Online directories are a dime a dozen. Whether you’re looking for a new restaurant, the nearest gas station, or the business hours for your local hardware store, there’s an online directory for that. And while most of us use them without giving it a second thought, these online directories play an important role in local search engine optimization (SEO). In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to the concept of local citations and explain why they matter for your business.
What Are Local Citations?
In the world of SEO, a citation is simply a mention of your business on the internet, whether it’s on a website, directory, or even social media platform. A local citation is any mention of your business that includes your name, address, and phone number (often abbreviated to NAP), also known as your NAPW information.
Why Are Local Citations Important?
Local citations help search engines verify the accuracy of your NAPW information and determine whether your business is legitimate. In addition, local citations help improve your visibility in local search results. The more local citations you have from high-quality websites, the higher you’ll rank in search engine results pages (SERPs), and the more likely potential customers will be to find and contact your business.
How Can I Improve My Local Citation Profile?
To get started with improving your local citation profile, we recommend conducting a local citation audit. This involves taking inventory of all the places where your NAPW information appears online and checking for consistency across each listing. Once you have a complete picture of your current citation profile, you can begin working on building new citations from high-quality websites.
If you want to improve your SEO and get found by more potential customers through local search results, then building up your local citation profile should be at the top of your to-do list. not sure where to start?
Our team at Sotavento Medios can help! We specialize in SEO and can conduct a comprehensive citation audit for your business so we can identify opportunities for improvement. Contact us today to learn more!
