Local citations
What are local citations?
A local citation is any mention of a business’s name, address and phone number (NAP) on another website. Structured citations are listings on directories and platforms such as Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing Places, industry directories and chambers of commerce. Unstructured citations are mentions in articles, blog posts or local news.
Citations help search engines confirm that a business exists, where it is and what it does. They do not need to include a link to count as a citation, though many do.
Why local citations matter for SEO
Citations on trusted, relevant sites support the prominence part of Google’s local ranking factors, and they are where many customers find you outside Google. Accurate listings on the main data platforms also feed other services, such as in-car navigation and voice assistants.
Quality and accuracy matter more than quantity. A few dozen accurate listings on well-known and industry-specific sites do more than hundreds on low-quality directories, which add little and can spread wrong details.
How to build local citations
- Start with the core platforms: Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places and the main directories in your country.
- Add industry-specific directories, such as those for legal, medical or trade businesses.
- Add local ones: chamber of commerce, local business associations, council or tourism sites.
- Use exactly the same NAP everywhere, and the same website URL.
- Find and fix existing listings with old details before creating new ones.
- Earn unstructured citations through local press, sponsorships and community events.
Local citations FAQ
Are local citations still important?
They are a foundation rather than a big lever. Accurate listings on major and relevant platforms help; mass-submitting to hundreds of directories rarely does.
Is a citation the same as a backlink?
No. A citation is a mention of your business details, with or without a link. A backlink is a link to your site, with or without your address.
Related SEO terms
NAP stands for name, address and phone number. Keeping your NAP consistent across your site, profiles and directories supports local SEO.
Google Business Profile is Google’s free listing for local businesses, shown in Maps and the local pack with hours, reviews, photos and directions.
Local ranking factors decide which businesses Google shows in Maps and the local pack. Google names three: relevance, distance and prominence.
Apple Business Connect is Apple’s free tool for businesses to claim and manage how their place appears in Apple Maps and other Apple apps.
Bing Places for Business is Microsoft’s free tool for managing how a business appears in Bing search and Bing Maps.
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Search engines treat backlinks as votes of trust and use them to rank and discover pages.