{"id":250,"date":"2024-01-15T06:16:20","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T06:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inscribox.com\/blog\/?p=250"},"modified":"2024-01-15T06:19:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T06:19:49","slug":"how-to-do-local-citations-for-your-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inscribox.com\/blog\/how-to-do-local-citations-for-your-small-business","title":{"rendered":"How To Do Local Citations For Your Small Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cCitation\u201d means a mention, quotation, or reference to something.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, <\/span>local citations<\/b> mean mentioning or quoting a local business’s name, address, phone number, and website.\u00a0<\/span>These mentions can appear on public listings, business directories, social networks, or popular online news outlets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of a local citation on the Foursquare city guide.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"example<\/p>\n

This kind of citation helps people discover your local business online and enables them to contact you or locate your physical address.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In search engine optimization (SEO), local citations play a critical role in getting local businesses to rank high on the top pages of search engines (SERP).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This means local citation can boost your SEO<\/a> efforts and get your business to reach millions of people in a target location. So, i<\/span>f you are not maximizing local citations already, you are missing out on a huge opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article will show you how to succesfully do local citations for your small business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But before we get into the HOW, let\u2019s talk about the WHY.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Are Local Citations Important?<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are two significant reasons why every small business shouldn\u2019t ignore local citations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reason #1: To Rank Higher on Search Engine Result Pages for Local Search Queries<\/b><\/h3>\n

Local citations will make your business appear more in online local searches for what you offer.<\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>survey<\/span><\/a> by Moz suggested that citations are the fifth most crucial signal that helps businesses rank higher for local queries. E<\/span>ven better if the citations have a link that points people to your business\u2019 website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hence, such backlinks will make Google and other search engines rank your website for searches relating to your business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of local plumbing businesses currently ranking on Google for the search query \u201cplumbing services in New York.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Reason #2: To Help People Discover Your Business\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Many people like to find local businesses in public directories like the Yellow Pages, Yelp, Google My Business, and the Chamber of Commerce.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having your business listed on these directories will help people find you through various online mediums.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the screenshot below, some local tilers listed on Google Business quickly popped up when we searched for \u201ctilers in Wisconsin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Similarly, when we searched for the same thing on Yelp, we discovered new local tiling businesses we had never seen before.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You see how in a matter of minutes, we now know four<\/span> local tilers in Wisconsin, United States.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We can easily contact these four tilers whenever we need tiling services because their business names, phone numbers, addresses, and websites are listed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now before we dive into how to do local citations, let\u2019s explain one critical point – <\/span>the types of local citations out there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of Local Citations<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are basically two types of local citations online. <\/span>Here\u2019s a simple explanation of both.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Unstructured Citations<\/b><\/h3>\n

These citations are mainly contextual mentions of a local business. You\u2019ll often find such in a blog post or general posts on a public forum.<\/span><\/p>\n

In some cases, unstructured citations can appear in a press mention of local businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example from a blog post reviewing the <\/span>best cafes in London<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The above blog post reviewed a couple of great cafes in London and added their physical addresses, websites, and contact info.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, there are other instances where such a citation only highlights the business address or phone number without mentioning the website or additional info.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why they are called \u201cunstructured\u201d citations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Structured Citations<\/b><\/h3>\n

As the name implies, structured citations always follow a standard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll often see the citations displayed in the same format for every company. <\/span>At the bare minimum, a structured citation would list the business name, address, and phone number (NAP).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These kinds of citations mostly appear on public directories and social media profiles. <\/span>The example below shows three businesses listed in similar ways on <\/span>Yelp<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"example<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now that we\u2019ve explained what local citations mean, let\u2019s dive into how you can get citations for your own business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Do Local Citations for Your Small Business<\/b><\/h2>\n

To begin with, let\u2019s clarify that both structured and unstructured types of citations are good for your business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And by that, we mean \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t get too carried away; quality matters over quantity when it comes to local citations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow the steps below to get high-quality local citations for your small business.<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 1: Get Cited on Top Data Aggregators<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you search online, you\u2019ll find thousands of business directories with helpful information on various local businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Which begs the question… how do they manage to gather such huge amounts of information?<\/span><\/p>\n

If they keep waiting for local business owners to submit the data, there will be many gaps, and some people will take ages before submitting theirs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The secret solution lies with some companies called \u201cdata aggregators.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, these aggregators collect various businesses’ names, addresses, and phone numbers (NAP) and distribute them to hundreds of directory websites.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, your goal is to get your business information submitted to these aggregators.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If your business is in the United States, focus on top aggregators like:<\/span><\/p>\n