The Importance of Local Citation for your Business

Citations are a key element in ranking algorithms of top search engines such as Google and Bing, contributing to at least 25% of David Mimh’s top 20 Local Search Ranking Factors http://www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml. As well, citations validate a business’s presence in the community. Local citation is simply where your local business is mentioned on other websites on the internet. Local citations are increase rank up in local search engine results. These may not include any link to your website, but your company is cited, mentioned and referenced.

It is highly advisable if you are a local business to concentrate on making a strong core of citations with the intention of widening the visibility of your business. Improving your digital presence via citations also builds up “trust” in search engines with respect to the validity of business’ existence. On a local search engine, high quality citations are viewed as the number one factor in SERP algorithms. There are hundreds of important platforms on which you can list your business. Aim for getting your business listed on high-PR local directories.

Why citations are important to achieve your businesses’ success?

Customers and clients do not only search on desktop but also mobile apps, mobile search, and more. A big percentage of buyers use local search engines to find companies in their general vicinity, using features such as “near me” on apps such as Google Maps. They read positive reviews for products or services offered and make a purchases when they are satisfied with the reviews.

Businesses with a greater number of local citations rank higher than those with lower number of citations, making them a key component in local search rankings. The more sites with which your business is listed, the more available it becomes online, in turn increasing ranking. The mention of your business may come in various forms such as:

• Business name.
• Business name and phone number.
• Business name, phone number and address.

A complete citation includes all three: business name, phone number and address.

How do citations work?

When Google or other local search engines find your business information on external websites, this signals to them that your business operates on these sites. Google counts and credits hyperlinks from one site to another site in order to rank a certain website in Google search results. Getting more related links improves the ranking of your website, giving you a better chance at outranking competitors. It is also important that you set up and optimize Google+ Local Business Page.

Different sorts of citations are:

• Social Profiles such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Foursquare.
• Local themed blogs. Local blogs are great places to get businesses listed, which vary by geography.
• Related local websites.
• General business directories.
• Industry, niche or sector specific websites such as Trip Advisor.

How to get your business’ name listed higher?

Reaching top rankings will imply that you have accomplished a greater number of citations than your competitor. Aside from the total number of citations, the quality and correctness of the information you enter plays a significant role. The higher the accuracy of your niche and general citations, the more value these will make towards your rank in local search engines, improving the presence of your site all over the web.

If you have the budget, you can hire outsourcing services, which can do the work for you in finding citations and inserting your business information on them.