Citation Sources

What are Citations and why are they so important to your Local Search Strategy?

A citation of your business exists when it is mentioned on the Internet in any of the search engines, local search engines, directories, local directories, local search engines, etc.

These different services often times “feed” information to the major search engines such as Google and Bing about your business, and this is the information that will be displayed when anyone is looking for your services or products.

At a very basic level, it is extremely important to have an accurate owner verified presence in Google Places/Maps, Yahoo! Local, Bing Local and Yelp. At a minimum a business’ NAP + W (name of business, address, phone number + website) should be consistent throughout. That is why it is crucial to launch a Local SEO campaign by Performing an Audit of the Business’ Listing. This will not only show its local strength or weaknesses in but will help solidify a NAP presence on the Internet.

Below are some of the main search engines and directories that we submit our customer’s information to. It is very important to understand that this process cannot be automated, it must be carried out manually and it should be well thought out and planned before being executed.

Local keyword search is also very important and should be carried out right after the audit in order to incorporate it into the business listing description, categories, etc. to reinforce its optimization.

Major Search Engines

• Google Maps
• Yahoo Local
• Bing Local
• Yelp (Main Siri search Provider)

Primary Data Providers

• Infogroup
• Acxiom
• infoUSA
• Localeze

Secondary Data Providers

• Superpages
• Insider Pages
• Citysearch/Citygrid ($)
• Marchex’s OpenList network
• Yellow Pages
• iBEgin
• Local.com
• Merchant Circle
• Angie’s List
• Business.com
• Kudzu
• Foursquare

Local Search Engines

• Yellowbot
• Locally Focused Directories
• Best of the Web’s Regional Directory
• Yahoo’s Regional Directory
• Local Chamber of Commerce
• CitySquares
• Judy’s Book
• DexKnows
• BBB

Industry Focused Directories

• Dojo Locator (MA)

Review Engines

• Yelp
• Google Places
• Citysearch
• Yahoo Local
• Niche Industry Sites (TripAdvisor, OpenTable, and DealerRater)
• InsiderPages
• JudysBook
• Superpages
• YellowPages
• Kudzu