A citation is any online mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP), with or without a link. Directories, data aggregators, and industry sites all carry them, and Google uses their consistency as a signal that your business is real and located where you say it is.
Citations are foundational rather than glamorous. They will not rocket you up the rankings on their own, but inconsistent or missing citations actively hold you back.
What citations are and why they matter
Citations corroborate your location and identity across the web. When the same NAP appears consistently on the major US directories and aggregators, Google has more confidence in your profile, which supports map-pack prominence.
Which directories matter
Focus on the structured-data aggregators and the major general directories before chasing volume. Quality and consistency beat quantity.
- Core general directories such as Google, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yelp, and Facebook.
- Data aggregators that feed many smaller directories.
- Industry and Miami-specific directories relevant to your vertical.
NAP consistency and cleanup
Inconsistent NAP (an old address, a tracking phone number on one site, a slightly different business name) confuses Google and dilutes trust. The cleanup job is to find every existing citation, correct the inconsistent ones, and remove duplicate listings, which can split your signals.
Get this right once and keep it current whenever you move or change your number.