Is your business NAP listed online? If not, it should be! NAP stands for Name, Address and Phone Number and when your NAP is listed, this is called a citation. Your citation is your digital thumbprint and let’s the search engines know your company is being mentioned and not someone else’s.
Your citation should be made up of your business name, address, phone number and website. Make sure to use the same information for every listing. These are the top 10 directories that you want to be listed on first and foremost:
Citations on industry websites gets you the keyword recognition you are hoping to achieve. For example, a Wedding Planner needs to be listed on WeddingWire.com or TheKnot.com. A contractor needs to be listed on Houzz.com or HomeAdvisor.com and a lawyer should have a listing on FindLaw.com. Businesses with a citation on these directories stand a better chance of ranking in Google for industry terms. Whitespark put together a list of the directories you should be on categorized by industry. Check it out here.
Don’t forget citations on local directories. Chambers of Commerce and neighborhood business associations are great resources to establish your thumbprint online.
Your ranking on search engines can be helped a great deal with consistant citations on reputable directories. Be where your customers expect you to be, and you’ll be where Google expects your business to be.
You know you need to have listings in all the important places but you just don’t have the time to deal with it. Let us help you. Your digital thumbprint is just another way to Make Waves • Get Noticed.
Source: “Ranking Your Local Business Part 5: Citations for Local Search.” Yoast, 28 Aug. 2017
