Due to the overwhelming number of businesses on the internet, it is extremely important to get your businesses name out there by creating and maintaining a powerful online presence. One way to do that is to create a list of local citations and submit your business to local directories; some popular directories are SuperPages, Google + Local, Yahoo! Local and Bing Local. For every directory your business is submitted to, you are increasing the chances that consumers searching for your product or service will be able to find you online.

To submit your business to local directories to create local citations, you should compile the following items into a document to make sure that all of your citations are consistent, making it easier for search engine spiders to find your information.

  • Business Name
  • Address
  • Phone number
  • Hours of operation
  • Email address
  • Website URL
  • Contact Person — name, phone number, email
  • Keywords
  • Photos – logo, of your office, products/ services that you offer
  • Number of employees
  • Age of company
  • Fax number (if applicable)
  • Payment methods accepted
  • Business description (160 characters in length)
  • Affiliations
  • Specialties

Where Do I Create Local Citations?

Now you might be wondering where to start, what sites should you create citations on. A good place to start is with SuperPages, a top online resource for finding information and insights on businesses and retailers in your area. You can add or edit your business listing for SuperPages on SuperMedia.

Once getting to the site you will want to click on add/edit a free listing which will bring you to a page where you can enter your businesses phone number. Supermedia will then search their site to see if the business is already listed. If the search does come back stating that your business already has a listing, you can click on that address and make any necessary changes to the citation. However, if your business is not already listed, Supermedia will direct you to another page where you can enter your businesses contact information, address and business categories.

After entering that information into the appropriate boxes, you can continue onto the next step where Supermedia will take those categories that were previously entered and provide you with keywords, products, and services that you can select to better reflect what your company offers. Also on that page you can indicate your hours of operation, payment options, company description, and other details.

After that information is added, Supermedia will ask if you would be interested in some promotional packages that you can purchase monthly to enhance your local citation. You can select a package or scroll to the bottom of the page and select “no thank you.”

Supermedia also provides other promotional items such as adding your listing to other service areas or a photo to your listing for a price. It is important to review your listing to make sure that the information entered is correct before submitting it to the directory. If some of the information is incorrect you should go back and make any changes. Once your information is correct you can continue to the log in section to complete your citation. If you are a new user you can select the new users link and it will direct you to a page where you can enter your log in information. Once signed into your profile, verify that you manage the citation and within a week or so your business will be added to the directory or be updated if you made any changes.

Local Directories to Dominate Your Local SEO

After your listing is launched and visible to your customers, you can also promote your business by asking customers to leave reviews on the sites where you created local citations on. Reviews are important to your company as they can determine whether future customers will use you or your competitor. Therefore, you should continue to get your business out there and cited on local directories. Here is a list of some other local directories that your business should be added to:

  1. Google + Local
  2. Yahoo
  3. Bing
  4. Yelp
  5. Merchant Circle
  6. City Search
  7. FourSquare
  8. Kudzu
  9. Yellow Pages
  10. LinkedIn
  11. Facebook
  12. Hot Frog
  13. Insider Pages
  14. Local
  15. LocalEze
  16. Brown Book
  17. Mapquest
  18. CitySlick
  19. ThinkLocal
  20. MyCity
  21. Outside.in
  22. Dex Knows
  23. BizJournals.com
  24. Discover our Town
  25. Biznik
  26. Justclicklocal
  27. Metrobot
  28. CityVoter
  29. Twibs
  30. Manta
  31. MojoPages
  32. InfoUSA
  33. UsCity.net
  34. Yellowee
  35. CitySquares
  36. TeleAtlas
  37. Magic Yellow
  38. YellowBot
  39. YellowBook
  40. Navteq GPS
  41. Zipweb
  42. Judy’s Books
  43. Get Fave
  44. Whitepages
  45. Best of the Web
  46. Infignos.com
  47. Yellow Assistance
  48. Google +
  49. Niche sites like Trip Advisor, Angie’s List, and Open Table

Begin Your Path to Local SEO Dominance

Creating a list of local citations and implementing a search engine optimization campaign for your business can be a time consuming and meticulous process. If you would like to improve your search rankings and make it easier for your customers to find your business, give IMPACT a call and learn how we can help.