[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Introduction” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Whether you’re looking for your closest Italian restaurant for a dinner reservation, the best craft brewery in town, or you just need a good latte to get you through your 3pm slump, you’re most likely starting with a search that includes the words \u201cnear me\u201d or \u201cin Chicago\u201d (or wherever you call home).<\/p>\n
The search results you get in return most likely contain local citations, and local citation building is key for local businesses to ensure customers can find them, improve their rank in search, and maintain consistent and accurate information online. It sounds like a lot of work, but this article will go through how Vendasta\u2019s suite of tools can make it easy to automate local citation building and management, so your clients can own the local search landscape.<\/p>\n
[et_pb_section global_module=\"113171 \"][\/et_pb_section]<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”What is a local citation?” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n A local citation is simply anywhere you can find a local business’s name, address, or phone number (NAP) information<\/a> on a website that doesn’t belong to the business. This often means online directories like Google Business Profile, review websites<\/a> like Yelp, or even on social media platforms like Facebook. Local citations can help with a business’ local SEO efforts by boosting visibility so customers can easily find them. The more consistent and accurate local citations<\/a> a business has, the higher it can potentially rank in local search results.<\/p>\n Consumers use local search every day, whether they\u2019re looking to find a place to eat, shop, get a haircut, or even get directions to a store they\u2019ve visited many times before. It\u2019s crucial that businesses not only show up in these searches, but that their information is up-to-date. These citations are also a key factor in whether businesses are selected in Google\u2019s \u201cSnack Pack\u201d<\/a> (also known as a local three pack or Google Maps three pack), where three businesses are highlighted next to a map in search results. This kind of visibility is a great way to draw potential customers into your location.<\/p>\n Local citation building should be a key element in any business\u2019s local SEO strategy.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”What is local citation building?” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Put simply, local citation building involves creating and optimizing your clients’ online business listings on websites or platforms like Google, Yelp, Yellow Pages, Facebook, Instagram, and more. A local citation<\/a> usually includes relevant NAP information, as well as its website domain and sometimes reviews. To break it down even further, there are two different types of local citations:<\/p>\n Structured citations are used in local citation directories (Yelp, Yellow Pages, Facebook, etc.). You can submit your clients’ business information to these platforms and update it when it changes.<\/p>\n Unstructured citations include any time a business is mentioned outside a directory or platform, like in a restaurant review in a newspaper (hopefully they like the bolognese) or a personal blog.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Why does local citation building matter?” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Local citation building is a necessary part of any business\u2019s online marketing strategy. Without accurate and consistent local listings, neither search engines nor potential customers will be able to find your clients online or at their brick-and-mortar location. Local citation building improves businesses\u2019 ranking in search engine results and makes it easier for potential customers to find them.<\/p>\n Local citation building is a big contributing factor when it comes to local SEO (search engine optimization). Having consistent and accurate local citations across the web can help businesses increase online visibility and reach potential customers where and when they’re looking. The more local citations a business has, the likelier they are to appear in search results when someone’s trying to find the best Italian restaurant in Chicago.<\/p>\n It’s also one of the biggest factors when it comes to ranking in Google’s \u201cSnack Pack\u201d: the three local businesses featured by Google next to a map when you search “Italian restaurant Chicago” because you can’t stop thinking about a really great bolognese \u2014 or any other local search query.<\/p>\n When it comes to looking for the right local citations for your clients, it’s not necessarily a matter of quantity over quality. In fact, relevance plays a big role here. That means making sure you’re submitting clients’ information to industry or niche-specific platforms or websites. Sticking with the Italian restaurant example, food-related platforms like Yelp or local restaurant directories are especially important for this business.<\/p>\n When it comes to successful local citation building, it\u2019s essential for businesses to ensure that the information provided in each citation is consistent and accurate is essential. Wrong or outdated details can not only deter potential customers (or send them to an old location, for example), but it can also do damage to the business’s online reputation and search ranking. Local citations aren’t a set-it-and-forget-it business strategy. You need to monitor and update them frequently \u2014 for both search engines and potential customers.<\/p>\n Here are some methods for finding local citations online:<\/p>\n Having accurate and consistent local citations is only the beginning when it comes to local citation building. To maximize online visibility and drive more customers to your clients\u2019 businesses, you need to make sure that their listings are consistently accurate and well-optimized. This may sound like a chore, but with Vendasta\u2019s suite of local citation-building tools, creating and managing your clients\u2019 online presence is organized, hassle-free, and easy \u2014 a win-win situation for you and your clients.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Vendasta’s local citation-building tools” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Before you start working on your clients\u2019 local citation-building strategy, it\u2019s a good idea to see where they\u2019re starting from. An SEO audit might sound like a daunting task, but you can easily complete a local SEO audit in just 44 minutes<\/a>. It\u2019s worth the extra time it takes \u2014 you can\u2019t get to where you want to be if you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re starting from.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019re ready to tackle the strategy, it\u2019s time to find the right tools to help you execute. As a company that focuses on solutions for managing local business clients, Vendasta is a leader in local citation-building tools. They offer a range of options for agencies to help businesses build, manage, and improve their online presence.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Simplify local citation building with Vendasta” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Vendasta has three versions of their local citation builder software:\u00a0 With Vendasta\u2019s Listing Builder<\/a>, you can create perfectly optimized citations for a range of directories and platforms. Citation Builder<\/a> builds on this by distributing accurate NAP information to authoritative directories, ensuring consistency and improved local search visibility, while Listing Sync Pro<\/a> helps keep your citations up-to-date across all sites. These white-label solutions are completely customized to have your agency\u2019s branding client-facing while you get access to the powerful tools you need to automate clients\u2019 listing management.<\/p>\n Citation Builder expands your reach by distributing accurate NAP information to authoritative directories, ensuring consistency and improved local search visibility<\/p>\n With these tools you can:<\/p>\n Vendasta\u2019s simplified option, Listing Builder offers syncing across Google Business Profile, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. It also includes a free landing page, insights for Google Business Profile activity, and the ability to change and update your clients\u2019 information any time from one platform.<\/p>\n Building on the features of Listing Builder, Citation Builder enhances local citation management with an intuitive dashboard that allows you to submit, update, and monitor clients\u2019 citations across authoritative directories. Powered by Neustar Localeze, Citation Builder ensures accurate business information is consistently distributed, improving local search visibility. It also includes enhanced reporting, allowing you to track citation accuracy and demonstrate measurable improvements to clients over time.<\/p>\n Listing Sync Pro offers a single dashboard to take local business listing management even further. It includes protections from third-party changes to your clients\u2019 listings, nearly-instant publication to a list of high-traffic sources, and the ability to suppress duplicate listings. Quickly see incomplete or inaccurate information and update it almost immediately, with an unlimited number of changes.<\/p>\n Wondering which option is the best fit for you and your clients?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”How automation works for local citation building” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The term \u201cautomation\u201d gets used a lot, but what does it really mean in this context? Circling back to the Italian restaurant, let\u2019s say that restaurant is your client. You want to make sure when people search for \u201cbest Italian restaurant Chicago,\u201d it\u2019s your client\u2019s table they\u2019ll be dining at later. However, putting in the manual work to build and manage your citations can use up too much of your time and resources\u2014that\u2019s where automation comes in.<\/p>\n With a tool like Vendasta, one dashboard gives you access to all your client\u2019s listings. Need to update their business hours? Only do it once and push it across to all their local citations. Want to work on their local SEO strategy? Reporting tools can help you figure out what\u2019s working and where there\u2019s room to improve.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Other options for local citation building” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Vendasta\u2019s local citation building tools are an effective way to build, manage, and monitor your clients\u2019 online presence. Let\u2019s compare manual citation building and other tools such as Whitespark and BrightLocal, so you can find the best option for you and your clients.<\/p>\n The most low-tech option is doing it manually, rather than using local citation finder tools. It might also seem like the most cost-effective at first glance, but manual local citation building requires a lot of time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Not only do you need to find every online business directory<\/a> or local citation platform manually, but you also have to write, update, and continuously check on those listings individually to ensure everything is accurate. If you\u2019re going to choose this option, keep these tips in mind:<\/p>\n If that sounds like a lot of time and effort, it is. When it comes to local citation building, automation can save you lots of time and money.<\/p>\n Whitespark and BrightLocal offer tools with local citation-building solutions. While both tools provide some sense of reporting, BrightLocal doesn\u2019t differentiate between local search results and organic search performance, which can make it difficult to see where improvements need to be made and where things are working.<\/p>\n BrightLocal also doesn\u2019t offer duplicate listing monitoring, keyword filtering and comparison, and you\u2019ll need to create new reports for every location\u2014this can be a downside for local businesses with multiple locations in different regions.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Whitespark uses a third party for some of their citation work, is more expensive than BrightLocal<\/a>, has a higher cost for aggregator submissions, does not allow for individual aggregator selection, and doesn\u2019t integrate with social media platforms.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Next steps for local citation building” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\nWhat is a local citation?<\/h2>\n
What is local citation building?<\/h2>\n
Structured citations<\/h3>\n
Unstructured citations<\/h3>\n
Why does local citation building matter?<\/h2>\n
Local SEO<\/h3>\n
Google Local Pack Rankings<\/h3>\n
User experience<\/h3>\n
How do I find local citations?<\/h3>\n
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Vendasta’s local citation-building tools<\/h2>\n
Simplify local citation building with Vendasta<\/h2>\n
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Listing Builder<\/h3>\n
Citation Builder<\/h3>\n
Listing Sync Pro<\/h3>\n
How automation works for local citation building<\/h2>\n
Other options for local citation building<\/h2>\n
Manual citation building<\/h3>\n
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Whitespark vs. BrightLocal vs. Vendasta<\/h3>\n
Next steps for local citation building<\/h2>\n