Local SEO3 min

How to Run a Citation Audit in Under an Hour

A citation audit finds inconsistencies, duplicates, and missing listings across the web. Here's the fast way to do it.

When Was the Last Time You Checked?

If you've never audited your citations, there are almost certainly errors out there. Old addresses, wrong phone numbers, misspelled names.

Let's find them. Fast.

The 60-Minute Citation Audit

Minutes 1-10: Google yourself. Search your exact business name. Then search your business name + city. Click through every result on the first 3 pages. Note any NAP inconsistencies.

Minutes 11-25: Check the big directories. Open Google, Yelp, Facebook, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yellow Pages, and BBB. Verify your NAP on each. Flag errors.

Minutes 26-40: Check data aggregators. Look up your business on Neustar/Localeze, Foursquare, and Data.com. These feed hundreds of downstream directories, so errors here multiply fast.

Minutes 41-55: Run a tool scan. Use Moz Local's free check, BrightLocal's citation tracker, or Whitespark's citation finder to scan for inconsistencies you missed manually.

Minutes 56-60: Prioritize fixes. List every issue by severity. Fix Google, Apple, Bing, and Yelp first. Then data aggregators. Then everything else.

What You're Looking For

  • Name variations (abbreviations, old names, typos)
  • Address inconsistencies (old addresses, formatting differences)
  • Phone number mismatches
  • Duplicate listings
  • Missing listings on key directories (check our top citation sources list to know what "key" means)
  • Hear me when I say this... one hour of audit work can reveal issues that have been quietly suppressing your rankings for years.

    Do the audit. Fix the issues. Watch the results. Then move on to building new ones with our citation building guide.

    Part of the Bigger Picture

    Citation audits are one of 113 tasks inside SEO Checkup. Free. No credit card. 30 seconds.

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