Local citations: how a restaurant, tour or stay gets listed in the right places
A local citation is any place online that lists your business's name, address and phone number, such as Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp or Tripadvisor. Claim the few your guests and AI answers read, write the same details on every one, and fix old listings that show a wrong number or address.
Key takeaways
- Google's local ranking help does not name citations as a factor, but listings that link to your site count toward the links it says feed prominence.
- In BrightLocal's study of AI answers about local businesses, Google Business Profile was 28.5% of the sources cited and Yelp 8.53%.
- Apple Business Connect, Yelp and Tripadvisor all let an owner claim a listing for free, and Bing Places is where you claim what Bing Maps shows.
- Write your name exactly as it appears on your sign, and use the same address and phone everywhere.
- A handful of correct listings that guests use beats hundreds of directory entries nobody reads.
Why do local citations matter?
Because guests and AI answers read them. In BrightLocal's study of 1.9 million AI citations about local businesses, Google Business Profile was 28.5% of the sources cited and Yelp 8.53%, so a wrong number on Yelp can end up in a chatbot's answer. A guest who sees an old phone number on one site and a new one on another may not call either. Google's local ranking help does not name citations, but it does say prominence rests partly on how many websites link to your business, and a listing that links to your site is one of those. Our glossary covers NAP consistency, the idea behind every step below.
How do you build local citations?
1. Write your details down once
Before you claim anything, write the version every listing will use: the name as it appears on your sign and menus, the full address, one phone number, the website and the opening hours. Google's guidelines ask for the name a business uses consistently on its storefront, website and stationery, so leave out extra keywords such as "best pizza Split".2
2. Start with your Google Business Profile
Google's own listing is the citation most guests see first. Claim it, verify it and fill in every field, since Google says complete and detailed information helps it match you to searches. Our free Google Business Profile audit shows which fields are missing.1
3. Claim your Apple Maps place card
Apple says place card information reaches more than a billion Apple users across Apple Maps, Messages, Wallet and Siri. Apple Business Connect is free: register with your Apple Account from a computer, let Apple verify the business, then claim the place card and add photos, hours and a booking or ordering link.4
4. Claim your Bing Places listing
Bing Places for Business is where you claim or update what Bing Maps shows about you. Check the name, address and phone against your written version before you save.5
5. Claim your Yelp page if you run a restaurant or bar
Yelp's business page is free to claim, and claiming it lets you edit your hours, website and photos and answer messages. Our Google reviews vs Yelp post compares the two review sites for a restaurant.6
6. Claim your Tripadvisor listing
Tripadvisor lists tours, stays and restaurants, and its owner listing is free. Claim it to correct the details, upload photos and reply to reviews. For a tour or a stay, do this right after Google and Apple.7
7. Add the local and trade listings that fit
The tourist office's directory, the chamber of commerce, your town's what's-on guide and trade bodies for your kind of business each list members. Pick the ones a guest might really open. When they link to your site, that link also counts toward the prominence Google describes; our post on local SEO backlinks covers earning more.1
8. Find and fix the wrong ones
Search your business name with your old phone number, and again with any old address. Every listing that still shows them needs an update through that site's owner tools. Where one site lists your place twice, ask it to merge or remove the duplicate.
9. Update every listing when something changes
A new phone number, new winter hours or a move means updating Google first and then each listing on your written list. Check them once a season even when nothing changed.
Checklist
- One written version of name, address, phone, website and hours
- Google Business Profile claimed, verified and complete
- Apple Maps place card claimed
- Bing Places listing claimed
- Yelp page claimed for a restaurant or bar
- Tripadvisor listing claimed
- Local and trade listings that fit added
- Old numbers and addresses searched and fixed
- Duplicates merged
- Listings checked each season
Questions
What is a local citation?
Any mention of a business's name, address and phone number online, usually a directory or map listing such as Yelp, Apple Maps or Bing Places. Some include a link to the business's website.
Do local citations still matter for SEO?
Google doesn't name citations as a ranking factor in its local ranking help, though a listing that links to your site counts toward the links it says feed prominence. They matter more for guests and AI answers, which often cite listings such as Yelp.
How many citations does a small business need?
There is no set number. The listings that matter are the ones guests use for your kind of business: Google, Apple Maps, Bing, and the review and booking sites your guests read.
Are citation building services worth it?
For a single venue, rarely. Claiming the main listings yourself is free on Google, Apple, Yelp and Tripadvisor, and a paid service cannot fix a listing you never told it about.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google · read
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google · read
- BrightLocal, The directories AI search cites for local businesses · read
- Apple Newsroom, Introducing Apple Business Connect · read
- Microsoft Support, Add and manage your business listing · read
- Yelp for Business, Why claim your business page on Yelp · read
- Tripadvisor, Claim your free business listing · read
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