Building Local Citations

A local citation is any online mention of your business's name, address, and phone number — collectively called NAP. Citations can appear on business directories, review sites, social profiles, local news sites, and industry association pages. Search engines use citation data to verify that your business is real, legitimate, and located where you claim.

If your business name, address, or phone number appears differently across the web — different abbreviations, old addresses, changed phone numbers — search engines become uncertain about which version is accurate. This inconsistency can suppress your local pack rankings and confuse potential customers who encounter contradictory contact information.