{"id":5752,"date":"2023-07-25T06:12:54","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T11:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/?post_type=blog&p=5752"},"modified":"2024-12-10T08:11:54","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T13:11:54","slug":"local-search-citations-explained","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/blog\/local-search-citations-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Local Search Citations Matter for Local SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you know <\/span>62%<\/span><\/a> of consumers will disregard a business if they can\u2019t find it online?<\/span><\/p>\n

That means over two-thirds of your potential customers won\u2019t convert if they can\u2019t find your business information online.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s what many businesses are losing by ignoring the power of local citations!<\/span><\/p>\n

Citations may hold less weight than they used to, but they still contribute to the rankings of local SERPs in Google<\/a>. <\/span>This article will discuss local citations, why they matter for local SEO, and how to get them.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a Local Citation?<\/h2>\n

Most SEO experts define local citations as mentions of your business information on third-party sites, especially its name, address, and phone number. Simply put, they are listings of your business information on the internet. <\/span>Local citations typically appear in online business directories, review websites, social media platforms, and other online platforms where business information is listed. These citations help search engines like Google validate and verify your business’s location data’s existence, legitimacy, and consistency.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Citations Matter for Local SEO<\/h2>\n

1. It Creates Local Buzz and Discoverability<\/h3>\n

Research reveals that <\/span>46% <\/span><\/a>of all Google searches are for local businesses or services. With more than 3.5 billion searches being received by Google daily, that\u2019s a whopping <\/span>1.6 billion<\/span><\/a> of them that include local intent. <\/span>Undoubtedly, it\u2019s easy for a small business to be lost in the crowd!<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though <\/span>97%<\/span><\/a> of users searched online to find a local business, with 54% searching once a month and 12% every day, your business can still be invisible like air in search engine result pages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We needed to show you these stats to know what you are missing if you still ignore crucial local SEO ranking factors like local citations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Listing your business information on online business directories, social media platforms, review websites, and more (we will expand on how to get local citations later in the article) places your site in the limelight. In other words, it increases your business discoverability beyond bespoke billboards or the best mobile billboard in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, \u201cnear me\u201d searches have increased by over <\/span>200%<\/span><\/a> in the last two years. But the dividend of this increase is only available to local businesses that have claimed their Google Business Profile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, there was a<\/span> 61%<\/span><\/a> increase in calls from Google Business Profiles in 2020, and an average Google Business Profile receives 33 clicks per month.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact,<\/span> 64%<\/span><\/a> of consumers use Google Business Profile to find contact details of local businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you aren\u2019t there, how do you want to be noticeable?<\/span><\/p>\n

2. It Establishes Trust with Potential Customers<\/h3>\n

\u201cThink of local citations as mini-testimonials. They are a way to tell your website visitor that the information you\u2019re claiming is actually true. If you want to be a part of your business community for the long term, then you need those citations to build trust,\u201d says Cynthia Davies<\/a>, Founder of <\/span>Cindy\u2019s New Mexico LLC<\/span><\/p>\n

Gitnux analysis reveals that businesses with Google Business Profiles are <\/span>94%<\/span><\/a> more likely to be viewed as reputable. That means businesses whose information is mentioned on the internet, especially on reputable directories, reap the reward of increased trust and credibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

More so, <\/span>96%<\/span><\/a> of consumers access a business\u2019s Google Business Profile within the past week before purchasing.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. It Validates Your Business Before Search Engines<\/h3>\n

\u201cLocal citations act as a verification method for search engines to provide that your business is where you say it is and that it is a genuine business operating within a specific area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is crucial for local SEO, as search engines must understand your location to relate this to where to ‘place’ your site with local competitors.\u201d Paul Maher<\/a>, Head of Content of <\/span>Fourth Day<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Online Directories and Review Sites Have Real Estate on SERPs<\/h3>\n

Online directories often have a high domain authority and are trusted sources of information for search engines. When a business is listed on prominent directories like Yelp and Google Business Profile, it benefits from the authority and reputation of these platforms. Search engines consider these directories reliable local information sources and rank them high on result pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Local<\/p>\n

For instance, individual plumbing services in Yelp\u2019s list might be unable to outrank the #2, #3 or $4 position on SERPs for the keyword \u201cplumber washington dc.\u201d But claiming a listing on the directory gave them leverage beyond their individual capacity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research<\/span><\/a> shows that the #1 result on SERPs has an average CTR of 27.6%. And you know it\u2019s easy for these directory listings and reviews sites to rank #1 on Google search results. Also, an average Google Business Profile receives <\/span>33 clicks<\/span><\/a> per month.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having your business information on all online directories and review sites gives your business visibility and suppresses the effort of trying to have real estate on SERPs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. It Increases Traffic and Conversions<\/h3>\n

You have built trust with your prospects and search engines and your business is easily discoverable and visible.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/span><\/p>\n

Increased traffic and conversions!<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb Rule<\/a> of <\/span>Rule Marketing Group<\/span> shares a case study on how his company increased YAMS organic traffic and conversion by optimizing relevant local citations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith a music store, Young America Music Schools (https:\/\/youngamericamusic.com\/) wasn’t being found much by potential customers. Their on-site SEO wasn’t strong, but they were also buried in Google Maps if you searched for a music store … even though there weren’t many to compete with locally.<\/span><\/p>\n

We first upgraded the website and cleaned up the on-site SEO. Then, we focused on claiming and updating information in multiple places such as Yelp, YP.com, Bing, and more. It was amazing how this local business that’d been around for a while had either significantly wrong information floating out there or wasn’t listed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nobody can assume they’ll be found!<\/span><\/p>\n

Soon, <\/span>Google My Business began driving 50% of the traffic to the site and 67% of the conversions<\/b> – we know this because of utm parameters placed in the links within the GMB listing to help us break out that traffic vs. other organic traffic within Google Analytics.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Get Citations to Boost Your Local Search Visibility<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start with this important note from Robert Bentz<\/a>, CEO of <\/span>Purplegator<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

He said,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s one thing to get a listing, but it’s far better to get listed on sites that real people visit, where they are likelier to click over to your site.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile<\/h3>\n

With a Google Business Profile, you can manage how your business information appears on Google\u2019s result pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

According to <\/span>Google Business Profile Help<\/span><\/a>, with a Business Profile, you can:<\/span><\/p>\n

Maintain accurate information about your business online<\/strong><\/p>\n