David Hunter — March 23, 2019 — March 23, 2019
We have all seen it: a company that is mentioned in press releases, news articles, blogs, and more. But how are they getting these mentions and how is it positively affecting their business? Let’s learn a little bit more about what are called “citations” and how your business can benefit from them.
What is a citation and how can I get one?
A citation is an online reference to a business’ name, address, and phone number (NAP). This reference can also include a link to the business’ website; however, if you choose not to link it, this will not hurt you. Here is an example of a full citation:
ASAPmaps, 903 French St, Erie, Pennsylvania, 16501, (8144809786)
or
ASAPmaps
903 French St
Erie, Pennsylvania 16501
8144809786
Formatting in terms of horizontal or vertical does not matter until you have chosen one. It is crucial to remain consistent in the ways that your citations are laid out.
There are many ways to accumulate citations. Many people believe that the only way to get citations is through directories; however, citations can be found in press releases, articles, question and answer sites, image and video descriptions, and much more.
Why are online local citations helpful?
For a citation to be as beneficial as possible, it must include all three aspects: name, address, and phone number. If a citation only has one or two out of the three, other companies with full citations will have an advantage over you.
Citations help Google evaluate companies’ local authority by reviewing how many citations they have. A company that is mentioned on more sites has a higher probability of reaching a higher ranking than a company that is not.
There are three factors that a business owner has to take into consideration when getting citations:
- The number of citations
- The accuracy of the citations
- The quality of websites that the citations are on
With that being said, each one of these aspects will go along with the other. It is essential that you do not go to just any directories or other sites to get citations. Make sure that the websites that you are getting citations from are relevant to your company in one way or another. While it is important to have a lot of citations, it is even more important that they are good citations. Quality over quantity, always.
In Conclusion
Getting and keeping track of citations can prove to be quite time-consuming, but in the end, they are going to be extremely beneficial to your business’ outreach and Google ranking. Citations on prominent local sites will help your business establish trust, credibility, and authority, so take advantage of this simple SEO solution!
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