Glossary Term
Citation
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Quick definition: A citation is any online mention of your business name, address, and phone, with or without a link.
What it means
Local citations appear in directories (Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages), industry-specific platforms (Zillow, Realtor.com), and data aggregators (Foursquare, Data Axle).
Citations come in two flavors: structured (formal directory listings) and unstructured (mentions in blog posts or news articles).
Why it matters for real estate SEO
Citation count and consistency are top-3 ranking factors for the Local Pack. Real estate agents typically need 40-60 quality citations to compete in mid-sized metros.
Related guides
Related terms
NAP Consistency
NAP Consistency means your business Name, Address, and Phone are identical across every directory and citation.
Local Pack (Map Pack)
The Local Pack is the block of 3 Google Business Profile listings shown above organic results for local queries.
Backlink
A backlink is a link from another website pointing to yours, acting as a vote of confidence to Google.
Domain Authority (DA)
Domain Authority is Moz's 1-100 score predicting how well a website will rank in Google.
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