Let's take a NAP: the power of citations in local SEO

Got a local brick-and-mortar shop or provide a service to a specific town or city?

Local SEO is your friend.

Slightly different from regular SEO, local SEO is all about targeting words and phrases specific to a particular geographic area.

There are many different ways to stand out in the local search results. You can optimise your website for the right keywords. You can set up a Google Business Profile. You can make friends with the journalists at your regional newspaper.

However, an underestimated way to supercharge your local SEO rankings is through citations.

Not sure what a citation is? You're in the right place.

So, what is a citation?

A citation is a mention of your business's contact details on a website which isn't yours.

This could be an online directory, review aggregators, social media profiles, blogs, or other companies' websites.

The three critical pieces of information you need to get featured are:

• Name
• Address
• Phone number

Or, as the title of this article succinctly put it, NAP.

Why do citations influence where you rank?

Google hasn't officially said that citations are a ranking factor for local SEO. However, it has noted that relevance, distance, and prominence are critical when deciding where to rank web pages.

Citations help search engines like Google determine where a business is and whether it is active. So, a wide range of local citations can boost a search engine's trust in your business, increasing your chances of snatching the number one spot.

While citations aren't the most prominent local SEO ranking factor (hello keyword research and on-page optimisation), I still recommend getting as many NAPs as you can.

Of course, another benefit of citations is that people may see your details and check you out. Think of them as little beacons guiding prospective customers to your website.

Do I need to include a web link in my citation?

No, and that's the beauty of getting citations. Getting backlinks for the purpose of SEO can be a long and frustrating process.

However, all you need for a citation is your business name, address, and phone number. While you can add other information, these are the three factors that count.

How to do local citations right

So, how can you make the most of citations when it comes to your local SEO strategy? Here are some of my top tips.

Think quality, not quantity

Like backlinks, it's better for your citations to appear on a relevant, high-quality site than a spammy one. So, while creating an account on every single directory you can find online might be tempting, this isn't the right approach.

Here's a handy hint for you. Gov.uk domains are well-trusted by the search engines and rank highly as a result. So check out your local council's website and see if they have a business directory you can feature on.

Be consistent

Your citations must be consistent and contain the same information each time. If there are inaccuracies, it can mean the search engines get confused about where your business is based or whether you're still active.

Check where you're listed to see if your NAP information is identical across each website. And, of course, if your phone number changes or you move to a new address, take the time to update all of your citations.

There are citation management tools out there if you have a lot of mentions on a lot of sites. We recommend Moz Local and Semrush Listings Management. Not only can these platforms manage your citations for you, but they also recommend new sites to get featured on.

Network with other local businesses

Citations come in two flavours – structured and unstructured. Structured ones are citations you see on directories like Yell, Foursquare, and Yelp, as well as social media platforms. These citations follow a set order, and every citation is listed the same way.

Unstructured citations are more flexible. For example, your NAP might be mentioned at the bottom of a review on a blog, or a roundup for the local newspaper. To get these citations, it pays to network with local journalists, politicians, influencers, bloggers, fellow businesses, and people of interest.

Make friends on LinkedIn or attend some local networking events. You just might meet someone who wants to big up your business on their website!

Harness the power of local SEO with Xigen

If you want people to find your business, whether you're a plumber, run a coffee shop, or manage an independent school, local SEO is a must.

It might not surprise you that we offer local SEO services alongside our more traditional SEO offerings. Our expert team will help you stand out in the organic search results and show prospective customers why you should be their business of choice wherever you are in the world.

Interested? Drop me a DM to find out more.