---
title: Local Citations
description: When the user wants to build citations, fix NAP inconsistencies, manage business directory listings, or audit citation presence.
category: Marketing
sublabel: Local SEO
author: garrettjsmith
tags: 
license: MIT
source: https://github.com/garrettjsmith/localseoskills
---

# Local Citations

> **Default data tool:** LocalSEOData (`localseodata-tool`). Use `citation_audit` to check NAP consistency across 20 directories in one call (50 credits). For citation building/submission, use Whitespark or BrightLocal.

You are an expert in local citation strategy. Your goal is to build a consistent, authoritative citation profile that reinforces NAP data across the web and supports local ranking signals.

## What is a Citation?

A citation is any online mention of a business's Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP). Two types:

- **Structured citations**: Directory listings (Yelp, BBB, industry directories) with formatted NAP fields
- **Unstructured citations**: Mentions on blogs, news sites, or other pages where NAP appears in text

---

## NAP Consistency Rules

**Name**: Character-for-character match. "Smith's Plumbing" ≠ "Smiths Plumbing" ≠ "Smith Plumbing LLC"
**Address**: Exact formatting. "123 Main St Ste 200" everywhere — not "Suite" on some and "Ste" on others
**Phone**: Same primary number everywhere. If using a tracking number, it must also appear on your website

### Common Inconsistencies
- Old addresses from a previous location
- DBA vs. legal name variations
- Suite/unit number present on some, missing on others
- Toll-free vs. local number
- Different phone from call tracking implementations
- Abbreviation mismatches (St/Street, Ave/Avenue)

---

## Citation Building Priority

### Tier 1: Essential (Do First)
- Google Business Profile
- Apple Maps / Apple Business Connect
- Bing Places for Business
- Facebook Business Page
- Yelp

### Tier 2: Data Aggregators
These feed data to hundreds of smaller directories:
- Data Axle (formerly Infogroup)
- Neustar/Localeze
- Foursquare

### Tier 3: Major Directories
- BBB (Better Business Bureau)
- Yellow Pages / YP.com
- Angi (Angie's List)
- Thumbtack
- MapQuest
- Superpages
- Manta
- Citysearch

### Tier 4: Industry-Specific
Examples by vertical:
- **Healthcare**: Healthgrades, Vitals, WebMD, Zocdoc
- **Legal**: Avvo, FindLaw, Justia, Martindale
- **Home services**: HomeAdvisor, Porch, Houzz
- **Restaurants**: OpenTable, TripAdvisor, Zomato
- **Real estate**: Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin
- **Auto**: CarFax, Cars.com, AutoTrader

### Tier 5: Local & Niche
- Local Chamber of Commerce
- Local business associations
- City/town business directories
- State professional association directories
- Niche industry directories

---

## Citation Audit Process

1. Search `"business name" "phone number"` to find existing citations
2. Search `"business name" "address"` for additional mentions
3. Check major directories manually
4. Use citation audit tools (BrightLocal, Whitespark, Moz Local)
5. Document every listing: URL, current NAP, accuracy status
6. Prioritize fixes: wrong info on high-authority sites first

---

## Citation Cleanup

### Fix Priority Order
1. Tier 1 directories (Google, Apple, Bing, Yelp, Facebook)
2. Data aggregators (Data Axle, Neustar, Foursquare)
3. High-authority directories with wrong information
4. Duplicate listings on any directory
5. Industry-specific directories
6. Lower-authority directories

### How to Fix
- **Claim and update**: Most directories allow you to claim the listing
- **Submit corrections**: Use the directory's correction/update form
- **Data aggregator updates**: Fix at the source — changes propagate downstream
- **Duplicate suppression**: Merge or mark duplicates on each platform

---

## Citation Building for Multi-Location

### At Scale
- Use data aggregator submissions to cascade to smaller directories
- Bulk submit to Tier 1-3 directories
- Prioritize industry-specific directories by location
- Maintain a master spreadsheet of all citations per location

### Per-Location Tracking
Track per location:
- Total citations
- Percentage accurate
- Missing from which Tier 1 directories
- Industry-specific directory coverage

---

## Output Format

### Citation Audit Report
- Total citations found
- Accuracy rate (% consistent NAP)
- Tier-by-tier coverage
- Specific listings needing correction
- Missing directory opportunities
- Prioritized action plan

---

## Task-Specific Questions

1. What is the exact NAP (as it should appear everywhere)?
2. Has the business moved, changed names, or changed phone numbers?
3. Single location or multi-location?
4. What industry? (determines industry-specific directories)
5. Has any citation work been done previously?

---

## What to Do Next

| What You Found | Next Action | Skill |
|----------------|-------------|-------|
| Citations are clean but GBP isn't optimized | GBP is the #1 citation — optimize it first | `gbp-optimization` |
| Found NAP inconsistencies during audit | Fix citations as part of the broader audit action plan | `local-seo-audit` |
| Website schema doesn't match citation data | Align schema with corrected NAP | `local-schema` |
| Managing citations for multiple locations | Build a citation management system per-location | `multi-location-seo` |
| Citations are clean but still not ranking | Citations alone won't fix ranking — run a geogrid scan to diagnose | `geogrid-analysis` |

**Default next step:** After citation cleanup, wait 4-8 weeks for changes to propagate through aggregators and downstream directories, then re-audit to verify.

## Tools for This Skill

See `docs/tool-routing` to pick based on what's connected.

- **Citation audit** (find listings, check accuracy) → citation tools (multiple options)
- **Citation building** (submit to directories) → citation tools (multiple options — quality varies)