How do you build local citations the right way? In this interview, digital marketing expert Dennis Yu speaks with Nanah Ahsan about manual citation building, niche relevance, citation quality, and the problems with mass-produced automated citation services.

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What’s Real vs. What’s Fake in SEO?

SEO can sometimes feel like a mystery, and unfortunately, some services take advantage of that confusion.

You may have seen offers promising things like “5,000 citations in 24 hours.” These services often rely on software or automated processes to create large numbers of listings quickly.

The problem isn’t simply automation. The bigger question is:

Are those citations relevant, legitimate, accurate, and useful for the business?

Creating thousands of random listings doesn’t necessarily create a stronger local SEO presence.

Mass-Produced Citations

A large number of citations may sound impressive, but quantity alone doesn’t determine citation quality.

If listings are created on irrelevant, low-quality, or questionable directories, they may provide little value to the business.

That’s why we focus on quality, relevance, accuracy, and proper research rather than simply trying to create the largest possible number of listings.

How to Build Local Citations the Right Way

A local citation is an online mention or listing of a business that typically includes information such as its business name, address, phone number, website, and other business details.

Examples include platforms such as Google, Yelp, Facebook, industry-specific directories, local directories, and other relevant websites.

But building citations correctly requires more than copying business information into hundreds of websites.

Here are some of the principles we follow.

1. Manual Work and Quality Control

Instead of relying entirely on automated software, we manually research and create citations.

Manual citation building takes more time, but it gives us greater control over where a business is listed and allows us to review each opportunity individually.

For example, a plumber should have opportunities in plumbing-related directories, local directories, and relevant service directories rather than being submitted indiscriminately to unrelated websites.

2. Relevance Matters

One of the most important parts of citation building is relevance.

A business shouldn’t simply be listed everywhere possible.

For example, if you’re building citations for a plumber, relevant opportunities could include:

• Plumbing directories
• Contractor directories
• Home-service directories
• Local business directories
• City or regional directories

The goal is to build a citation profile that makes sense for the business’s industry and location.

3. Unique Accounts and Proper Management

Depending on the directory and its requirements, we may use separate email accounts when creating and managing individual listings.

The purpose is to properly manage submissions and avoid creating unnecessary duplicate profiles or conflicts between listings.

The important thing is that each citation is created and managed according to the directory’s requirements rather than being generated blindly through a bulk system.

Why Automated Citation Building Can Be a Problem

Automation isn’t automatically bad. The problem is using automation to prioritize quantity over quality.

A service promising thousands of citations in a very short period may not be giving you the type of directory coverage your business actually needs.

1. Low-Quality or Irrelevant Directories

Automated systems may prioritize volume and make submissions to directories that have little relevance to your business.

A smaller number of carefully selected, relevant directories can be more useful than a huge list of random listings.

2. Limited Control

When citations are generated through an automated system, you may have less control over:

• Where your business is listed
• Which category is selected
• How your business information appears
• Whether the directory is relevant
• Whether duplicate listings are created

Manual work allows these details to be reviewed.

3. Citation Ownership and Management

Before purchasing any citation service, it’s worth understanding what happens to the listings after the project is completed.

Ask:

• Will I receive a report?
• Can I access the listings?
• Who controls the accounts?
• What happens if I stop using the service?
• Are the listings actually created on the directories promised?

Transparency matters.

The Benefits of Building Local Citations the Right Way

A properly researched citation campaign can provide several benefits.

Better Business Information Consistency

Accurate business information across relevant directories can help create a more consistent online presence.

Greater Local Visibility

Relevant directories can provide additional places where potential customers can discover your business.

Industry and Geographic Relevance

Niche-specific and location-specific directories can help establish a stronger presence within your industry and market.

Better Organization and Reporting

With manual citation building, you can maintain a clear record of the directories where your business has been listed.

Most importantly, citation building should be viewed as one component of a broader local SEO strategy, rather than a standalone shortcut to rankings.

Citations Aren’t the Only Part of Local SEO

Citations are important, but they aren’t the only factor involved in local SEO.

Your website, Google Business Profile, reviews, content, links, location relevance, technical SEO, and overall online presence can all play a role.

One important area is location service pages.

Enhancing Local SEO With Location Service Pages

Location service pages can help businesses explain the services they provide in specific geographic areas.

For example, a plumber serving Dallas could create useful pages covering relevant services and locations where the business actually operates.

The goal shouldn’t be to create hundreds of nearly identical pages.

Instead, each location page should provide genuinely useful, location-specific information.

Best Practices for Location Service Pages

Include Relevant Local Information

Depending on the business, a useful location page might include:

• Services available in the area
• Areas served
• Local information
• Relevant photographs
• Maps where appropriate
• Customer information
• Internal links to related services
• A link to the business’s Google Business Profile where appropriate

Connect Your Website and Google Business Profile

Your website and Google Business Profile should accurately represent the same business and provide consistent information.

This helps create a clear connection between your business website and its local presence.

E-E-A-T and Local SEO

Another important consideration is demonstrating Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).

Your website should make it clear:

• Who created the content
• What experience they have
• Why they are qualified to discuss the subject
• How visitors can learn more about the business or author

For example, relevant author information and links to legitimate professional or social profiles can help visitors understand who is behind the content.

The goal isn’t simply to add an “author bio” for SEO.

The goal is to demonstrate real experience and credibility.

Citations + Location Pages: A Stronger Local SEO Strategy

Citations and location pages serve different purposes.

Citations help establish your business’s presence across relevant external websites and directories.

Location service pages provide information about your services and the geographic areas you serve on your own website.

Together with other local SEO activities, they can contribute to a stronger and more complete online presence.

My Conversation With Dennis Yu About Local Citations

In the interview, Dennis Yu interviews Nanah Ahsan about local citation building, including the difference between mass-produced citation services and a more manual, relevance-focused approach.

The main takeaway is simple:

Local citation building shouldn’t be about creating the biggest number of listings. It should be about creating the right listings for the right business.

If you’re interested in the discussion, watch the full interview above.

Need Manual Local Citation Building?

Building local citations properly takes research, time, and quality control.

At Nanah Citations, we provide manual citation building for businesses and SEO agencies that want a more quality-focused approach rather than simply purchasing thousands of automated listings.

Looking for citation packages?

Visit NanahCitations.com to view our available packages.

Need a custom order or agency/white-label citation service?

Email: Nanahahsan@gmail.com