Blog Post

If you’ve ever wondered why your competitor’s business keeps showing up in local search—even though yours has better reviews, a cleaner website, and more services—the answer might be hiding in something simple: citations.

Let me say this upfront: citations won’t make or break your SEO alone. But ignore them, and you might end up invisible in places that matter most. I’ve worked with countless local businesses over the years, and one recurring issue I run into is inconsistent or missing citation data. It’s boring, sure. But it quietly does a lot of heavy lifting in local rankings.

Here’s why local citations still deserve your attention—and how I make sure they actually move the needle for my clients.

A local citation is any online mention of your business’s name, address, and phone number—often called NAP data. These can appear on directory websites, review platforms, social media profiles, or local business listings.

There are two main types of citations:

• Structured citations, which come from directories like Yelp, Google Business Profile, Bing Places, and Yellow Pages. They usually follow a clear format.
  
• Unstructured citations, like a blog post, news article, or local event page that mentions your business naturally in a sentence or paragraph.
  

Both types help search engines confirm that your business exists, where it’s located, and how trustworthy it is.

When your NAP details are consistent across the web, search engines can confidently connect the dots. When they’re messy or outdated? Google gets confused. And when Google gets confused, you don’t get visibility.

🔗 If you’re not sure how citations tie into the bigger picture, check out my post on what local SEO really is.

Let’s be honest: local citations aren’t as dominant a factor as they once were. Algorithms have evolved. But they’re far from dead. Here’s how they still pull their weight:

Citations help establish your business’s location relevance. That’s especially important when you’re trying to rank in the Google Map Pack—those top three listings that appear above organic search results.

Search engines look for:

• Consistent NAP information
  
• Appearances across reputable platforms
  
• Contextual clues about what you do and where you do it
  

Even one incorrect phone number on a major directory can muddy the waters. And Google doesn’t have time for guesswork.

🔗 Want to show up more often in the Map Pack? Here’s my step-by-step guide.

Here’s something I’ve told clients a dozen times: you don’t always need your website to rank to get visibility.

Some directories and review sites rank better than local business websites. Why fight that? Instead, ride the wave. A properly filled-out Yelp listing can put your business on page one—even if your own site is still climbing.

This is especially helpful for newer businesses that haven’t built up authority yet. Claiming those directory spots gives you real estate in search results without fighting for every keyword.

When your business appears across well-known directories with consistent, accurate info, it sends trust signals. Both people and search engines start viewing your business as legitimate, established, and active.

And here’s a bonus: many citation sites allow customers to leave reviews. More mentions, more stars, more trust.

🔗 Need more reviews too? I wrote a whole piece on getting more local reviews that you’ll find helpful.

If you’ve ever tried building backlinks the traditional way, you know it’s time-consuming and often thankless. Citations offer a workaround.

Some directories allow dofollow links to your website. Not all, but some. And even the nofollow ones still add value by diversifying your link profile.

It’s not the flashiest strategy, but it works. Local SEO isn’t always about glamour. Sometimes it’s about rolling up your sleeves and fixing the small stuff.

This is one of the most common questions I get. My answer? “Enough to outrank your competition, but not so many you drown in duplicates.”

There’s no magic number, but here’s what industry averages tell us:

• Local businesses that rank on page one typically have 80–100 citations
  
• Medical and legal industries tend to have more—sometimes over 100
  
• Hospitality businesses often reach 150 or more
  

That said, don’t obsess over volume. Focus on relevance and accuracy. A few strong listings beat 200 low-quality ones every time.

🔗 If you’re wondering how this plays out by industry, take a look at my insights on local ranking factors.

Start with the big platforms:

• Google Business Profile
  
• Yelp
  
• Bing Places
  
• Facebook
  
• Apple Maps
  

Then, move on to industry-specific directories:

• Lawyers: Avvo
  
• Medical: Healthgrades
  
• Home Services: Angi, Houzz
  
• Restaurants: Zomato, Tripadvisor
  

After that, layer on local directories: city-specific business chambers, local newspapers, regional listings. These offer great relevance.

🔗 For multi-location businesses, this gets more complex. I broke it down in this guide.

Let’s be real: citation management isn’t glamorous. But if you mess it up, it can quietly tank your visibility. Here’s what I see too often:

• Mismatched phone numbers or street names
  
• Duplicate listings on the same platform
  
• Listings with outdated business hours or closed location info
  
• Business names listed in five different formats (trust me, this happens more than you’d think)
  

Fixing these errors can have a real impact on local rankings. It also prevents customers from calling a dead line or showing up to the wrong place.

🔗 Already dealing with duplicates? Here’s how I fix them.

One more tip: just because you created a citation doesn’t mean Google sees it. That listing has to be indexed.

You can speed this up by:

• Linking to your citations from your own site
  
• Using a pinging tool to nudge crawlers
  
• Making sure your listings aren’t blocked by robots.txt (yep, that happens)
  

The goal here isn’t just to exist—it’s to be seen.

Local citations aren’t sexy. They won’t impress your boss at a cocktail party. But they will help more people find your business, trust it, and reach out.

When done right, citations:

• Strengthen your local rankings
  
• Support visibility without fighting for organic keywords
  
• Improve trust and consistency
  
• Contribute to link diversity
  

I treat citations the same way I treat technical SEO: clean, consistent, and quietly powerful. If your NAP is a mess, it’s time to tidy up. And if you haven’t claimed your listings yet—start today.

There’s no magic shortcut, but the gains are worth it.

Would you like a quick audit of your current citation status or tools I use to track them across platforms? Let me know. It’s the kind of unglamorous work I actually enjoy.