What is Citations?

Structured citations - Listings on business directories with organized NAP fields (Yelp, Google Business Profile, BBB) Unstructured citations - Mentions of your business in blog posts, news articles, social media, or other web content where NAP info appears in running text. Both types contribute to local SEO, but structured citations are easier to control and optimize.

Citations influence local rankings through: • Validation - Consistent NAP across sources confirms your business details • Discovery - Search engines find your business through directory listings • Authority - Being listed on authoritative directories builds trust • Volume - More quality citations generally correlate with higher local rankings Quality matters more than quantity. One listing on an authoritative, relevant directory is worth more than dozens on obscure sites.

Priority directories to list on: • Google Business Profile (most important) • Yelp • Facebook Business • Apple Maps • Bing Places • BBB (Better Business Bureau) • Industry-specific directories • Local chamber of commerce • Data aggregators (Factual, Acxiom, Localeze, Infogroup) Submit to data aggregators first - they feed information to hundreds of smaller directories automatically.

PixlSEO's citation management tracks your listings across directories: • View listing status (active, pending, not found) • Monitor NAP consistency • Track directory coverage • Identify missing high-priority listings Regular citation audits ensure accuracy, especially after business moves, phone changes, or rebranding.