Local citations are a vital part of any marketing campaign. They help your business gain visibility online, boost search engine rankings, and improve consumer discovery. In addition to helping customers find your business, citations also help search engines like Google and Bing understand what you offer and where your business is located.
There are two main types of citations: structured and unstructured. Structured citations are usually found on online directories that are designed to display specific information about a particular company or business. They typically include name, address, and phone number (NAP) data that is accurate and consistent across all directories.
One of the most popular ways to build local citations is through data aggregators, which collect data from many different sources and then share it with other websites and search engines. This helps increase the number of local citations you can create, but it is important to make sure that you are using a quality aggregator and are submitting your business information only to the sites where you need it.
Another way to increase your local citations is through review sites that collect feedback from your customers. These reviews are important for your SEO because they give search engines a better understanding of the quality of your products and services and can help you get listed on Google My Business.
These sites are often industry specific, so it is best to do some research and find the ones that would be most beneficial to your business. There are also industry-specific citation management tools available that will help you submit your business information to these sites for optimal results.
If you want to maximize the impact of your local citations, be sure to create a complete profile on the major review sites like Yelp! These are also a great way to divert traffic to your website.
When creating a profile for a review site, it is also a good idea to ensure that your NAP information is correct and consistent. Providing inaccurate information can result in a negative impact on your search ranking.
In addition to reviewing sites, a good strategy for building local citations is to create a business profile on Google My Business and other platforms. These sites are easy to use and provide a wealth of information about your business that will help people make more informed decisions when they are searching for a product or service in your area.
You can also use HARO to connect with journalists who may be interested in writing about your business. This is a free service that will send you email alerts when journalists are looking for businesses to talk about in their stories.
If you can get your business featured in a news article, it will also provide an excellent opportunity to generate local citations. This is because news articles are viewed by a large audience and have high visibility.
You can also partner with local charities and use them as a resource for press releases, which can lead to local citations and backlinks. For example, if you are a dental office in Detroit, you could partner with the local chamber of commerce to create an event for a local charity and write a blog post about it.