Today’s economy demands that businesses differentiate themselves from the competition, and citations can help businesses do just that by increasing credibility and authority within their local community.
Citations in online directories and review websites increase search engine visibility and customer acquisition. Make sure they’re consistent across platforms, and regularly audit them.
Local Directories
Prior to smartphones and the Internet, businesses used heavy paper directories that would be distributed through postal services as an effective marketing tactic for customers as well as offering valuable backlinks back to websites.
Online local directories have become an effective way for small businesses to increase local visibility. Indexed by search engines and often appearing as separate search results, local directories make it easy for search engines to recognize your business quickly.
When using this type of directory, it’s essential that all information about your business (name of company, address, phone number, and website URL) remain consistent across directories so it can easily find and understand you as a local entity.
Accuracy in online local directories is of utmost importance; inaccurate details could cause unnecessary customer confusion and adversely affect search engine rankings.
Local Search Engines
Search engines build trust when they encounter multiple reliable references for a business and it increases their ability to rank for relevant searches. Conversely, when search engines encounter inconsistent or inconsistently presented information about one company, they lose confidence and may limit its potential ranking opportunities for relevant searches.
To prevent this from occurring, it’s vital that your citations are regularly audited for consistency and accuracy – this can be accomplished using software like Dragon Metrics. In addition, quality should always come before quantity; higher-quality citations from reliable directories, niche legal platforms, or local business listings will carry greater weight than numerous low-quality listings.
Additionally, law firms must ensure that their Google Business Profiles are fully optimized. This involves adding all required business information, photos, reviews, and keyword to improve relevance in local searches and improve visibility on Google.
Social Media
National and international brands with deep pockets may be able to devote substantial sums of money toward digital marketing strategies, but local businesses still have a chance at competing by taking smart and strategic approaches tailored specifically to the geographic areas they serve. By employing social media marketing techniques like local SEO or citation-building strategies, local companies can take advantage of the rise in local shopping.
Develop locally-focused evergreen content and involve your community through social media to enhance brand loyalty, establish yourself as an authority figure within your industry, increase traffic to your website, and help boost its search rankings in Google Maps – leading to more calls or in-person visits from potential customers.
Implementing review schema markup can result in Google search results featuring a Knowledge Graph box, increasing your visibility with local customers. Reviews play a pivotal role in local pack ranking factors and are essential components of consumer trust–something which often precedes purchase decisions.