Citations are business directory listings online much like we used to have with the printed Yellow Pages book that we still sometimes find on our front doorstep. Just like the books we found on our doorstep, Yellowbook, Dex and local printed city directories there are a variety of online ones to list your business with. Also just like the printed some of the internet directories you list with can cost money and some have more value than others. Finding directories that are relevant and have a high domain authority for your business to be listed with can take some effort. There are a lot of different lists you can find online and also some services to assist with your citation listings.
Online business directories allow you to fill out a business profile with all your business information like name, address, phone number, domain name, business description, services provided, photos and logos. The search engines use what they call the NAP (name, address, phone number) to put together information about your business. The more accurate and consistent this information is with the information on your website, the clearer the picture of who you are and how to rank your business is for the search engines. Having complete and verified profiles in high ranking directories is critical to your local SEO rankings and business branding.
There are hundreds of online directories that you can have a business listing with, not all of them even the credible ones are right for every business. Some directories are very niche and focus on a specific industry like doctors or lawyers. Listing your business in a lawyer director that has a high domain authority will not help you if you do not provide legal services. This would appear to be spammy and would most likely have a negative impact on your local rankings. Finding the best directories for your business and the products or services you offer can take some time to research and find. There are some good online lists that have been created, but a true expert or SEO company will know what will produce the top results for your business.
The right way for creating a business’ online presence are consistency in information and placement on authoritative websites for quality links. Attention to detail is important and will ultimately create the best results, no one wants mediocre rankings, poor website traffic and non converting visitors. Tackling the process of creating pertinent online information for your business and keeping track of all that information can be very time consuming. Having a professional digital marketing company with an expert at account management to provide this service correctly will not only save you a ton of time, but will also significantly increase your return on investment when it comes to online marketing.
