How Do Citations Help With Local SEO?

Local Citations are where your company gets mentioned on other sites on the Internet. For the most part, they are listings on major directories and business listing sites. This includes sites like Facebook, Mapquest, Yellowpages and Manta, just to name a few.

?? The Importance of Building Local Citations for Local SEO

Citations play a big role in local SEO. If people leave information about your business online, they can help you build trust and credibility with you customers. This would include things such as brand name, phone number or address.

On the other hand, citations serve as Google’s ranking signal. Citations provide search engines with the important information on business location and popularity. It’s clear that the more people mention your business in the Internet – the better! As a result, Google will reward your business and it will rank higher in local search.

Multiple studies find that businesses that rank high in local search results usually have at least 75 citations. According to the statistics, businesses with the highest number of citations tend to rank first on Google for local search.

?? How many citations do I need to rank?

The studies have found that the vast majority of local businesses that rank #1 in Google local search have at least 86 citations. It’s also interesting to know that local businesses that rank in positions 1 – 3 in Google local search have at least 85 citations.

?? Where do people traditionally choose to write citations about local businesses?

The number of citations is incredibly important for local SEO success. However, it’s crucial for local businesses to get citations on the right cites.

Top citation sites for local businesses are:

? Facebook

? Yelp

? Mapquest

? Yellow Pages

? Manta

What do you think? Maybe you’d like to read on? Check out the full version here then email me at [email protected] to discuss how this might impact your own business.