PLAYBOOK · 08
Local Citations Cleanup + Expansion
A 21-day sprint to standardize NAP (Name, Address, Phone) across 50+ directories and aggregators, suppress duplicate listings that dilute authority, and rebuild the local trust foundation that powers Map Pack visibility and "near me" search.
→DIRECT ANSWER
Local citations are NAP mentions of your business across the web. Inconsistent or duplicated citations confuse Google and depress local rankings. The fix is a one-time cleanup at the aggregator + Tier-1 level, not perpetual subscription bills.
04CAPABILITY LAYER
This lives inside the Search & Discoverability layer.
Citations are the foundational trust signal Google uses to validate that your business is real, located where you say, and reachable how you say. When that signal is fragmented across 50+ inconsistent directory entries, every other local SEO move is built on sand. This playbook fixes the foundation.
See: Search & Discoverability layerOutcomes
What this hands you when it lands.
- 01100% NAP consistency across the top 50 directories
- 02Duplicate "ghost" listings suppressed or merged
- 03Aggregator data corrected at Foursquare, Data Axle, Neustar
- 04Tier-1 listings (Yelp, Bing, Apple Maps, FB Local) verified + locked
- 05Niche + geo-relevant citations added
- 06Map Pack lift typically observed within 30–60 days
The problem
Why most teams get this wrong.
In Local SEO, consistency is currency. If Yelp lists you at "123 Main St" and Facebook says "123 Main Street, Suite A," Google trusts you less. Add a defunct phone number from your old website, an aggregator that still has your prior address, and a half-dozen scraper sites — and your NAP signal becomes noise. Google ranks businesses with clean signals; yours gets buried.
The system
Five modules. One canonical NAP footprint.
Audit + discovery
Scan 50+ top directories and major data aggregators. Document every instance of your business data with inconsistencies, typos, and duplicates flagged.
Aggregator submission
Push canonical NAP to the primary data aggregators (Foursquare, Data Axle, Neustar). These are the "upstream" sources that feed hundreds of smaller directories.
Tier-1 manual claim + lock
Manually claim, verify, and lock the listings that matter most: Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps, Facebook Local, YellowPages. No automation shortcuts.
Duplicate suppression
Hunt down duplicates aggressively. Contact directory editors and use suppression tools to merge or delete legacy listings carrying outdated info.
Niche + geo citations
Build citations in hyper-relevant sources: local chambers, industry-specific directories, neighborhood guides, regional B2B indexes.
Deliverables
Artifacts handed off, in writing.
Timeline
A 21-day sprint, three phases.
Audit + standardize
Inventory every citation across 50+ sources. Define canonical NAP. Build duplicate + inconsistency tracker.
Submit + claim
Push to aggregators. Manually claim and lock Tier-1 listings. Submit duplicate suppression requests.
Verify + expand
Confirm aggregator propagation. Build niche + geo citations. Stand up monitoring. Hand off maintenance plan.
FAQ
Questions we get asked.
01Do I have to pay monthly for these citations?+
No. Unlike Yext, our manual citations are permanent. We recommend a small annual aggregator renewal, but the Tier-1 listings are yours forever.
02How long until I see ranking changes?+
Citations are foundational. They typically take 30–60 days to fully index and impact Map Pack rankings as Google recrawls the ecosystem.
03What if I don't have a physical address?+
For Service Area Businesses (SABs), we hide your address on directories that support it, but we still build citations using your registered business address.
04How is this different from Yext or BrightLocal?+
Yext is a perpetual subscription — stop paying and your citations revert. We do a one-time aggregator + manual cleanup that persists. BrightLocal is a tool we use; this is the strategic + manual layer.
05How many citations should I have?+
Quality over quantity. The right 50–80 high-authority citations matter more than 500 scraper sites. We focus on the directories Google actually uses.
06What about duplicate Google Business Profiles?+
Duplicate GBPs are critical to resolve. We file merge or removal requests with Google directly and document each case for the trust audit.
07Can citations alone get me to the Map Pack?+
Citations are necessary but not sufficient. They unlock the trust floor; reviews, GBP optimization, and content close the rest of the gap. Pair this with the Review Engine playbook.
08How is this measured?+
NAP consistency score (pre/post), Map Pack rankings for target queries, "near me" impressions in GSC, GBP insights direction queries.
Run it
Fix the local trust foundation — once.
A strategy call gets you a tailored 21-day citation cleanup plan within 48 hours. No perpetual subscription.