Not All Citations Come in Neat Little Boxes
When most people think "citations," they think directory listings. Structured, formatted, predictable.
But there's a whole other world of citations hiding in plain sight.
Structured Citations
These are your standard directory listings. Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages, industry directories. They follow a consistent format: business name, address, phone number, website, hours, description.
They're essential. They're foundational. And by now you should have them handled. (If not, start with our citation building guide.)
Unstructured Citations
These are mentions of your business NAP on non-directory websites. Think:
These are HARDER to get but often MORE valuable because they come from unique, authoritative sources.
Come closer. Listen.
Google treats unstructured citations as a stronger trust signal than directory listings because they're harder to fake. Anyone can list themselves on Yelp. But earning a mention in a local news article? That requires legitimacy.
How to Build Unstructured Citations
The Balance
You need both. Structured citations give you breadth. Unstructured citations give you depth and authority. Moz's local SEO guide has an excellent framework for balancing the two.
Track your citation strategy as part of 113 local SEO tasks at SEO Checkup. Free. No credit card. 30 seconds.