In the Google Game, citations are a good thing for local businesses looking to rise to the top of their Local Business rankings… and break into the  7-Pak Space of Happiness for your Local Business.

David Mihm, a Local Search expert, defines Google Local Business Citations as:

“Any page that is listed under the “Web Page” tab inside a Google Local Business Listing.”

Citations are “mentions” of your Local Business Name and Address on other websites, even if there is no link back to your website. For instance, your business might be listed at YellowPages.com without a link back to your site. Congrats… you got a citation.

Most Local SEO gurus agree that citations are a key, if not THE key, factor in how Google determines rankings in the 7-Pak of Local Business Listings. Everything else being equal, the business with the most citations, especially citations from recognized Local business sites, wins the ranking game, getting their listing pushed to the top.

Google Local business citations validate that a business is part of a local community. For example, a citation from Acxiom, who lists only Business Land Phone lines, and the Local Chamber of Commerce, confirms that a business is who they claim to be on their Google Local Business Listing.

So, what you want for your Local business is more citations, and citations from the Right Sources.

You’ll want to gather citations from these sources:

1. Local Search Engines-

Make sure your Local business is listed on all the major Local Search Engines.

• InfoUSA
• Localeze
• Yahoo Local
• Super Pages
• Yelp
• and More

2. Local Blogs-

Seek out Local or Hyper-Local blogs in your area.

Simply perform a search:
“[your city] blog” or,
“[your neighborhood] blog”

Blogs are typically well-indexed in Search Engines. Businesses listed or linked to in Local Blogs are viewed as trusted, relevant results in Local Search.

3. Local Directories

Check out Best of the Web’s Regional Directory and Yahoo’s Regional Directory.

Also, do a search, same as you did for blogs:

“[your city] directory”

“[your state] directory”

4. Don’t Forget Industry Directories and Blogs

Check out the Membership Directory of your Trade Association, Vendor Listings, and Industry-specific blogs. Even if these websites or directories are not focused on your particular area, they no doubt include topics and keywords related to the products/services you offer. Chances are the Local Search engines will crawl these sites and count it as a citation source when they find your Local business listed on these sites.

Search:

“[your industry] directory”
“[your keyword] directory”

You’ll find sites for potential listings, links, and citations.

5. Check Your Citations for Accuracy

Visit the search engines, directories, blogs, and sites where you’ve submitted your business. Make sure your business name, address, and phone number is listed correctly and consistently the same across all the sites.

Time and effort you spend in these four areas will pay dividends in beefing up your Google Local Business Citations. While it’s important to gather citations for your Google Local Business Listing as soon as you can, make it a point to constantly keep your eyes open for places where you can earn citations. When your business shows at the top of Google’s 7-Pak in your area for the type of product/service you offer, you’re positioned to grab more sales and customers.

The Google 7-PAK is Your Happy Space Online. Your Business Citations help you enter your 7-PAK Happy Space.

Flickr Photo Credit: House of Sims

Related articles on Google Local Business Listings:

• Understanding Local Listing Sites as Google Changes the Game (marketingvox.com)
• Improve Your Online Business With Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (webmanmarketing.com)
• Gain the Top Spot In Google (lazerpromotions.com)
• Improve Your Web Site Ranking With These 5 tips (ronmedlin.com)
• Dealing with multiple phone numbers in Google Local (blogstorm.co.uk)