A citation is an online reference to your business name, address, and phone (NAP) on an external website. There are two types of citation categories – Structured and Unstructured.
Structured means the Name, Address, and Phone are presented in sequential format on the external website whilst Unstructured means it can vary. Google prefers you have structured citations as it carries more weight in the algorithm when ranking for local business.
Digital agencies such as SIM Digital Solutions ensure your business has consistent citations across all your business backlinks to avoid any fuss with Google. They specialize in SEO Services and provide a free audit that shows you if you have any inconsistencies in your listings.
Having multiple citations allows google to build up confidence that your NAP pack is truly associated with who you say you are. It’s not as easy as just entering your business into Google and expecting the algorithm to trust you. It needs external references to allow to build up an internal score to categorize you.
Citations have categories within them as well
Generic Citation – Country based directories (Yelp, Facebook, …)
Niche Based Citation – Based on your niche (Angi,..)
Geo Relevance Citation – Local city directories
It’s crucial that your business has enough citations so you can outrank your competition! Below are just few good citation listing directories that allow your business to be submitted for free. I will update the list accordingly as I find more sources.
List of Good Citations In United States
– Amazon Alexa
– DoorDash
– Instacart
– Nextdoor
– ShowMeLocal
– Uber Eats
– YellowPagesDirectory
