In this guide, we will share the best practices for building your business locally, using citations for Whangarei companies.
Do you want to get your company to the top of the page when searching online? Do you want to optimize your visibility to potential customers and build your customer base?
Of course you do!
We can help you make the most of your business and improve your reputation.
Local citations are an integral part of building your business locally and will help drive quality traffic to your company. Get your name out there along with your details, and then people will know what you do and where to find you.
What Is a Local Citation
A local citation is any reference to your business online. This could be your company’s name, address or telephone number and is the key to any good local SEO strategy, significantly improving your local search results.
A complete citation should contain all three facts: name, address and phone number, which is also known as NAP. You can add to this with your website, NAPW or your URL, UNAP. The website link adds an extra data point, helping the search engines connect the citation to your company.
Some citations allow you to include a business description, upload images, and link to your social media accounts; however, lots don’t give this option.
Common citations include listings on business directories, and local business owners in New Zealand should make the most of relevant local citation sources, taking advantage of these to promote their business.
The Benefits of Building Citations
The benefits of building citations for Whangarei companies can be huge and can increase your business massively.
Visibility
By building local citations, you will be able to improve your visibility and establish your online presence. You have full control of the information given out and shared with search engines and customers, making sure that this is correct and relevant.
The more visible your business is, the easier it’ll be for customers to find you and use your services.
Trust
Using citations correctly helps search engines verify that your business exists. If lots of credible sources have the same information about your company, it lets them know that the business is legitimate.
When people search for a company, they want to trust your business and brand, knowing that they can rely on you and your services or products. People use social media platforms and local directories to learn more about your business and, more importantly, your reputation.
Rankings
Prominence is essential when building your business. No one wants to be at the bottom of the page when it comes to online rankings.
By correctly listing your company on credible online directories, you’ll positively impact your rankings. Search engines look to the quality and quantity of links pointing to your business as an important factor in ranking.
The more places that your business appears online, the more prominent it will be to search engines, which will increase your rankings and online traffic.
Why You Should Audit Your Current Citations
You should regularly review and update your citations to make sure that the information is relevant. A local citation audit should be part of your marketing strategy to ensure that the company information that you’re sharing is correct and up to date.
If you’ve noticed your website has had a sudden drop in traffic or you have slipped down the rankings, don’t panic; take a look at your citations in the first instance to see if the problem can be found here. If you’ve updated your phone number or address, this may be the issue; you will need to find any discrepancies in your citations and fix them.
What Is the Best Way To Clean up Your Citations
The job of cleaning up your citations isn’t an easy one, but it’s an essential task. Your information should be accurate in every citation.
The first place you should start is the citations specific to your location and your type of industry.
When checking citations, ensure that you’re listing the ones that have been updated. You can use a checklist each time you audit them, making your job a little easier next time.
How To Build Out Citations for Whangarei Business Correctly
Local business owners in New Zealand should make the most out of relevant local citations to build their online visibility and website traffic.
It’s important to have consistent details available for people searching the web. Research is key, and you should search local business listings online, adding your company details as you go.
Check all industry-specific platforms and add your details. By appearing on these citations, your business will come across as more credible to potential customers.
How Many Citations Should You Build?
There are hundreds of local citation sources that you can check; however, it should be about quality over quantity. There’s no point in having hundreds of citations if the information isn’t consistent and incorrect.
Business websites that rank in the local top ten generally have between 75–86 citations. Remember, the highest-ranking business websites have citations for high profile and industry-relevant websites.
Tricks To Finding Citation Sources
Once you understand what a local citation is and why it’s vital in growing your business rankings, the next thing you need to do is find the relevant citations for your business.
One way to find the best citation sources is to check out what your competitors are doing and see where they’re listed. What works for them will more than likely work for you too.
Use online directories and social media platforms, such as Facebook, to see who is listed and what details are available. Adding your details to these will get your name out there.
Summary
Having a strong online presence and citation profile is essential to optimize your local SEO and should be one of the first things you do when building your online business. Potential customers will find you through your local citations, and the more citations you build, with the correct, consistent information, the more reputable your business will appear.
Just remember to keep your local citations up to date. Don’t just add them and sit back and wait for your rankings to improve. This information should be kept updated with any changes and always ensure that the details are relevant.
It’s now up to you to put that knowledge to use. If you need help building your citations.
Loaded Digital. has got you back.
