Citations

A citation is a listing of your business name, address and phone number on another website, such as Apple Maps, Bing or a trade directory. Google uses them to confirm that your business is real, where it is, and that other trusted sites know about it.

• Consistent listings on trusted sites are one of the three main factors in local rankings.
• Details that differ between sites, such as an old phone number or address, weaken Google's confidence in your business.
• A few strong, relevant listings are worth more than hundreds of low-quality ones.

1. 01Set up or correct your listings on the core sites: Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Yelp and Foursquare.
2. 02Find the directories that already rank for your search term and get you listed on them.
3. 03Check where the top competitors are listed and fill the gaps.
4. 04Add trade and local directories relevant to your business.
5. 05Make sure your name, address and phone number match your Google Business Profile everywhere.
6. 06Bring your social media profiles into line with the same details.
7. 07Where a site asks you to confirm by email or phone, send you a short list each week.

Your business listed accurately on the sites Google trusts most, with the same details everywhere.