What is a Local Citation for Local SEO?

You may have heard about the terms “local citations” or “local SEO”. In case you’re wondering what this all means, we are here to help you understand and succeed. Since a majority of businesses operate locally rather than nation or worldwide, local SEO is extremely important.

A local citation includes any linked or non-linked mentions of your business name, website, address, phone number and more. It all helps contribute to your local search engine optimization (SEO).

Why Citations Help Boost Your SEO

From an SEO perspective, they are key in regards to their impact on local search rankings. Search engines such as Google and Bing use these citations in order to help organize rankings. The logic behind this is that if a business gets mentioned a lot online, it deserves to have higher rankings. This holds especially true if the mentions are on websites of relevant and related topics as what your business is about.

Because local citations can simply be your company’s name, address, or phone number rather than a link to your website, it’s imperative that your NAP (name, address, and phone number) is consistent across all platforms. That includes, your website, all of your social media accounts, and any local directories in which you’re featured.

Where To Get Citations From?

A lot of uninformed people are under the impression that the only source for citations is directories. This is very wrong! Even though directories are good places to get leads, alternate sources include profile pages, image and video descriptors, press releases, question and answer sites and, of course, from other websites!

To use local Toronto SEO as an example, having your business mentioned (with or without a link) by a reputable outlet such as BlogTO will likely draw a substantial amount of attention to your business.

Keep in mind that not all citations are created equal. A mention of your business’s NAP along with a link to your website from Mississauga.ca is worth a lot more than a spammy business directory, or “link farm” that is designed solely for low quality link building.

Top 21 Canadian Local Citation Sources

Facebook
Bing Places
Foursquare
Industry Canada
YellowPages
Yelp
iBegin
Brownbook
MapQuest
CanPages
WebLocal
411
AboutUs.com
ShowMeLocal
Goldbook
Profile Canada
n49
Found Locally
Cylex
YLM
HotFrog

Structured vs. Unstructured Citations

The most common and most popular local citations come from sites like Yellow Pages, 411.ca, and Yelp. These are referred to as structured citations, since they’re essentially designed to be a citation farm.

Unstructured citations are often more difficult to attain, but they have a larger reach, making them more valuable to your local rankings. Unstructured citations can often be found in newspapers, blogs, government sites, and even job posting sites.

An effective local Toronto SEO strategy includes both structured and unstructured citations.

Want to know more about local Toronto SEO? Do not hesitate to send us a message or give us a call: (647) 726-2020.

Chris A. Hughes