Citation
Also called: local citation, business citation, nap citation
A citation is any online mention of your business's name, address, and phone number (NAP), such as a listing on Yelp, Apple Maps, or a local directory. Search engines use these mentions to verify that a business exists and is located where it says it is.
Structured vs unstructured citations
A structured citation is a formal directory listing with fixed fields for your NAP, on sites like Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Yelp, or Apple Maps. An unstructured citation is a passing mention in a news story, blog post, or forum thread that names your business without a listing template.
Google’s own guidance ties local ranking to relevance, distance, and prominence. Prominence, Google says, is based on info like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have. Citations feed that signal. Consistent mentions across trusted sites tell Google your business is real, active, and located where it claims to be.
Consistency is the part people get wrong. If one directory lists “123 Main St, Suite 200” and another says “123 Main Street #200,” the mismatch weakens the confidence signal. Move offices, change a phone number, or rebrand, and stale citations scatter conflicting data across the web.
Example: a plumber listed as “Joe’s Plumbing LLC” on Yelp but “Joe Plumbing” on the local chamber site sends two slightly different identities to Google. Cleaning that up so every source matches exactly is the routine work of citation management, and part of what an ongoing Local SEO program handles.
How it affects your traffic
Missing or inconsistent citations quietly cap how often you surface in the Google local pack and Maps, which is where most "near me" searches turn into calls and store visits. Auditing your NAP across the major directories and fixing mismatches often lifts map-pack visibility without a single new blog post or backlink. That citation cleanup and ongoing consistency work is a core part of a Local SEO engagement.
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