istockphoto_10323103-pencil-checkmarksWhat Is A Business Citation?

A citation is where your business name and address is mentioned (or cited) on another website. An example would be if  your business is listed in the on-line yellow pages or a local business directory or even on the Better Business Bureau website. Citations don’t necessarily have links leading back to a websites since many business owners don’t have websites.

What Is The Purpose Of A Business Citation?

A citation is a way for search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing to know that your business is a real business. When they see other sites listing your business name with your business address on their website, it provides them with a higher level of confidence that your business actually exists at the correct location.

What Are The Best Citations?

Not all citations are created equal. For example, a citation from a large local website like your chamber of commerce carries more weight than a citation from a sushi blogger in Japan. A citation from an industry directory like Trip Adviser would be more powerful for a bed and breakfast than it would be for a business that sells hearing aids.

Where Can I Find Websites To Cite My Business?

The best way to find powerful citation sites is to identify where your competition is getting their citations. You can find these citation sites for your industry by going to the Google map of a competitor, clicking on the “more info” link and then clicking on the “web pages” link. The first thing you will notice is that most of the businesses that have a website will have a citation from their own website. This is a good reason to have your own website. Then you will see a list of all … or most of the other websites that cite their business.

I created a video below that will show you the exact steps. Business Citations

How Important Are Citations?

All things being equal, the business that has the most, and the most powerful citations will rank higher in the search results than their competition. This is why you want to make the time to acquire citations for your business listing.

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