If you’re involved in Local Search, you may be hearing the term citation used frequently in discussions about optimizing for Google Maps. A citation is simply a mention or citing of your business on a page on the web. It may contain just the name or it may include the phone number, address and other information, as well.
Citations are important in Local Search because they can help Google build trust in the information it has about a brick and mortar business and trust is crucial in the ranking algorithm for Google Maps.
If Google sees the same name, address and other data about your business in many places across the internet, it can be more confident that the business exists in that particular location than if it sees it on only one or two web pages. Conversely, if Google finds conflicting information, its confidence is lowered, since it’s not certain where an enterprise is or even if it still exists.
While a citation that includes a link is the most valuable, a link isn’t necessary to have a good citation. The best citations are those from trusted websites, like the Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Internet Yellow Pages and well-known local business directories, like City Search, Merchant Circle, Kudzu, Yelp, etc.
Many industries have their own trusted niche directories. Healthgrades.com is an example of a trusted directory for dentists, while Findlaw.com and Lawyers.com provide authoritative citations for attorneys of all types. Examine the Google Maps Local Business Listings of your competitors and businesses like yours in other cities. Look in the Details area to see who is supplying information to Maps. Also look in the Web Pages area to see the citations Google has found for those enterprises and to get ideas of where you might want to list your own.
Research the Web Pages Google Maps displays within your own Local Business Listing. Look at all the pages that cite your business to make certain the information is current and correct. If it isn’t, go to the source and up date it there, which will help with the trust Google has in it.
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