Local SEO Citations: Why They Still Matter in the AI Era

Directory listings are boring - but they're one of the strongest trust signals for both Google and AI assistants. Here's how to audit and fix yours.

A citation is any online mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Google cross-references citations across hundreds of directories to validate that your business is real.

Why inconsistent citations hurt you:

If Yelp says your phone is (512) 555-0100 but Google says (512) 555-0101, Google's algorithm treats these as potentially different businesses and reduces its confidence in both.

Top citation sources for local service businesses:

1. Google Business Profile (most important)

2. Yelp

3. BBB (Better Business Bureau)

4. Angi / HomeAdvisor

5. Bing Places

6. Apple Maps

7. Facebook Business

8. Nextdoor

9. Thumbtack

10. Yellow Pages

How to audit your citations:

Search your business name + city and look for any listing with different information. The most common errors are old phone numbers, shortened address formats, and business name variations.

Fix the top 10 sources first. Then build new citations in industry-specific directories.