Are you trying to rank on local search engines and have no idea how to do it? Citations are your solution.
What Are Citations?
Citations are a search engine’s key to success and a great way to gain brand recognition. However, not everyone understands the power of citations.
There are many misconceptions about citations and what they really mean. But we are about to break down the confusion for you.
Citations are online mentions of a business name, address and phone number. Or as they are colloquially known: NAP Citations. For SEO, Citations play a big role in local search engine results because they give users more valuable information and increase the chances of bringing more leads to your business.
How Are Citations Used?
The first step to using citations is to understand that your business NAP information must always be the same. Inconsistencies in your company’s name, address, and phone number hinder the usefulness of citations.
Citations can take the form of online business directories in many cases, but there’s more to do with citations.
The minimum business information required for citations is the name, address, and phone number. However, certain websites offer other options for using more relevant business information.
These are the precise steps to use citations the right way:
Step 1: Get your NAP business information
- Business name
- Local phone number
- Correct local business address
Regardless of the industry, you are in, this data is mandatory. You must not miss any of the previous three criteria, and if you do, then quotes may not be right for you at this moment.
Step 2: Matching Website NAP information with your local business information
There is no room for error in this step. Your business information must match the business information you provide on your website. If it doesn’t, your citation efforts will not yield the expected result. Remember, you use Citations to get your brand noticed online and to build trust in search engines.
Step 3: Prepare the list of local websites listing of businesses
These are the websites where you can add your online business profile. Think of them as what the yellow pages are to businesses. Here you have 5 examples of the local business listing you can use:
Step 4: Prepare images to help your business stand out
Here you will have to answer a simple question: Do you want your business to look cheap or professional? The images will send that message to the expected. You need to provide images that fit your business. When using images on quotes, it helps to include things like:
- A photo of yourself
- A photo of the building where your business has the offices
- Your logo
Step 5: It’s time to start citing
Citations are powerful for local ranking, more powerful if the citations to your site come from authoritative sites. Don’t confuse Citations with backlinks. Citations are mentions of your business’s physical location, backlinks are links to your site. A Citations does not necessarily need a link to your site, just the business information from NAP.
A good place to start is to include your business in local listing websites. For Cyprus, you can use some of these websites:
Local Citation Audit & Clean Up
Your business may not be ranking locally due to an incorrect citation strategy. We perform citation audits and cleanups on a daily basis. If you need help ranking your business locally to increase your business’s local presence and beat your competitors, you need to appear first in local search results.
We can help you clean up and get your business on the first pages in your city. Contact us at +357 99762835 or via the contact form below, we look forward to working with you!
