Users, including potential patients seeking mental healthcare, prefer looking up businesses to solve their problems on Google. Think of it as the modern-day equivalent of yellow pages. But to improve your chances of showing up in front of potential patients, you have to start actively creating local citations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we’ll discuss local citation’s role in a business’s digital marketing efforts and the best practices for managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s dive in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local citations are the online mention of your business’ information, i.e., NAP (business name, address, phone number). Citations are crucial aspects of local SEO (search engine optimization) \u2013 a set of tactics that local businesses employ to make themselves discoverable on search engines, improve their local search rankings, and enhance their reputation among their prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local citation are mostly created on different citation sites (as structured<\/em> citations), which mainly include online business directories. They can also be created on certain apps and social media platforms, in which case they are referred to as unstructured <\/em>citations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as mental healthcare practitioners and TMS therapy clinics are concerned, here\u2019s how they can benefit from creating citations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, in order to reap those benefits, you\u2019ll need to ensure you\u2019re creating your local citations the right way. However, before getting into the technicalities, it\u2019s important to understand your options. This brings us to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the different types of local citations that you can create based on the platform:<\/p>\n\n\n\n First and foremost, business owners can create citations on various local business data directories, including Google My Business (GMB), Yext, Acxiom, Localeze\/Neustar, Infogroup, brightlocal, Whitespark, foursquare, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These data listing tools publish data for local businesses and help them gain traction on the web.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, social sites and review sites like Facebook, Yelp, etc. also allow for citation building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Business listings can also be built on niche-specific and geo-specific websites\/platforms. The benefit of using such directory listings is that they are relevant to your business category and can help you gain a highly targeted audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples include chamber of commerce websites, TripAdvisor, or other professional associations and guilds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s even a TMS clinic directory<\/a>. Creating a local citation here can help you attract qualified leads. To give you an idea of just how \u201ctargeted\u201d these directories can get, there\u2019s even an online directory for mental health care providers<\/a> that specialize in diabetes management.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also build or earn citations on a wide variety of publications, including blogs, news sites, apps, maps (Apple maps, Google maps, etc.), government databases, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You could either manually create your business citations or earn a spot based on merit\/public liking.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to the platforms mentioned above, data aggregators can also collect your business data and make it a part of relevant local directories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By now, you must have realized the importance of local citations for your mental health care practice. If you\u2019ve decided to step up your local SEO game, follow these citation management tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n NAP refers to your primary business information, including name, address, and phone number. It\u2019s crucial to attain NAP consistency throughout the web to avoid misleading your customers and losing revenue, reputation, and rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While it may seem like a rather simple thing, it\u2019s actually a critical local ranking factor (and so many businesses get it wrong). Always use the exact<\/em> same name, address, and phone number when creating citations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A passive approach to producing citations for your business would entail relying solely on citation sources\/aggregators’ organic services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Opting for a passive approach for citation management and development can cause severe damage to your business\u2019 reputation and revenue. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n All in all, you won\u2019t have any control over your clinic\u2019s reputation that is automatically being built on the web, and you won\u2019t have any method for tracking and managing your online reviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Actively managing your citations keeps you updated with your business\u2019 mentions on the web and will keep you in control of everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ensure that you share accurate and consistent information across every source. That will help you solidify your business representation and enhance your credibility among your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Citations have a significant impact on a business\u2019s local rankings, reputation, and revenue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Accurate citations can enhance your business visibility among the related audience. On the contrary, inaccurate citations will do the opposite, as they could misdirect your prospects and hurt your reputation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, active location data management is a must for every local business.<\/p>\nTypes of Local Citations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Best-Practices for Managing Local Citations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Use Consistent NAP<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Avoid Passive Approach to Citation Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Share Accurate and Up-to-Date Information<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ending Note<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n