What is a Citation?

Updated November 22, 2021

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Low Hanging SEO Fruit

Link building is an integral part of SEO. However, it’s a long-term strategy. Even so, there may be some low hanging fruit in the form of citations. In this post I’ll explain what a citation is and how to convert them into valuable links.

A Citation Is…

A mention of your business. This mention can refer to your business in the form of referencing your name. A citation may appear on a website, within a directory listing or a blog article.  It’s a prime opportunity for a link. If it’s relevant and related to your industry, that is.

Not all citations should be converted to a link, however. Citations without links are important as well; they still establish authority and relevance to search engines. Having a balance is all part of a healthy link profile.

Key Takeaway: Citations are a signal to search engines that your business is an authoritative resource to others.

Converting a Citation to a Link

Here are the steps I follow when sifting through citations and determining if they are valid link opportunities:

1. Confirm that referencing site is relevant to my business.
2. Check the linking profile of the referring domain to make sure their link profile is clean (aka not spammy).
3. Determine who owns/controls the website.
4. Reach out to the website owner/Webmaster via phone or email.
5. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. Don’t be afraid to ask in person; emails are often ignored.

Key Takeaway: Sounds easy, right? Not really. It’s time-intensive. Converting a citation into a valuable link requires organization, tenacity and finesse.

How can we help?

Are you monitoring your website’s link profile? Looking to build White Hat SEO that’s brings you business?

We are the spectrum group online, and we offer strategic and tactical consulting so you can monetize your online presence. Call us for a complimentary 30-minute consultation to discuss your website’s user experience and translate that into sales.