Citations are basically mentions of your website or business on another website. This could be on a forum, directory or social media site. Citations are seen by search engines as people talking about your website or business. This is different from people linking to you they are just mentioning you.
Citations apparently help your rankings in the local search listings on search engines so they are very important.
MOZ is also a great place to get a citation and is also great to get involved in discussions about SEO topics and show off your skills. Here is my profile page on MOZ – http://moz.com/community/users/429280
Forums are also a great way to get your name out there whether that is a simple mention of your company or to get involved with other forum members helping them out with your expertise. The UK business forums is a great place to get your business name know.
My Local services is a great site to get your business listed on. Here is Wakefield Acoustics and Eagle Platforms.
Curlie is the replacement for the DMOZ directory and you can find My Mobility on there.
I recently came across Link Tree and it is a great place to put all your links in one place, check out Lojix on there, as well as Eagle Platforms and also My Mobility Guide.
Zumvu is a great site where you can list your business profile. There are various levels of access but the free option gives you a nice looking profile and link to your website. You need to verify that you own the business by uploading some documentation as proof. Here is Lojix on there.
Slides is a great way to showcase a presentation on any topic you want. Here is My mobility guide on there. Pro MB Gaming is also featured on there. Lojix has also got an SEO tips presentation on there.
Misterwhat is a great site to list your business on.
My Folio is a great site to get some additional exposure and here is Lojix on there.
Find us here is a great local search directory allowing businesses to promote their services. Here is Lojix on there.
I really like Pearl Trees which allows you to organise all your favourite places on the internet in one place, here is an example. This is Suitsmen on Pearltrees , Mini Beans and Lojix.
Issuu is also one of my favourites and here is Bradfield Storage on there and this is Matthew Stephens showcasing his services on there and also My mobility guide. Behance is also a great site to sign up to and this is Acrobat Marketing on there.
4 Networking allow you to network with other businesses and also show case your own business with a profile such as this one by MB Digital Marketing, F5 web marketing and one by Lojix.
find Lojix on Artfire and Bradfields on Artfire
Directories are a good way of getting your brand out there and local directories such as Sheffield Company can help raise your brand awareness in the local community by getting you listed in the local maps section on Google.
Wikidot allows you to create your own mini website on a subdomain. You need to know a little about web design but it isn’t difficult as they provide user guides and support. Here is Lojix on Wikidot.
Mix allows you to link to all your favourites articles on the internet and have them in separate collections.
Bombstat is a great site to get on and it will also give you some recommendations on what is or isn’t configured correctly on your website. Here is an example
And here is F5 web marketing on Bombstat
If you a keen photographer you might want to check out 500px. Here is MPC services on there.
Feedly allow you to share news stories from around the web and sort them into boards.
Spotlight is another great site where you can list any business related to casting and music – here is Select Recording Studios on Spotlight
Business directories are another great way to get more online exposure, here are a few examples; Cocorose London, Acrobat Marketing and Olo Design.
All my favs is a great place to save all your favourite places on the internet. Or if you have lots of social media accounts you can have them here all in one place just like these ones. Ello is also a good one and here is an example of My mobility guide on there.
If you work for a construction company then you can list your skills an your companies details on designing buildings, see Bradfields profile on there.
Folkd is also a great place to save all your favourite sites – here is an example and another example and also this is Mini Beans on Folkd.
Another good one I have found recently is Four Square and this is a profile we did for Select Recording Studios who are based in London.
another profile site I like is Steepster where you can rate your favourite tea! Here is Damp2dry on Steepster.
I also like to use Webwiki and here are profiles for Shrewdd Marketing , Wakefield Acoustics and Lojix. WordPress is another one and here is a good example.
Below is an example of one that I use and I particular like this site as you get more than one link:
Linkedin is a great website for getting your business out there. You can connect with people or groups but you can also create what are called show case pages. This allow you to show off some of your products or services.
Folkd is a great place to bookmark your links.
Other social media sites that are great to get your name out there and help with backlinks to your products or services include Slideshare and Pinterest. This is suitsmen on Wakelet which is a great social media site to use for getting your name out there.
500px is another great one and here are a few examples: Matthew Stephens
Video is becoming more and more popular and other sites are taking on Youtube for traffic. Vimeo is quite popular and very easy to use.
I hope you get the idea now. As well as citations and local business directory listings another good way of improving your local listings on Google is to encourage people to review your products and services.