{"id":37353,"date":"2020-06-25T18:07:52","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T23:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=37353"},"modified":"2023-05-12T06:05:58","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T11:05:58","slug":"local-citations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/local-citations\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build Local Citations (Complete Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"intro-txt\">A local citation is any mention of your business\u2019s name, address, and phone number online. Many SEOs believe they\u2019re a key ranking factor for <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/local-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/local-seo\/\">local SEO<\/a>.<\/div>\n<p>Citations appear in lots of different places: business directories, social networks\u2014anywhere someone might be looking for information about local businesses.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of one for a coffee shop in New&nbsp;York:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1541\" class=\"wp-image-37434\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1-citation-example-1.jpg\" alt=\"1 citation example 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1-citation-example-1.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1-citation-example-1-441x425.jpg 441w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1-citation-example-1-768x740.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1-citation-example-1-1536x1479.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>This is known as a NAP citation because it shows the shop\u2019s name, address, and phone number.<\/p>\n<p>In this guide, you\u2019ll learn:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#why-citations-are-important\">Why local citations are important<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#types-of-citations\">What&nbsp;types of citations there&nbsp;are<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#how-to-get-citations\">How to get citations<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#why-citation-accuracy-matters\">Why consistency and accuracy matter<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why citations are important\" data-section=\"why-citations-are-important\">\n<h2>Why are citations important?<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Citations are useful for two main things:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Ranking higher&nbsp;for local search queries (maybe)<\/li>\n<li>Helping people discover your business online<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>How citations help with local&nbsp;SEO<\/h3>\n<p>Citations are believed to help search engines verify the existence, legitimacy, and trustworthiness of your business. If the same details appear across many relevant and trusted websites, then Google likely has increased confidence that your business exists, is operational, and that what you say about it is&nbsp;true.<\/p>\n<p>According to a survey by Moz, citations are the <a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/local-search-ranking-factors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fifth most important ranking signal<\/a>&nbsp;for local queries.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1458\" height=\"1600\" class=\"wp-image-37450\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2-moz-citations-research-1.jpg\" alt=\"2 moz citations research 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2-moz-citations-research-1.jpg 1458w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2-moz-citations-research-1-387x425.jpg 387w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2-moz-citations-research-1-768x843.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2-moz-citations-research-1-1400x1536.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1458px) 100vw, 1458px\"><\/p>\n<p>That said, it\u2019s worth pointing out a couple of things about this survey:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>It\u2019s a few years old<\/strong>. The survey was conducted in 2018. Given that citations have almost certainly been decreasing in importance over time, it\u2019s quite likely that they are less important today.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Not all SEOs believe that citations are still important<\/strong>. Even in 2018, there were quite a few SEOs who responded to Moz\u2019s survey saying that citations were no longer of huge importance, and didn\u2019t move the needle all that&nbsp;much.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>That last point is an important one and one that we generally agree&nbsp;with.<\/p>\n<p>Getting local citations from anywhere and everywhere is unlikely to have a big impact on your local rankings. However, we believe that there\u2019s still some value in getting citations from relevant, trusted sources where people expect your business to be listed.<\/p>\n<p>For the record, here\u2019s what Google\u2019s John Mueller says about citations:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Just because a company name is mentioned somewhere doesn\u2019t necessarily mean it\u2019s good or bad for the company. I\u2019d see those mentions more as advertising \u2014 if you think people are going to see it and explicitly search out your business, then that\u2019s great.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>How citations help people to discover your business<\/h3>\n<p>People don\u2019t always use Google to find local businesses. They often turn to sites like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and specialist directories like lawyers.com. That\u2019s one of the reasons why it\u2019s useful to get listed on these&nbsp;sites.<\/p>\n<p>The other reason is that business directories often dominate search results for local queries.<\/p>\n<p>For example, try searching for \u201cplumber nottingham\u201d:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1125\" class=\"wp-image-37447\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/3-business-directories-local-search-1.jpg\" alt=\"3 business directories local search 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/3-business-directories-local-search-1.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/3-business-directories-local-search-1-604x425.jpg 604w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/3-business-directories-local-search-1-768x540.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/3-business-directories-local-search-1-1536x1080.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>Very few of the top results are plumber\u2019s websites. They\u2019re mostly business directories that list lots of different plumbers.<\/p>\n<p>Because Google returns these types of results for local searches, you need to be cited there for searchers to find your business.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Types of citations?\" data-section=\"types-of-citations\">\n<h2>What types of citations are&nbsp;there?<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Before we talk about how to build citations, we need to understand the two types of citations you can&nbsp;get.<\/p>\n<h3>Structured citations<\/h3>\n<p>A structured citation lists the name, address, and phone number (NAP) of a business. Directory listings and social media profiles are good examples of these. Each company\u2019s information is displayed in the same way, and the page is effectively built around that&nbsp;data.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1118\" class=\"wp-image-37432\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/4-structured-citation-1.png\" alt=\"4 structured citation 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/4-structured-citation-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/4-structured-citation-1-608x425.png 608w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/4-structured-citation-1-768x537.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/4-structured-citation-1-1536x1073.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<h3>Unstructured citations<\/h3>\n<p>An unstructured citation is a contextual mention of a business. They usually show up in blog posts, forum posts, or as a result of press mentions.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1473\" class=\"wp-image-37431\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/6-unstructured-citation-1.jpg\" alt=\"6 unstructured citation 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/6-unstructured-citation-1.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/6-unstructured-citation-1-462x425.jpg 462w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/6-unstructured-citation-1-768x707.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/6-unstructured-citation-1-1536x1414.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to build citations\" data-section=\"how-to-get-citations\">\n<h2>How do I build citations?<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Most businesses will benefit from having some structured and unstructured citations. But there\u2019s no need to get them from every site you come across. It\u2019s very much a case of quality trumps quantity here.<\/p>\n<p>Follow these four steps to build the citations you actually need:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#get-listed-with-aggregators\">Get listed with the \u2018big three\u2019 data aggregators<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#submit-to-core-sites\">Submit to other core&nbsp;sites<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#submit-to-industry-sites\">Submit to popular industry and local&nbsp;sites<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#pursue-unstructured-citations\">Pursue unstructured citations<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 id=\"get-listed-with-aggregators\">Step #1. Get listed with the \u2018big three\u2019 data aggregators<\/h3>\n<p>There are thousands of business directories on the web. If each of them relied on business owners submitting NAP information directly, they\u2019d probably have a lot of gaps in their data. Most business owners just aren\u2019t going to submit to thousands of websites.<\/p>\n<p>Data aggregators solve this problem. These companies collect information about businesses and distribute it to hundreds of other websites. If these folks have your information, you\u2019ll end up with citations in lots of places.<\/p>\n<p>In the US, there are currently three main data aggregators:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressupdate.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Express Update<\/a>&nbsp;(by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.infogroup.com\/data-applications\/express-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Infogroup<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.neustarlocaleze.biz\/directory\/us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Neustar localeze<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/places.factual.com\/data\/t\/places\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Factual<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div>&nbsp;Acxiom used to be important as they were yet another big data aggregator, but they discontinued their product at the end of&nbsp;2019.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s completely free to claim, submit, and manage business listings with InfoGroup (Express Update) and Neustar Localeze. Just search for your business and claim the listing if it\u2019s there. If not, submit a new&nbsp;one.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1011\" class=\"wp-image-37441\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/7-express-update-1.png\" alt=\"7 express update 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/7-express-update-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/7-express-update-1-673x425.png 673w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/7-express-update-1-768x485.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/7-express-update-1-1536x971.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>Just make sure to search for your business thoroughly and claim any listings before submitting a new one. You need to make sure that you claim any duplicates and that the information is correct.<\/p>\n<p>With Factual, you can no longer update or edit listings directly. You have to work with one of their <a href=\"https:\/\/developer.factual.com\/docs\/tdc-program#:~:text=Factual's%20Trusted%20Data%20Contributor%20(TDC,of%20a%20data%20management%20partner.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trusted Data Contributors (TDC)<\/a>, and that usually costs a small fee. My advice is to search <a href=\"https:\/\/places.factual.com\/data\/t\/places\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their directory<\/a>&nbsp;for your business and check the information they have. If it\u2019s accurate, no worries. If it\u2019s inaccurate, then you can always work with a TDC like Yext or WhiteSpark to correct it. However, my personal opinion is that it probably isn\u2019t worth it for most businesses, so don\u2019t worry about Factual too&nbsp;much.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"740\" class=\"wp-image-37438\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/8-factual-1.png\" alt=\"8 factual 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/8-factual-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/8-factual-1-680x315.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/8-factual-1-768x355.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/8-factual-1-1536x710.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"submit-to-core-sites\">Step #2. Submit to other core&nbsp;sites<\/h3>\n<p>The \u2018big three\u2019 data aggregators distribute NAP information to many well-known sites, but not all of them. That\u2019s why it\u2019s often useful to submit to the core sites in your country directly.<\/p>\n<p>In the US, these are sites&nbsp;like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Apple Maps<\/li>\n<li>Facebook<\/li>\n<li>Yelp<\/li>\n<li>Bing Places<\/li>\n<li>YellowPages<\/li>\n<li>BBB<\/li>\n<li>Foursquare<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can find a full list of the most important citation sources in the US <a href=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/top-local-citation-sources-by-country\/united-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>, and for other countries <a href=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/top-local-citation-sources-by-country\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>. Just know that this is only one company\u2019s interpretation of the \u201cmost important\u201d citation sources. There are plenty of these lists around, and while there is undoubtedly a lot of overlap, they\u2019re rarely identical.<\/p>\n<p>Personally, I don\u2019t believe it\u2019s worth submitting to all these sites. I\u2019ve never even heard of most of them, and some seemingly get hardly any traffic.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"325\" class=\"wp-image-37454\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/salesspider-directory.png\" alt=\"salesspider directory\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/salesspider-directory.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/salesspider-directory-680x138.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/salesspider-directory-768x156.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/salesspider-directory-1536x312.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s hardly surprising given how this particular site looks. I can\u2019t imagine anyone using this to find a local business (maybe in&nbsp;1995?)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1056\" class=\"wp-image-37452\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/salespider-site.jpg\" alt=\"salespider site\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/salespider-site.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/salespider-site-644x425.jpg 644w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/salespider-site-768x507.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/salespider-site-1536x1014.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>My advice, then, is to look through this list and submit to the sites that seem worth&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n<p>How do you know which ones they are? If you\u2019ve heard of them, then chances are they\u2019re worth submitting to (assuming it\u2019s free). Otherwise, a good proxy for quality is to Google \u201c[your industry] in [location]\u201d and see if they\u2019re anywhere to be seen in the top 100 search results.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if we search for \u201cplumber in new york,\u201d we see Thumbtack and AngiesList in the results.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1165\" class=\"wp-image-37433\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/plumber-in-new-york.jpg\" alt=\"plumber in new york\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/plumber-in-new-york.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/plumber-in-new-york-584x425.jpg 584w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/plumber-in-new-york-768x559.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/plumber-in-new-york-1536x1118.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> It\u2019s unlikely that submitting to all the sites on the list will do any harm. But many of them probably won\u2019t help much either. Ultimately, it\u2019s up to&nbsp;you.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<p>In terms of submitting your business to these sites, you have two options.<\/p>\n<h4>Submit manually<\/h4>\n<p>If you have plenty of spare time and don\u2019t mind mundane tasks, you can submit to these sites one by one. Just search for your business on each seemingly worthwhile site. If it\u2019s already there, make sure the information is accurate. If it isn\u2019t accurate, look for an option to claim the listing (most sites have this) and correct the errors. If it isn\u2019t there, add&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"867\" class=\"wp-image-37449\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/9-claim-the-listing-1.png\" alt=\"9 claim the listing 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/9-claim-the-listing-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/9-claim-the-listing-1-680x368.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/9-claim-the-listing-1-768x416.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/9-claim-the-listing-1-1536x832.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>You might also want to claim the listing so you can add more information about your business. For example, Yelp lets you add photos and tons of other details after you claim the listing.<\/p>\n<p>Given that this process is pretty tedious and time-consuming, one tool that can help is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yext.com\/resources\/business-scan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yext\u2019s Business Scan<\/a>. It effectively automates the process of checking whether you have existing listings on the \u201cmost important\u201d sites. All you have to do is enter your business information, and you\u2019ll see a report like&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"570\" class=\"wp-image-37443\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10-yext-business-scan-1.png\" alt=\"10 yext business scan 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10-yext-business-scan-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10-yext-business-scan-1-680x242.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10-yext-business-scan-1-768x274.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10-yext-business-scan-1-1536x547.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>If there are any \u201cmissing\u201d or inaccurate listings, just head to the site, search for your business, and add or correct it.<\/p>\n<h4>Use a submission and management service<\/h4>\n<p>Submitting the same business information to multiple sites by hand is nobody\u2019s idea of fun. That\u2019s why a few companies have built solutions to make this process easier. Yext is perhaps the most well-known of these companies. They integrate with hundreds of well-known sites directly, meaning you can submit and manage your citations from one&nbsp;place.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll even find that some sites only allow submissions through Yext.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1291\" class=\"wp-image-37435\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/11-claim-through-yext-1.jpg\" alt=\"11 claim through yext 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/11-claim-through-yext-1.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/11-claim-through-yext-1-527x425.jpg 527w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/11-claim-through-yext-1-768x620.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/11-claim-through-yext-1-1536x1239.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>That said, Yext isn\u2019t the only company to offer submission and management services. Companies like BrightLocal and Whitespark offer them&nbsp;too.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of whether these submission services are worth it, it\u2019s hard to say. Every SEO will have a different opinion on that. Personally, given that these services are far from cheap, I would say that your money is probably better spent elsewhere. I would just manually add listings to the handful of sites that matter most and call it a&nbsp;day.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"submit-to-industry-sites\">Step #3. Submit to popular industry and local&nbsp;sites<\/h3>\n<p>Now that you\u2019ve taken care of the \u201cbaseline\u201d citations, the next step is to hunt down popular industry-and-geo-specific citation opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you run a hotel, you\u2019ll want to make sure you\u2019re listed on TripAdvisor. If you\u2019re an attorney, then you\u2019ll want to make sure you\u2019re on findlaw.com. If you\u2019re a realtor, then you should be on realtor.com. You get the picture. These are industry-specific citation opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>The physical location of your business will give way to more citation opportunities. For instance, you\u2019ll probably want to get listed with the local Chamber of Commerce and other local business associations.<\/p>\n<p>There are a few ways to find these opportunities.<\/p>\n<h4>a) Use Google<\/h4>\n<p>Head to Google and search for simple things like:<\/p>\n<p><code>[location] chamber of commerce<\/code><br>\n<code>[location] business directory<\/code><br>\n<code>[industry] business directory<\/code><br>\n<code>[industry] business listings<\/code><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1214\" class=\"wp-image-37451\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/12-local-citations-search-google-1.png\" alt=\"12 local citations search google 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/12-local-citations-search-google-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/12-local-citations-search-google-1-560x425.png 560w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/12-local-citations-search-google-1-768x583.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/12-local-citations-search-google-1-1536x1165.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no need to submit to every site you come across. Use your best judgment to identify the sites that are worth&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n<h4>b) Use an industry citations list<\/h4>\n<p>There are quite a few of these online, although <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/resources\/top-local-citations-by-business-category\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this one<\/a>&nbsp;from BrightLocal is one of the best. It lists popular citation opportunities for over 40 business categories.<\/p>\n<h4>c) Use Ahrefs\u2019 Link Intersect tool<\/h4>\n<p>Most citations feature the business\u2019s name, address, phone number, and website URL. This is known as a NAPW citation (the \u201cW\u201d stands for \u201cwebsite\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>Although these backlinks are usually <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/nofollow-links\/\">nofollowed<\/a>, you can use their existence to discover citation opportunities. Just search Google for competing businesses, then paste three or more of their homepage URLs into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/link-intersect\">Link Intersect tool<\/a>. In the bottom field, add your homepage URL and set all the modes to \u201cURL.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1308\" height=\"896\" class=\"wp-image-37440\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/13-link-intersect-1.png\" alt=\"13 link intersect 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/13-link-intersect-1.png 1308w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/13-link-intersect-1-620x425.png 620w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/13-link-intersect-1-768x526.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1308px) 100vw, 1308px\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div>&nbsp;Don\u2019t paste the homepages of business directories into the tool. You should only use the homepages of competing local businesses.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<p>Hit \u201cShow link opportunities,\u201d and you\u2019ll see websites that link to one or more of the homepages you entered, but not&nbsp;yours.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1232\" class=\"wp-image-37430\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/14-link-intersect-results-1.png\" alt=\"14 link intersect results 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/14-link-intersect-results-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/14-link-intersect-results-1-552x425.png 552w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/14-link-intersect-results-1-768x591.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/14-link-intersect-results-1-1536x1183.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>However, it\u2019s quite hard to tell why these links exist from the list alone. So you\u2019ll want to hit the caret to get more context about each&nbsp;link.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"715\" class=\"wp-image-37439\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/15-link-intersect-context-1.png\" alt=\"15 link intersect context 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/15-link-intersect-context-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/15-link-intersect-context-1-680x304.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/15-link-intersect-context-1-768x343.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/15-link-intersect-context-1-1536x686.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>The one above looks like a directory listing. We can confirm that by visiting the referring page.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1544\" height=\"1418\" class=\"wp-image-37446\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/16-directory-listing-1.jpg\" alt=\"16 directory listing 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/16-directory-listing-1.jpg 1544w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/16-directory-listing-1-463x425.jpg 463w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/16-directory-listing-1-768x705.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/16-directory-listing-1-1536x1411.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1544px) 100vw, 1544px\"><\/p>\n<p>Remember that these are all sites that you don\u2019t have a link from. That means you probably aren\u2019t already listed there.<\/p>\n<p>Hit the caret on any site on the list to see its SEO metrics, including estimated organic traffic. This can help you tell how popular the site is, and whether getting listed is a priority.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"608\" class=\"wp-image-37436\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/17-seo-metrics-ahrefs-1.png\" alt=\"17 seo metrics ahrefs 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/17-seo-metrics-ahrefs-1.png 600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/17-seo-metrics-ahrefs-1-419x425.png 419w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"pursue-unstructured-citations\">Step #4. Pursue unstructured citations<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019ve gotten to this stage, then you\u2019ve likely already trumped most of your competitors when it comes to structured citations. What we haven\u2019t really talked about yet are unstructured citations.<\/p>\n<p>Unstructured citations are a different beast altogether. They tend to come from press mentions, reviews, and blog posts about your business. That means they\u2019re harder to get than structured citations. Someone actually has to care enough about your business to write about&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Milk Beach, a London coffee shop, gets cited in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gq-magazine.co.uk\/gallery\/londons-best-coffee-shops-cafes?image=5d139bf17fcc8e7f37820204\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this article<\/a>&nbsp;from GQ about the best coffee shops in London:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1426\" height=\"998\" class=\"wp-image-37429\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/18-unstructured-citation-milk-beach-1.jpg\" alt=\"18 unstructured citation milk beach 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/18-unstructured-citation-milk-beach-1.jpg 1426w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/18-unstructured-citation-milk-beach-1-607x425.jpg 607w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/18-unstructured-citation-milk-beach-1-768x537.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1426px) 100vw, 1426px\"><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll notice that there\u2019s also a backlink to the coffee shop\u2019s website, and it\u2019s a \u2018followed\u2019 link too. That\u2019s common with unstructured citations, and it\u2019s partly why they\u2019re so powerful for&nbsp;SEO.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> Not all unstructured citations have backlinks. The example above would still be an unstructured citation if it didn\u2019t link to the coffee shop\u2019s website.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at a few ways to find unstructured citation opportunities.<\/p>\n<h4>Use Google<\/h4>\n<p>One low-hanging source of unstructured citations is supplier pages. Lots of businesses have these. They list and link out to the companies they supply, or that supply them.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of&nbsp;one:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1248\" class=\"wp-image-37444\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/19-supplier-page-1.png\" alt=\"19 supplier page 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/19-supplier-page-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/19-supplier-page-1-545x425.png 545w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/19-supplier-page-1-768x599.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/19-supplier-page-1-1536x1198.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>You can find these quite easily in Google. Just make a list of your suppliers, find their websites, then search for something like:<\/p>\n<p><code>site:yoursupplier.com intitle:\u201cstockists\u201d<\/code><br>\n<code>site:yoursupplier.com intitle:\u201csuppliers\u201d<\/code><br>\n<code>site:yoursupplier.com intitle:\u201cclients\u201d<\/code><\/p>\n<p>You can also just look through their sites. It\u2019s not usually that difficult to find these pages if they have&nbsp;them.<\/p>\n<h4>Use HARO<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpareporter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HARO (Help A Reporter Out)<\/a>&nbsp;connects journalists with sources for upcoming stories. It\u2019s free to use, and works like&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>You sign&nbsp;up.<\/li>\n<li>You get daily email alerts with questions from journalists.<\/li>\n<li>You answer a question or give a&nbsp;quote.<\/li>\n<li>You usually get cited if they use it in their upcoming article.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>It takes a bit of time and effort, but it\u2019s a great way to get high-quality citations and&nbsp;links.<\/p>\n<h4>Use Ahrefs\u2019 Site Explorer<\/h4>\n<p>Since most unstructured citations include a link to the company\u2019s website, you can find citation opportunities by checking your competitors\u2019 backlinks.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s say you run a coffee shop in London. Just enter a competing business\u2019s domain into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>, set it to URL mode, head to the <strong>Backlinks<\/strong>&nbsp;report, then filter for \u201cDofollow\u201d links.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"986\" class=\"wp-image-37448\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/20-backlinks-ahrefs-1.jpg\" alt=\"20 backlinks ahrefs 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/20-backlinks-ahrefs-1.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/20-backlinks-ahrefs-1-680x419.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/20-backlinks-ahrefs-1-768x473.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/20-backlinks-ahrefs-1-1536x947.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>From here, it\u2019s a case of looking for trends that might translate to opportunities. For instance, if we eyeball the report for Milk Beach, there are a lot of links and citations from lists of the best brunches in London.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1393\" class=\"wp-image-37455\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/21-brunch-backlinks-1.png\" alt=\"21 brunch backlinks 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/21-brunch-backlinks-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/21-brunch-backlinks-1-488x425.png 488w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/21-brunch-backlinks-1-768x669.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/21-brunch-backlinks-1-1536x1337.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>Is that useful information? It depends. If your coffee shop doesn\u2019t serve brunch, probably not. But if it does, and if your customers regularly rave about it, it might be worth getting in contact with some of these bloggers and journalists.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the lady behind this blog cites her five favorite brunch locations in <a href=\"https:\/\/chickaboutworld.com\/home\/brunch-like-a-londoner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this article<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1292\" class=\"wp-image-37437\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22-unstructured-citation-milk-beach-1.png\" alt=\"22 unstructured citation milk beach 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22-unstructured-citation-milk-beach-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22-unstructured-citation-milk-beach-1-526x425.png 526w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22-unstructured-citation-milk-beach-1-768x620.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22-unstructured-citation-milk-beach-1-1536x1240.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>If she hasn\u2019t mentioned our coffee shop, it\u2019s either because she\u2019s never been there, or because she didn\u2019t like it. So it might be worth sending her a friendly email, and perhaps even inviting her down for a bite to eat. If she takes us up on our offer, she might add the shop to her post or even write a standalone review.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s another citation that stood out in the <strong>Backlinks<\/strong>&nbsp;report:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"333\" class=\"wp-image-37453\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22-gluten-free-citation-1.png\" alt=\"22 gluten free citation 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22-gluten-free-citation-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22-gluten-free-citation-1-680x142.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22-gluten-free-citation-1-768x160.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22-gluten-free-citation-1-1536x320.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><br>\nThis one comes from a gluten-free food blogger. Now, it probably wouldn\u2019t make sense to reach out to her as she no longer lives in the UK. But assuming we have some tasty options for celiacs, we could look for other gluten-free food bloggers in London and reach out to&nbsp;them.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.roadaffair.com\/gluten-free-london\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">just one page I found<\/a>&nbsp;with a quick Google search for gluten-free bloggers in London. It cites tons of businesses:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-37458\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/gluten-free-london-1.gif\" alt width=\"1188\" height=\"938\"><\/p>\n<p>You can see that while this process requires a bit of common sense and creativity, it can uncover some fantastic opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>Is it going to work for every business? Of course not. If you\u2019re a one-person band in a small town, then chances are your competitors haven\u2019t been cited by any journalists and bloggers. If that\u2019s the case, it\u2019s usually a sign of low-competition, so you can probably outrank them just by nailing your structured citations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why citation accuracy matters\" data-section=\"why-citation-accuracy-matters\">\n<h2>Why it\u2019s important to keep your citations consistent and accurate<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>For both structured and unstructured citations, you need to do your best to keep them accurate and consistent. That means not having one phone number in one place, and a completely different number in another.<\/p>\n<p>This is not only thought to be bad for local SEO, but it also erodes&nbsp;the trust of consumers. In fact, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/research\/local-citations-trust-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">one study<\/a>&nbsp;found that a staggering 80% of consumers lose trust in local businesses if they see incorrect or inconsistent contact details or business names online.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1022\" class=\"wp-image-37445\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/23-brightlocal-graph-1.png\" alt=\"23 brightlocal graph 1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/23-brightlocal-graph-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/23-brightlocal-graph-1-665x425.png 665w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/23-brightlocal-graph-1-260x166.png 260w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/23-brightlocal-graph-1-768x491.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/23-brightlocal-graph-1-1536x981.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to see why this is the case. If businesses don\u2019t keep on top of their online presence, then you might assume that they closed down or are just unreliable.<\/p>\n<p>That said, there\u2019s no need to obsess too much over consistency. If one directory has you down as \u201cBeanies Coffee Shop,\u201d and another has you down as \u201cBeanies,\u201d that\u2019s unlikely to be a big problem. As long as everything else matches (address, phone number, website, etc.), then Google will almost certainly be able to put two and two together.<\/p>\n<h2>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>Citations are important for local SEO, but they\u2019re far from the be-all and end-all of it. You also need to optimize your Google My Business profile, do proper <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/keyword-research\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/keyword-research\/\">keyword research<\/a>, crack your <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/on-page-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/on-page-seo\/\">on-page SEO<\/a>, and&nbsp;more.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/local-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/local-seo\/\">Our comprehensive guide to local SEO<\/a>&nbsp;can help with&nbsp;that.<\/p>\n<p>Got questions about citations? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshuachardwick?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Citations appear in lots of different places: business directories, social networks\u2014anywhere someone might be looking for information about local businesses. Here\u2019s an example of one for a coffee shop in New&nbsp;York: This is known as a NAP citation because it<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":37356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[197],"tags":[],"coauthors":[336],"class_list":["post-37353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-seo","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is A Local Citation? How They Help SEO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Local citations are a key ranking factor for local SEO. 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