We might like it or not, but the truth is that the opinion of search engines is very important to your SEO and thus to your business. Constant changes are being made to search engine results pages (SERP). For this reason, it is very important to keep all your citations squicky clean. There are a few different ways to get this done but none are as effective as citation clean-up. It is important to understand that there are many different components on your pages. Some are organic, while others are usually paid or based on local results. In all mentioned instances, search engines crawl all over the web checking your constancy and accuracy. If you clean up citations they will likely like what they have found. AZ Citation Service is here for you.
Citation consistency vs clean up citations
Don’t let the word game confuse you. Citation consistency is just a fancier way of saying that citations should be cleaned up and well maintained. Therefore, your citations should include:
- your firm’s name
- correct and complete address with all needed details (don’t forget suit numbers, floors, etc.)
- phone number
As simple as this sounds, it is something that countless firms struggle with. Also, watching your NAP order (name, address, and phone number) is something that search engines appreciate. Now that you have a better idea of what is actually citation clean up and what is the importance of citations to local SEO, it is time to get to work.
Clean up citations with our simple strategies
General SEO is naturally a very important factor that contributes to your digital marketing success. But, depending on the view, your local SEO can be even more important to your business’ success. That is what you always need to be on the lookout for ways to improve your local online rankings. So, to improve your SERP visibility and local SEO, make sure your citations are picture-perfect. You have no idea where to start? No worries, because you are about to become a citations genius. Here is how you should get started:
- Confirm that your address is indeed USPS verified
- Make sure NAP is updated and correctly formated on your website
- Edit and build new citations on important directories and data feeds
- Locate already posted citations on the web and improve their consistency if needed
Your address should always be USPS verified
There are certain standards that an address must meet to get verified by USPS. This check is the perfect place to start your citation clean-up adventure. By visiting USPS’s website you will get all the needed information on the verification process. Once you are done, you will know the format of your address with more certainty. Afterward, you can dive deeper into cleaning up your citation. Skipping this step from the start can, later on, create additional work and possible ranking issues.
Your NAP should be up to date on your website
While roaming the internet and looking for citations to maintain, it is very easy to forget your own website. If this happens to you press the breaks and take a few steps backward. After you have verified your address with USPS, your website should be your next stop. So, make sure your website’s info is perfect and in the correct format. That accuracy of the information that you have on your web pages should be translated to other citations on the internet. Consider this step the ground floor that you must pass to citation greatness. All other citations will be compared to the information and format provided on your website. While you are at it, don’t forget to do the same with all your social media accounts. You might forget about them, but Google certainly will not.
Detect already formed citations and check/improve their consistency
Clean-up citations clean up will differ from business to business. Every business has a different citation profile. Thus, actions that must be made will be different from one case to another. If you have recent changes in your NAP, your citation maintenance will be more demanding. You must take extensive action so you would be certain that your local SEO stays unharmed and improved. You can always search for citations manually through Google. This is an effective way to ensure citation consistency, but a very slow one. If you are not up for it or you do not have the time, there are tools that can help you manage your citations. Of course, if all fails, hiring professional assistance is always an option.
Invest in your digital marketing strategy
So, we have covered a few tips and tricks on how to manage citation consistency. As simple as facilitating these tips might seem, it has proven to be much different in practice. Not everybody can master what is needed to keep their citations in great shape. For that reason, hiring professional help is always an excellent idea. Through professional citation services, you can order citations, maintain old citations and so much more. Don’t shy away from such investments in your business. They are a slow and steady step towards remarkable SEO rankings and local online visibility.
Conclusion
Don’t wait to clean up citations because every second you delay your action you are negatively impacting your local SEO. For most businesses, especially small and medium-sized firms, local SEO is something that directly influences their bottom line. So, invest your time and energy into your citation consistency and get ready to pick the fruits of your labor.
