with small and medium-sized businesses across a diverse range of sectors and industries.

Optimizing citations

Local listing SEO and citation management services have the potential to send sales soaring and direct more customers to your business, but success is not guaranteed. To hit targets, boost sales, and build trust for potential customers, it’s essential to understand how to use citations.

Here are some steps we use and recommend to optimize citations and positively impact search rankings:

• Creating accurate, relevant, robust, detailed citations
• Choosing platforms that are relevant to your business and popular among your target audience
• Updating and reviewing information and correcting inaccurate data
• Eliminating duplicate listings
• Editing information in line with changes or modifications, for example, extended opening hours or a new telephone number
• Encouraging reviews and proactively managing reviews and feedback

How Can Unravel Help?

Unravel specializes in using tried and tested, data-driven techniques to help our clients establish and grow an online presence. We understand what it takes to deliver results and provide a bespoke, personalized service for every client. It’s essential for us to get to know our customers and identify individual objectives before we start drawing up strategies.

With effective citation management services, your business can attract more attention online, improve search rankings, and build trust and consumer confidence. We provide you with high-quality citations and listings. We also give you the option to let us manage your citations to free up time to focus on core business operations.

Any Questions? Contact Us Today!

If you have any questions about mentions of your business, listing sites, local directories or how to use citations, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We can provide more information about our marketing services and offer tailored advice and recommendations based on your requirements.