A citation is any online mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Google uses citations to verify that your business is legitimate and located where you say it is. Inconsistent or incomplete citations weaken your local rankings.
The importance of consistency
If your GBP says “123 Main St,” Yelp says “123 Main Street,” and your website says “123 Main St Suite 100,” Google sees three different records and is less confident in your information. Consistency across all platforms is the goal.
The most important citations
Google Business Profile and Apple Maps are the highest priority. Yelp, Bing Places, Facebook, and industry-specific directories (Angi, HomeAdvisor for contractors; Avvo for lawyers; Healthgrades for medical) come next. Beyond those, there are dozens of aggregator directories worth being in.
How to audit and clean up citations
Start by searching for your business name and address across the major directories. Note any inconsistencies and correct them. For large-scale cleanup across dozens of directories simultaneously, tools like BrightLocal or Yext can manage updates, though manual cleanup of the most important directories is often sufficient.
New citations vs. fixing existing ones
If you already have citations with errors, fixing those is usually more valuable than building new ones. Google trusts consistent signals more than volume.