You’ve probably heard of the term “Local SEO” a lot by now, with some confusing explanations. Simply, Local SEO, is a technique used to improve your online presence in local search results, increasing the number as site visitors and incoming enquiries. It aims to boost your website’s ranking within those local search results. This is increasingly important, as 46% of all Google searches are made with local intent.
A good Local SEO strategy involves a number of things but one great and effective way to boost these local rankings is to use citations. In this article we’re discussing what a citation is as well as 4 steps to building citations.
What Are Citations?
Local citations are simply any online mention of your business whether that’s your business’ name, address or phone number. You might find local citations in local directories, social media or maps. It’s important to remember NAP – Name, Address, Phone when adding an online citation, make sure each element is included. A good starting step is to ensure your business NAP is visible on every page of your website.
Any local citations, structured or unstructured, will benefit Local SEO, especially because the more visibility your business has, the more reliable it appears.
How To Start Building Citations
1. Add your NAP to General Sites
Once your NAP is on each page of your website, you should start adding it to certain sites. Make sure any citation is somewhat relevant, you don’t want to waste your time adding to a site that has no connection to your business.
Sites such as Facebook, Apple and Google Maps, Yahoo Local and Yellow Pages are all suitable places to start, and the process shouldn’t take you too long with these ones!
2. Get specific
We’ve talked about citations on general sites, but it’s also important to add your NAP to local websites (after all this is about Local SEO) and websites specific to your industry.
Do your research and find industry-specific directories and local sites that will help to drive traffic to your site. This process is a bit more time-consuming, but it’ll be worth it!
3. Use Unstructured Citations
We mentioned this briefly, but an unstructured citation appears in articles, blogs, posts, reviews on your website and social media channels. It sounds obvious, but when you’re writing this type on content, include your NAP. It will help to boost Local SEO.
Again, this bit can be time-consuming because it requires more content writing, but the efforts will be worth it.
4. Use Data Aggregators
We do understand that trying to keep on top of all citations can become a bit much. So, if this happens, you can use data aggregators, companies that collate all your NAP and wider business information and then distribute them to various websites, saving you time and effort.
How Can We Help?
At Shine On Digital we offer Local SEO packages, so if you’re struggling specifically with citations, or with your Local SEO strategy in general, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Either call 01706 482017, e-mail or fill out the contact form if you have any questions or need support.