If you are a local business owner, you know how difficult it really is to gain a reputable place in the business world and drag more customers. Unfortunately, in these modern times, it is not only about the quality of the products or services you provide. There’s something in the way you present it all. That’s why marketing studies are becoming more and more popular, especially online ones. Now let’s discuss the question of online promotion, get to know the term of citations, and define how many citations you need for your local business to be really successful. AZ Citation Services gives you all the answers, but you can always get in touch for more information!
Meeting the terminology
When a person needs some kind of information, nowadays, they would usually consult the internet to find it. And, yes, in most cases Google can provide an answer to almost every question or demand. What’s more, the searched information would probably appear among the top results on the page. But, how come that some of the results are more visible than others? Well, that’s when we come to the question of citations.
Citations can be explained as any kind of reference to a certain business that appears online. In most cases, this online reference contains the business’s name, address, and phone number. They usually appear on some of the online local business directories or popular social media. Practically, the more the information is mentioned the better your business’s ranking will be. That’s why many local business marketers put in a lot of strength in building these citations properly and effectively.
Think about the importance of the information they give before you decide how many citations you need
A good and well-built citation is important from many aspects.
- First of all, they are the basic source of information about your business for all online searchers. Sometimes, apart from the NAP information, it can offer additional data such as your business’s webpage, for example. If the information they provide is accurate and reliable, these online searchers can easily turn into real-life customers. That’s exactly why it is extremely important to keep your NAP data consistent and correct all the time. The inconsistency in this way would lead not only to losing your customers but would also affect your business’s respectability.
- Citations influence the local search ranking. It refers to at what position Google would display your business among the other searching results. If Google considers you as unreliable, that will lower your ranking position immediately. The higher ranking you get the better is your online visibility.
- Citations help you gain your customers’ trust and make them have positive opinions and attitudes towards your work. If your business appears among the first search results, that would mean you are trustworthy.
Talking about the numbers
The number of citations your business needs to be successful is in direct correlation with the type of industry you are in. The truth is that not all industries have the same kind of competition. That is why, before you decide how many citations you need and start building them, you should first do a kind of research. Explore the market. Find out how competitive your local area is when it comes to your business sphere. Remember that, whatever business you are running competition in big cities is necessarily stronger. Finally, move your focus to your competitors, and check their current ranking positions. It’s only after you see the number of citations your best-ranked local opponent has, that you can define your starting point.
And, remember to play it smart. Keep in mind that you are not the only one making a strategy here. Your competition does it as well.
Statistics
Generally spoken, businesses that are highly ranked are the ones that have a large number of citations. In most cases, those owning the top three positions have an average of at least 70 citations. This number naturally raises in more competitive industries and can reach from 80 to nearly 100 citations per business.
Researches have shown that photography, tradesmen, and various storage businesses have the lowest number of citations. It mostly goes from 40 and up, but rarely reaches 70. On the other hand, restaurant and hotel businesses, where we can really see the importance of marketing, are considered to be highly competitive. Finally, at the top of all lists come hospitality and medical-related businesses. In these latter cases, there is a huge number of available service options in every field, and if you want to earn it’s crucial for you to be as much visible to your customers as you can.
Don’t forget the quality
So far we have learned this- the more mentions your business gets, the more legitimacy it earns, and the more clients will contact you. However, there is one important fact we need to point out. It is not always about quantity, yet quality matters as well. This is especially true when it comes to the point of legitimacy.
Give your best to build your citations in relevant and popular places. Having numerous citations on high-quality sources makes your business more valid and trustworthy, first to Google, and then to the potential customers, as well. So, do not rush with making decisions. Take your time and choose the most popular citation sites among local businesses. Think about some widely popular or government websites, or employ some Niche-specific sources. Here it’s good to know that usually, every industry has a set of popular citation sites for its businesses. So when you have to decide which platform your business should be listed on, it’ll be great if it is relevant for your industry.
Now you know how things really work. The process of being top-ranked among all local businesses is a set of serious strategic moves, and it’s not only about how many citations you need at a certain point. All you need is to be patient and prepare for a step-by-step move towards success.
