LOCAL SEO · SEO GLOSSARY
Local Citations
Mentions of a business\'s name, address, and phone number (NAP) on external websites — directories, review sites, data aggregators — that influence local search rankings.
Definition
A local citation is any online mention of a business\'s name, address, and phone number (collectively NAP). Citations may appear on general business directories (Google Business Profile, Yelp, Yellow Pages), industry-specific directories (TripAdvisor for hospitality, Healthgrades for healthcare, Houzz for home services), local chamber of commerce sites, news sites covering local business, and data aggregators that distribute business information to hundreds of smaller directories. Citations are a fundamental local SEO signal: they tell Google that a business exists at a specific physical location and provide corroboration for the business\'s claimed address. Google\'s local search algorithm uses citation signals to determine local pack ranking alongside proximity, relevance, and prominence.
Why it matters for SEO
Inconsistent NAP data across citations is one of the most common local SEO problems. If a business appears as "Smith & Sons Plumbing" on its own website but as "Smith and Sons" on Yelp and "Smith Sons Plumbing LLC" on Yellow Pages, Google sees multiple entities rather than corroboration of one entity. NAP consistency — exact match across all major citations — strengthens local ranking signals. Citation volume and citation authority both factor into local pack visibility.
How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this
DeepSEOAnalysis checks for LocalBusiness structured data on the site itself — schema markup that defines NAP in a machine-readable format. It validates whether the structured data includes name, address, and telephone properties. Checking citations on external directories requires a local citation audit tool.
GLOSSARY
Related terms
structured data
LocalBusiness Schema
LocalBusiness schema is a Schema.org structured data type that describes a local business — name, address, phone, hours, geo coordinates, and more — enabling rich Knowledge Panel and Local Pack displays in Google Search. It is the foundation of structured data for local SEO.
Read definition →structured data
Structured Data
Machine-readable annotations added to HTML — usually JSON-LD — that explicitly describe what a page is about to search engines and AI systems.
Read definition →See how your site scores on Local Citations.
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