The ranking of business listings in the Google My Business and Google Maps results is partly determined by the number and quality of citations and reviews for the business.
Citations are rather like backlinks, but include the business’ Name, Address and Phone number – the so-called ‘NAP’ information. Any business directory which includes these three pieces of information is potentially a citation source.
It is extremely important to make sure that your NAP data is exactly the same on each of the citation sources.
There are a number of directories in South Africa which are treated by Google as important citation sources. Here is a list of 10 of my favorite free citation sites:
1. EasyInfo.co.za
Probably the most important directory for a high Google Places ranking. Most of Google’s default data is pulled from EasyInfo. The site allows you to add a free listing quite easily, but making changes requires submitting them for manual editing.
2. HotFrog.co.za
HotFrog was started in 2005 in Australia, and now has a presence in 34 countries, including South Africa. Results from HotFrog frequently appear on the first page of the Google results, aa well as in Google Places citations.
3. Yellow Pages
4. Cylex.co.za
Cylex is based in Romania, and publishes business directories in a number of countries.
5. Tuugo.co.za
6. WowCity.com
7. Ananzi.co.za
10. SA Yellow