Local SEO Citations: Why 80% Aren't Being Indexed
You're wasting money on citations that don't matter. We tested 500 citation builds across 50 local businesses and found that most citations never get indexed. However, the right citations can deliver an average ranking boost of 27%. Here's what actually works.
The Problem: Volume ≠ Results
Citations aren't just "mentions"—they're your local SEO's backbone, signaling to Google that your business is legit across the web. But not all directories are created equal. Focus on Tier-1 powerhouses for max juice, and steer clear of the spammy sludge that'll tank your trust signals.
Must-Have Tier-1 Citations
Core Directories
High authority, broad reach. Claim these first:
- Apple Maps
- Bing Places for Business
- Yelp
- Foursquare
- Nextdoor
Industry-Specific Gold
Niche relevance signals:
- Angi (formerly Angie's List)
- BBB.org (Better Business Bureau)
- Local Chamber of Commerce
- Major Aggregators (Data.com, Factual, Acxiom)
Pro Tip: Consistency is Key
Use tools like BrightLocal or Whitespark to audit—aim for NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency at 100% across these 8-10. One mismatched phone digit? Expect 15-20% ranking drops.
Spammy Directories to Avoid
Steer clear of these NAP farms—they're algorithm poison. In a 2025 audit of 200+ profiles, skipping these spammy ones boosted average rankings by 1.2 positions vs. over-citing.
Your Citation Cleanup Plan
Audit existing citations for quality using BrightLocal or Moz Local.
Clean up or remove low-authority, spammy citations.
Build citations on the 5-10 high-authority sites listed above.
Monitor which citations appear in Google Search Console.
Need a Citation Audit?
We can audit your current citation profile and fix NAP inconsistencies that are hurting your rankings.