Local citation
A local citation is any mention of a business name, address, and phone number on a third-party site — directory, chamber of commerce, local press — with or without a link. It corroborates the existence and location of the establishment.
In practice
Search engines cross-reference these mentions the way civil records cross-reference identity documents. A business uniformly cited across a country’s reference directories inspires more confidence than one that cannot be found. Each market has its own authoritative sources — replicating coverage internationally means knowing the top-tier directories of each country, not just finding local equivalents.