If you are still wondering how citation and ‘NAP’ can help your local business, this article is especially for you. What is NAP you may ask? It’s just an acronym of the name, address, and phone number of your business.
Local Citations Improve Local SEO
Having accurate and consistent local citation would convince Google about the authenticity of your business. So, the more places cite your business, the higher the chances of ranking in search results. Let’s talk about the figures. A recent study suggests that the local search queries (on mobile and desktop) accounted for almost half of the search volume.
Take a moment to consider these numbers. You will realize that building your local citation will also impact your conversion rate. When users perform any “near me” search, they want ready-to-action information. It could include address/location, hours of operation, reviews, and ratings, discovering coupons, etc. You should make sure your citation also mentions your category, links, and email ID.
For example, take a look at the screenshot above. The highlighted text shows the following elements of the listings – price, facilities, ratings, reviews. If they appeal to me, I will not give a second thought before booking a room. One powerful mantra that you should always remember is that consistency is critical! Be consistent with every citation you build.
Why Are Citations Important for your Busines?
Have a look at the points below to know why citations can empower your local business.
1. Google is judgmental!
Google enlists those businesses which customers cite and visit more often. It uses local SEO and citations to verify the accuracy and authenticity of the contact details. If 100+ different websites list the same NAP, then most likely, it’s accurate. Thus, every mention from authoritative and relevant websites builds Google’s confidence in you.
2. Word of mouth
The more people visit you, the more they will talk about you. Local SEO citations create awareness about your product and brand in the market space. They provide people more ways to find you online. If your business is listed, it can be easily discovered by your potential users. Thus, increasing your local citations can give your popularity a boost.
3. Getting reviews
Everybody has their own favorite space on the internet. I like Foursquare as it has categories covering almost everything. So, when I experience an excellent service or dreamy food from any restaurant, I write a review on Foursquare. I do the same when I walk out of a spa (listed in the directory), which makes me feel as relaxed as ever. But, a friend of mine (a big-time foodie!), doesn’t write reviews in any other place except Yelp. When all directories cite your business, your chances of getting reviewed are higher. So, if you are not listed on Yelp, you will most likely miss a review from my friend!
4. Make sure everything is alright!
There might be duplicate listings trying to impersonate you by slightly altering the spelling of your business name. This kind of thing could create a negative impression in the eyes of your customers. Local SEO needs to enlist your business at all the relevant places which ensure nobody will copy your NAP.
How to Build Local Citations?
In local SEO, before you start building your citations, you need to check out the competition. Ultimately, the key to ranking is better than your competitor.
Find citations of your competitor
Here’s a way:
Identify the keywords that you want to rank for and perform a Google search. The top 10 results are your competitors. Prepare an Excel sheet and copy their URLs. Once you have their URLs, check your competitors’ NAP one by one. Make a note of the places where your competitors are listed and enter the URLs in an excel sheet.
Once you know where your competitors built their citations, you have your starting point. If one of your competitors has 5 listings, you need to get listed on those 5 places and some others as well! Building your listings manually might seem like a tedious task. As it involves an analysis of your business niche, it consumes a lot of time and energy. To simplify this, you can use automated tools. They can pull a list of websites and directories where you should get listed. On a local rank tracking website, you can also compare this list with the places where you have already been cited. It will help you build your citations further.
Conclusion
A local citation is an asset to your business. You might have a great product, but if people don’t know about you, what good is that “unique business idea“? Mentions of your websites increase your business reputation and visibility in the market. You rise in the eyes of both Search Engines and users, which is the ultimate goal.
