Your citations are the foundation of local SEO. Most of these fixes are one-time cleanups you can start today — grouped so you can jump in anywhere.
Get Consistent
Write Down Your Exact NAP
What to doType your Name, Address, and Phone exactly once — including "St." vs "Street" and suite formatting — and save it as your master.
Why it mattersYou can't be consistent everywhere if you don't have one definitive version to copy.
How it helpsA master NAP makes every future listing fast to fill out and impossible to get subtly wrong.
Match Everything to Your Google Profile
What to doUse your Google Business Profile as the source of truth and make every other listing match it.
Why it mattersGoogle's own listing is the anchor; aligning everything to it removes conflicting signals.
How it helpsConsistency with your primary listing strengthens trust and local ranking confidence.
Use One Phone Number Everywhere
What to doPick a single primary phone number and use it on every listing — avoid different tracking numbers per site.
Why it mattersMultiple numbers across listings are one of the most common NAP-consistency killers.
How it helpsOne consistent number keeps your citations clean and your call tracking simpler.
Standardize Your Business Name
What to doUse your real, legal business name consistently — don't add keywords or city names that aren't part of it.
Why it mattersName variations create mismatches, and keyword-stuffed names can violate platform guidelines.
How it helpsA clean, consistent name builds trust and keeps your listings in good standing.
Claim the Key Platforms
Claim Bing Places
What to doSet up or claim your Bing Places listing and fill it out completely.
Why it mattersBing powers more searches than people think — including some voice and built-in assistants.
How it helpsIt's an easy, high-trust citation that expands where customers can find you.
Claim Apple Business Connect
What to doClaim your business on Apple Business Connect so your details show correctly in Apple Maps.
Why it mattersEvery iPhone uses Apple Maps by default — wrong info there sends customers astray.
How it helpsAccurate Apple Maps data captures a huge slice of "near me" searches on mobile.
Claim Your Yelp Listing
What to doClaim and complete your Yelp profile, even if Yelp isn't a focus for your industry.
Why it mattersYelp is a trusted citation source and feeds data to other platforms, including Apple Maps.
How it helpsA claimed, accurate Yelp listing reinforces your NAP and adds another discovery channel.
Set Up Facebook Business
What to doMake sure your Facebook business page has your exact NAP, hours, and category set.
Why it mattersFacebook is a major, trusted citation — and often the first place customers check you out.
How it helpsA consistent, complete page strengthens citations and your social proof at once.
Clean Up & Expand
Hunt Down Duplicate Listings
What to doSearch your business name and phone number to find duplicate or outdated listings, then correct or merge them.
Why it mattersDuplicates split your authority and confuse customers about which listing is real.
How it helpsRemoving duplicates consolidates trust and cleans up your local footprint.
Fill Out Every Profile Completely
What to doOn each listing, add your hours, categories, description, services, and a few photos.
Why it mattersComplete listings rank and convert better than half-empty ones — and look more credible.
How it helpsFuller profiles give customers what they need and reinforce your relevance everywhere.
Add 3 Industry or Local Directories
What to doPick three directories specific to your trade or town and add complete, consistent listings.
Why it mattersNiche and local directories are highly relevant and often less competitive than the big ones.
How it helpsRelevant citations reinforce both your industry and your location to search engines.
Add Your Website Link to Every Listing
What to doMake sure each listing links to your website — ideally to the most relevant page.
Why it mattersListing links drive referral traffic and connect your citations back to your site.
How it helpsEvery linked listing is another path for customers to reach you and another trust signal.