To excel in local SEO and achieve champion status, building a robust citation game is imperative. Citations play a pivotal role in securing the top rank for your Google My Business listing, shielding it from suspension, and safeguarding your phone number from alterations. Whether you’re optimizing the SEO listing for a salon, dentist, or bank, citations are indispensable. However, the key is not just to have citations but to implement a well-rounded and advanced citation strategy, which we will discuss in this blog.
How to Make Citations For Google Listing
In this blog, we’ll delve into the intricacies of a perfect citation strategy for local SEO. Let’s begin by revisiting the definition of citation.
What is Citations?
When you create a business listing, you provide various details, but the most crucial are the business name, address, and phone number. This trio forms the essence of how people identify, locate, and contact your business. When these three elements coexist on a single webpage, it constitutes a citation.
Advanced Citation Strategy in Local SEO
Citations can be categorized into six types for ease of comprehension: Major Citation, Industry Citation, Region Citation, Unstructured Citation, Unclaimed Citation, and Stacked Citation.
Major citations:
Major citations involve listing your business on prominent platforms such as Google My Business, Bing Places for Maps, Apple Maps, and other widely used directories. These high-quality citations contribute significantly to your SEO efforts.
Industry citations:
Industry citations focus on niche-specific platforms related to your business, like Practo for medical services, Zomato for restaurants, and Vakilsearch for legal services. Listing on these platforms, whether paid or free, adds credibility to your business.
Regional citations:
Regional citations target local directories, city portals, and association memberships, offering a geographically relevant presence. Platforms like OLX, Quikr, and Locanto can be utilized, and online classifieds in city-specific newspapers are valuable, albeit requiring careful consideration.
Unstructured citations:
Unstructured citations encompass mentions of your business that may not include all three elements (name, address, and phone number) together. While the goal is to have structured citations, leveraging unstructured mentions on high-traffic websites can still benefit your business.
Unclaimed citations:
Unclaimed citations are relevant for older businesses with existing listings that may contain outdated or incomplete information. Actively seeking and updating these citations contribute to the overall SEO strategy, considering their established presence on the web.
Stacked citations:
Finally, stacked citations involve creating multiple citations for a single keyword on one platform. This enhances trust flow and authority, provided the selected platform has significant traffic and relevance to your business.
In conclusion, a well-balanced approach to these six citation types, with equal attention given to major, industry, regional, and unstructured citations, can gradually elevate your business listing’s position on Google Maps, resulting in increased leads and calls. Stay tuned for more local SEO tips and tricks in our upcoming blogs.
Blog Credit: Amit Tiwari
