Google Map Citations for Local SEO are important for local SEO. Citations tell Google where to rank your website and which pages to display in the SERPs.
It’s just as important as any other on-page SEO strategy, and it’s a critical way to get started with citation building. Are you going to use Google Map Citations for Local SEO to build your professional brand?
There is a lot of confusion about what citations are and how they can help you rank better in local searches.
This guide will teach you everything you need to know about the importance of citation building, how to build citations, and how to manage them once they’re built.
What are Google Map Citations for Local SEO??
Citations are a citation-building strategy that can help you rank better in search engines. Citations tell Google where to rank your website and which pages to display in the SERPs.
There are two types of citations: business listings and articles.
Business listings contain information about your business and let customers find you online and may increase Google Map Citations for Local SEO. Articles usually contain quotes from you, the author (you). It’s important to get both of these types of citations if you want to rank well in local search rankings.
Why You Need Citations
to Rank
Citations are important for ranking in local search results because they tell Google where to rank your pages. If you’re just starting a website, it’s a great way to get started on building up some citations, and if you’re already established, it’s never too late to start.
By adding citations that point back to your business, you can increase the chances that people will find you when they search for your brand or products online. It does not matter if you are an eCommerce business or a local mechanic store to be found online citations are important.
How You Get Google Map Citations for Local SEO
It used to be that you had to ask for citations. But today, many places will give them to you automatically.
Google Maps is one of the easiest ways to get Google Map Citations for Local SEO. Google Maps automatically creates a citation when it displays your business on the map, on your listing page, or in search results (along with other citations).
You can find the citation on your business’s information page in Google My Business and on your verified Google+ page.
If you’re not on Google Maps, creating a citation is even easier! You don’t need to spend time contacting companies individually. All you have to do is add your business information on Google My Business and provide any additional details about yourself or your company.
The next step is making sure all of your social media profiles are linked up with your Google account so they can display this information as well.
How to Build Citations
Citations are references to your business location on other websites. When people search for businesses, Google wants to know where you’re located. That’s where Google Map Citations for Local SEO come in.
If your business is local, then it’s likely that you’ve already built citations through your website and social media profiles. It’s important to check this regularly to ensure everything is up-to-date and accurate.
Once you’ve confirmed that all of the locations on your website are correct, it’s time to build citations around the web. This is an important part of local SEO because Google uses these citations as evidence to help determine rankings for your website in SERPs.
There are several ways to build citations, but the easiest way is through the citation builder tool provided by Moz Local or Google My Business (GMB).
You can also get started with a spreadsheet by gathering information about each citation you want to build and then publishing them on any webpage of your choosing.
Managing Google Map Citations for Local SEO
Once They’re Built
Citations might be the most confusing part of SEO. When you build citations, they can help you rank in local search results and get more traffic to your site. But what happens when your citations need updating? Managing them is just as important as building them in the first place.
If you’re not careful, outdated citations could actually hurt your rankings. Make sure that any new references or changes to your website are reflected in your citations and that your citation profile is accurate and up-to-date.
This way, when Google crawls your site for information, it’ll see the most recent information.
Here’s how to make sure this happens:
- First, make sure all of your on-page SEO is done correctly (this includes the proper use of keywords).
- Then, look at each citation individually and check for accuracy and consistency with other citations.
- Be sure to change anywhere needed and update the date the reference was published if it’s been more than a year since then.
- Finally, check that all backlinks lead back to your homepage and that there are no broken links on the page where you have a citation built.
Conclusion
A critical component to ranking high in Google Maps is having citations. Citations verify your business location and help Google understand what your business is about.
Citations are also a way to provide third-party citations for your business, which can help you rank higher in search engines.
There are many types of citations, but the most important ones are:
NAP (Name, Address, Phone)
NAP Variations
Social Media Profiles
Listing on Local Directories
Blogs
Listing on News Publications
Listing on Chamber of Commerce
Blogs
Listing on Yellow Pages
Listing on White Pages
Listing on Other Online Directories
