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 In Business, Citations, Local Citations, NAP, Social Media, Social Media Strategies, Uncategorized

What is a local citation and why does it even matter to Omaha business owners?

local citations management omahaLocal Citations should be one of the first tools you select from your local SEO toolbox. But what is a local citation? A citation is any mention of a business online that includes the business name, address, and phone number (often referred to as NAP).

Why Should Business Owners in Omaha Care?

Most citations include a link to the business’ website or additional information. Common citation sources include directory sites, data aggregators (think of companies like Infogroup), Chamber of Commerce websites, social media, common review sites such as Omaha Town Square, Foursquare, Yelp, plus Google My Business and Bing Places. Many businesses curate reviews on their website. Please know, although prospects may read this information, that a mention of the business on its own website doesn’t count as a citation.

There are several basic building blocks of local SEO. Making sure your Google My Business Page is established and optimized is #1. Then, it’s local citations. They are an extremely valuable component of local SEO optimization. Trust us, the true benefits of citations go way beyond getting a few backlinks.

Marketing Your Business Online

Local citations play an important role in improving SEO and boosting the visibility of your small business in local search results. Think Google, Yahoo, and Bing. You’ve likely read about this before online or heard about it at a recent trade show conference. It’s more important today, than ever before!

As algorithms change and the search engines evolve and get smarter, business owners must stay vigilant about curating citations for their businesses.

Citations Are Really Important for Local Omaha Businesses

Notwithstanding discrepancies in your online listings, all major search engines (Google, Yahoo and Bing) use citations to measure the reputation of your business. Yes, there are countless other SEO factors figured into the algorithm but suffice it to say that the more quality local citations has, the higher the placement will be in local Omaha search engine results.    

It should be noted we mentioned the importance of quality citations. Please don’t sign up for every list you find. This is a quality play and not a quantity play. Lower quality citations could negatively impact your rankings and lose trust amongst the major search engines.

How Do you Earn A Citation

local citations management omahaThis isn’t rocket science but it does take time and a little bit of strategy. Many directory sites are free.  You enter your business information after answering a few basic questions. It’s typical for directory sites to request your logo, exterior pictures, interior pictures, pictures of your team members and samples of your work if applicable. Again, just because a directory exists doesn’t mean you should sign up for every site you come across.

NAP: Focus On What’s Most Important

Nothing spells doom for a business more than inaccurate information. We understand. You’ve been in business for 27 years, you’ve had 6 office managers, and 14 interns. It’s likely much of the information that exists is inconsistent or simply incomplete. Ensuring the business citation and specifically the NAP (name, address, and phone number) is 100% accurate is mission critical. Having misinformation impacts trust among Google, Yahoo and Bing and in the end hurts your small business more than it helps. Remember, Google is a knowledge engine. Their job is to deliver the most accurate and helpful information it can. If the data is inconsistent, they will serve up the results of one your competitors and no business owner wants that!

Should You Manage Local Citations on Your Own

As you are probably starting to understand, management of local citations is time consuming and tedious. But, it is absolutely necessary for a locally owned small business. Are you up for the challenge or simply limited by time? There are plenty of national companies that offer local citation or listing management services. It is important to know that some of your listing information may disappear after your the end of your national contract. Please be cautious before signing any contracts and ask all of the right questions.

316 Strategy Group Manages Local Citations

If you are looking for a trusted local option for your online citation management, look no further than 316 Strategy Group. Once you’ve decided to take action, 316 Strategy Group will generate a local citation report for your review. You will be under no obligation to move forward with our local citations management program.

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Omaha Social Media Joseph Kenney 316 Strategy Group Nashvillebusiness hashtags omaha social media