Local Search: Improving Google Places Listing with Citations

Citations have become a huge factor in where your Google Places listing will rank. To understand why these have become so important, we first must understand what a citation is. A citation is simply how Google reads the Name, Address and Phone number for your business, otherwise known as your NAP. While citations are just a piece of the local search puzzle, they do play a major role.

Consistency in your NAP

Keeping your NAP consistent across the internet is essential. As Google crawls sites, it reads the information provided. By seeing a consistent NAP across the internet, Google is able to validate your business? physical location. Adding more and more citations gives more credibility to your listing. If your Google Places listing is set up properly, these consistent citations should help improve its rankings.

When you set up your Google Places listing you will provide a Name, Address and Phone number. These must be kept EXACTLY the same each time you get a new citation. For example, If your Google Places listing has Company ABC123, 999 Somewhere Rd. Suite 66, that is how all of your citations should read. Don?t change Suite to Ste. or Change Company ABC123 to Company ABC-123. Make sure you keep the capitalization, punctuation, phone number format, etc. as exact as you possibly can.

Also be sure to have your NAP be consistent between your Places page and your website. Your NAP should be listed on each page, and be written the exact same way as it is in your other citations.

I Already Have Inconsistent Citations! What Do I Do?

If you have submitted to directories or created other listings, your NAP information is already out there. Information you have submitted in the past may not be the same as what is on your Google Places page. In these cases, you will want to edit those listings to match your Places listing. If you are able, login and make the necessary edits yourself. In cases where you can?t edit yourself, you will want to pick up the phone and call, or at the very least, send an email with your requested changes. Contacting some of these sites may not be easy, but it?s imperative that you make an effort to have it changed.

Getting Citations

It all starts with the creation of your Google Places page. Create or update your listing with your current business information. Once you have a complete Places Listing, you can then start getting citations. Here are a few ways to get citations:

1. Add your NAP to the description of any YouTube videos you have out there.
2. Add your NAP to your Flickr account, Squidoo lenses and other accounts and social pages
3. Sell tickets for local events at your business location. The event website can list your NAP as a place to buy tickets.
4. Create listings for your business in reputable and relevant directories and IYPs
5. Add your NAP to websites of any events your business is sponsoring.

While these are only a few ways to get citations on the internet, there are certainly more. SEOs are going to get more and more creative in finding places to add citations. If you?re looking for ideas, here is a list of the Top 50 citation sources.

Keep an eye out for more blog posts about getting citations and other ways to improve local search for your business.

Author: Phil Foriska

Phil is a Digital Marketing Analyst at Interactivity Marketing. Graduated from WVU and has been involved in the digital marketing world since 2009.

Source: http://www.interactivitymarketing.com/local-search-improving-google-places-listing-with-citations/

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