Top 60 Citation Sources for Local SEO (Business Directories That Matter)

(See our updated listed of the Best Citations Sources on our consulting blog.)

The best citation sources are easy to figure out.

The second and third tier business directories are the ones that make local SEO hard.

Prioritizing which citations to correct can seem like a monumental task.  If you're in an industry with many niche directories, the headache can quickly turn into a migraine.  Some citation cleanups may touch 250+ sources.  Our base offering targets 100 total.

We try to add 40 industry/local sources to the 60 below.

The Top 60 Citation Sources for Local SEO

"Tier 1"
1. Google My Business
2. Facebook
3. Apple Maps
4. Factual | How to Claim & Optimize Factual
5. Express Update | How to Claim & Optimize Express Update
6. Neustar Localeze
7. Bing Places
8. Acxiom | How to Claim & Optimize Acxiom
9. Yelp!
10. Yahoo! Local
11. D & B
12. Manta
13. YellowPages.com
14. Better Business Bureau
15. Foursquare
"Tier 2"
16. Citysearch
17. Superpages
18. MapQuest
19. Hotfrog
20. Chamber of Commerce
21. EZlocal
22. Insider Pages
23. Brownbook
24. MerchantCircle
25. Local.com
26. dexknows
27. Cyclex
28. Yellowbook
29. Kudzu
30. Thumbtack
31. 2FindLocal
32. Tupalo
33. Best of the Web
34. Tuugo
35. Yasabe
"Tier 3"
36. CitySquares
37. eLocal
38. Alexa
39. Lacartes
40. golocal24/7
41. b2byellowpages
42. Whitepages
43. HERE
44. favecentral
45. YellowBot
46. ForLocations
47. American Towns
48. SaleSpider
49. City Data
50. OpenDi
51. n49.com
52. 10best.com
53. Hubbiz
54. Angieslist.com
55. Infobel.com
56. Biz Votes
57. The Business Journals
58. ThreeBestRated
59. myhuckleberry.com
60. showmelocal.com

How We Maintain Our Top 60

We work on citations campaigns the first two weeks of every month.

So we update our list every month.  The local directory ecosystem is constantly in flux.

For example, Kudzu closed at the beginning of 2019 while we had them ranked 29th on our list.

We expect this trend to continue.  Many directory sites are dying.  Others are merging.

Our prediction:

Google puts 95% of general directories out of business over the next ten years.  The only thing we see that could delay this is the Yext-Alexa partnership.  Yext is awful.  If Alexa Voice systems see a large adoption rate, proliferation of error-prone directory data may continue for a few more decades.
Whatever the case, our list is largely subjective.

Compared to Whitespark's lists, we emphasize engagement a bit more.  They are NAP focused.  That makes good sense.  We're talking local SEO citations, after all.  It's about getting your name, address, and phone number consistent across the Web.

Yet the platforms with engagement live.  The other ones die.

So our list factors in our suspicions about the future.

We build integrated campaigns focused on sustainable, long-term growth.

Finding Your Industry & Local 40

NAP consistency and syndication is one thing.

But that's not the only SEO benefit of optimizing directory listings.

Well done citations campaigns also:

• Generate Industry Backlinks
• Generate Local Backlinks
• Send "Trust Signals" to Google
• Create Brand Engagement
• Support Cross-Platform Campaigns
• Generate Leads Directly

The potential is greatest once you niche down.

Local and industry sources often provide powerful SEO opportunities.  Beyond that, they can also generate exposure in the real world and other places online.

Some examples:

Hotels and Restaurants:  There are 25+ crucial travel sites like Travelocity & Expedia.  What's more, local publishers and influencers can have a major impact on SEO and branding.

Rehab Centers & Addiction Counsellors:  Healthcare providers are subject to the rules of the NPI provider database.  There are also 50+ niche directories of varying quality.

Internet Marketing Companies:  Web designers, SEOs, advertising agencies, and other digital marketers are subject to an obscene number of directories.  That's no surprise; it's what we do.

Any and every industry has a few important niche directories.  Most locations do as well.  Competitive industries and heavily populated areas generally have more opportunities.  If you've changed NAP info, local citations inconsistency can sabotage your Google Maps campaigns.

Citation cleanups in such industries get quite hairy.

Fact:

You can't always fix every bad citation online.

That's why it's useful to have a few tricks up your sleeve.

Ninja Sources

We might get deeper into this eventually.

Only time will tell.

For now, just a few hints:

• Press & Media
• Google Properties
• Social & Free Sites
• Structured Data
• NAP Spam

You can figure out the details yourself.

The worst citations profiles often need these tricks to overcome years of bad info.  Adding them to otherwise healthy citations profiles can lead to total Google Maps domination.  Whatever your situation, think critically and look to the future.

If you need help, an SEO expert is probably your best bet.  Automated solutions like Yext will only dig you deeper into a hole.  Most SEO agencies and consultants will point you to such solutions.
We are the only SEO company we know of that does what we do.  That's mostly because we put humility over pride and have a 30-year plan.

Local citations may not be crucial for that long.  Still, we'll be sure to do them the best as long as they are.

That's good SEO.

We might say the best SEO.

That's Greensboro SEO Pro.