Local search today is dependent upon a new type of data or link building known as citations. Put simply, citations are mentions of your business name and address (or even site) even if there is no actual link provided. This could be something as simple as an online yellow pages directory listing that has your business information but no link. Or it could be an article on a local business association site that mentions your name, or a mention on a local chamber of commerce site. Instead of the word citations, many other places might also call them web references. Either way they mean the same thing. These are becoming increasingly valuable in search engine optimization (SEO).

How Local Citations are Used for SEO

Honestly, the world of SEO is changing dramatically. All the so-called gurus of the past few years are slowly coming to realize that their old methods no longer work quite as effectively as before. Instead of simply trying to build links now, local citations are becoming more important. Google, and all the other search engines are continuing to hone their focus upon quality and relevance. They understand that anyone can simply blast their link out to hundreds or thousands of places.  As such, search engines like Google have started treating such practices as link spam

The theory that the search engines are working now is that it is much harder to fake a citation than an actual link. Since local citations are now playing a larger role in search engine ranking algorithms it stands to reason that obtaining citations from more places online will mean that your business will be ranked higher than a competitor who does not have as many local citations. This way, the search engine is able to confirm that you are a trusted resource.

Of course, where you receive your citations is also important. A portal or a site that already is well-respected by the major search engines like SuperPages.com will probably provide more benefit than having a citation in another directory that no one actually uses. Local citations can also be used to confirm that a business is actually a trusted member of a particular association. So, maybe it is indeed time to get that membership in the county business index or renew your chamber of commerce membership. These types of local citations can be incredibly valuable simply because they are indeed so difficult to fake.

Business that are in less competitive niches where many others do not have websites themselves are ripe for take-over. If this is your situation, being a local plumber, electrician, builder, or other service provider, then get moving and build up some local citations as quickly as possible. This will definitely improve your search engine rankings and give you a big lead on your competition who does not even known what is happening.

Best Practices for Using Local Citations for SEO

Probably the first step in obtaining local citations is to submit your business information to the top local directories.

Best Business Directories for Building Local Citation Links

• SuperPages
• Yellow Bot
• Shop City
• Judy’s Book
• Magic Yellow
• Info USA
• Local.com
• City Search
• Yellow Book
• Insider Pages
• Kudzu
• Merchant Circle
• Yelp
• Four Square
• Yahoo! Local
• Manta
• Angie’s List
• Service Magic
• City Data

And there are probably a bunch more that can be found which are applicable to your particular business.

Alternatives to Business Citations for Building Local Search SEO Links

Another excellent tactic for getting your business name out there, as it were, is to make guest blog posts. Find relevant blog sites that deal with issues or problems people in your target market are facing and write about them. Answer questions and provide value, if nothing else. After a while, contact the blog owner and offer to write a guest post in exchange for a mention of your business.

Despite article directory sites not carrying nearly the same search engine benefits as they once did, writing and posting a few articles can still be effective. Just make sure they are quality articles and mention your business without overdoing it. You could also write and post press releases. Once again, just make sure that your business information is mentioned as that you are actually saying something of value.

Use forum and email signatures. This is an old school method that still can work. Include your business information in a signature that is automatically appended to every outgoing email you send. Do the same thing in every forum to which you post. And then actually post on a regular basis. Provide solid value is the key to all of these methods.