What are local citations in SEO?
In simple terms, local citations in SEO are references and information pertaining to a business. This would include basic details, such as information about the nature of business, the location, and contact details. The most important information about a business is the name, address, and phone number or contact information (NAP). Information regarding the operational timings, maps location, website, etc. can also be added while citation building. You can also incorporate business categories, terms of payment, images, and videos as well while you’re building your local citation.
Why are Local Citations Important?
Local citations are important as they help users discover new businesses and also impact the search results rankings.
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Better Local rankings:
Verified information often gets better rankings. Local citations can improve rankings and positively impact your local SEO campaign. They also help search engines verify the information about the business itself.
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Increase traffic to your site:
Improved or better rankings would mean that there is increased visibility through search engines. This converts into traffic to your site, which can aid in generating new business and also help as a brand-building exercise. By adding the right citations through local SEO services, you can list your business in various directories, which routes traffic from Google and other search engines.
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Piggyback on business directories:
Online business directories are usually the first result that shows up when you conduct an online search. With local citations, you can piggyback through these directories as online directories provide opportunities for local businesses.
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Build customer base:
Listing your business in more than one business directory with the help of the right local citations can build a bigger customer base. Customers want to know how genuine the business is and if it can be trusted. Listing on directories with local citations provides genuineness and helps trust-building
Conclusion
Neglecting local citations is a business risk as it can damage the online ranking and lead to the stagnation of business. Since this is the core data of the business, accurate citations will have a positive impact not just on the web but also in terms of revenue and customer trust.