Local citations, built and kept correct
Citations are every place online that lists your business name, address and phone. When they all agree, Google trusts the address on your profile and shows you in the map pack. When they disagree, it quietly stops.
What the citation service includes
Part of SEO and Local Growth. No setup fee, no per-directory charges.
How we do it
The same five steps, every client, every month.
- 1
1. Audit
We find every listing for your business and record the exact name, address and phone each one shows. Most businesses discover two or three versions of their own address at this step.
- 2
2. Set the canonical NAP
You confirm the one correct name, address, phone and website. We store it as the source of truth that your website schema, your Google profile and every directory must match.
- 3
3. Repair
Listings with an old address, a wrong phone or a duplicate get corrected first, starting with the ones search engines trust most. New listings wait until the old ones agree.
- 4
4. Build
Map engines first (Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Foursquare), then the directories that matter in your industry and area, then the data aggregators that feed the long tail. One directory at a time, never in bursts.
- 5
5. Monitor
Every listing is re-checked monthly. Drift gets fixed, and you see the whole grid in your dashboard: directory, status, and whether the address matches.
Why this is a local ranking factor
What consistent citations do
Google cross-checks the address on your Business Profile against the rest of the web. Agreement is a trust signal for the map pack; it also feeds Apple Maps, Siri, Bing and the apps that license their data.
- Map-pack eligibility for your service area
- Correct directions, phone and hours everywhere customers look
- Fewer misrouted calls and lost walk-ins
What inconsistent citations do
A move, a new phone number or a suite line that appears on half the web and not the other half looks like two businesses. Rankings soften and nobody can tell why.
- Old addresses on Yelp, BBB and aggregator sites after a move
- Unclaimed listings that anyone can edit
- Duplicate profiles that split reviews and signals
Citations are included in our SEO and Local Growth add-on rather than sold as a one-off, because the value is in keeping them correct, not in building them once. Every listing we touch is logged in your dashboard with the address it showed before and after.
Questions, answered
Do you need my logins?
For directories where you already have an account (Google, Yelp for Business, BBB) we work inside your account with you on a call, or you grant staff access. We never create accounts in your name without you.
How many directories?
Quality over count. The four map engines and roughly twenty directories that carry weight for your industry and area, plus the data aggregators that populate the rest. We do not pay for bulk submission services.
How long does it take?
The audit and canonical NAP take a week. Repairs and the first wave of submissions run over the following four to six weeks, one directory at a time so nothing looks automated. Monitoring is monthly from then on.
We just moved. What happens?
A move is exactly when this matters. We update your Google profile and website first, then every listing, in order of how much search engines trust it.
Want to see your own citation grid?