If you are reading this article, do you know the existence of citations?
In recent years, attention of citations is increasing. Because citations can help increase your site’s CTR and conversion rates.
There are many websites on the Internet. It is not an easy task to make your website stand out.
However, if you use citations well, it is believed that search engines such as Google will be able to recognize and evaluate your site more easily.
I think that there are many people who have heard the term citation once, but do not know the detailed meaning and are in trouble.
Therefore, this time, I will clarify the definition of citation under the title of “What is citation? Explaining the effect of SEO and how to acquire it”.
On top of that, we will introduce the SEO effects (advantages and disadvantages) of citations and related knowledge such as how to acquire them.
What is a citation
Below, we will introduce not only the definition of citation, but also the definition of backlinks, which is also one of the external SEO measures, and related knowledge.
What is a citation?
Citation is an English word that literally translates to “citation” or “mention”.
However, from the SEO point of view, it means “specific site names, company names, store names, brand names, service names, text URLs, addresses, and phone numbers are listed on other sites and SNS “.
Like backlinks, citations are a type of external policy and can be said to be an important index in SEO.
This is because, although Google’s guidelines do not specify that it directly affects SEO, it is believed that a certain SEO effect can be expected.
In this way, citations describe site names and URLs as text without pasting links.
It can be said that it is a characteristic of citations that other content is referred to without a link.
Such citations are indispensable for aiming for high ranking in MEO.
MEO here is an abbreviation for Map Engine Optimization, which means to optimize with a map engine for Google MAP. Synonymous with local SEO .
In the first place, local SEO (Local SEO) is SEO that specializes in local search to display at the top of Google search results when searching with “place name + keyword”.
For example, we aim to rank high in searches for keywords that include specific area names such as “Shinagawa Dentist” and “Omotesando Cafe”.
There are two major types of typical displays. It is as follows.
- Local pack
- Knowledge panel
MEO has several advantages. It is as follows.
- It is easy to connect directly with customers.
- Less competition.
- You can start with a low budget.
The basic measures taken by MEO are as follows.
- distance
- Relevance
- Popularity
- “NAP” notation “NAP” is a coined word that takes the initials of business information (Name), location (Address) and phone number (Phone number).
Here are some things to keep in mind when working on it:
- Frequently update and correct information.
- Reply to word of mouth.
By taking MEO measures firmly in this way, the appeal to users will increase.
Companies that want to appeal their presence, products and services to more targets should work on map engine optimization.
Read Also: What Are External Measures In SEO? Introducing Its Effects
What is a backlink?
A backlink is a link from another site pointing to the target website.
A “backlink” is a link that leads from another site to your site.
Conversely, a link from your site to another site is called an “outgoing link”.
In this way, by setting up “external links” such as backlinks and outgoing links, the evaluation from Google will increase, and the website will be more likely to be displayed at the top.
Therefore, backlinks, which are counted as one of the external SEO measures along with citations, can be said to be an effective SEO measure as much as internal links that connect pages on your own site.
The SEO effect of such link optimization is as follows.
Makes it easier for crawlers to patrol
A search engine recognizes a web page by making it into a database.
Higher rankings from search engines
It is important to connect pages that are highly related to each other.
Here are some things to keep in mind when creating internal links:
normalize the URL
It is essential to prevent the evaluation from the search engine from being scattered.
Write your anchor text accurately and concisely
Makes it easier for crawlers to patrol.
Website owners who want their website to appear higher in search rankings should optimize their internal and external links.
The crawler referred to here is an automatic patrol program that periodically collects all kinds of information on websites on the Internet and creates database indexes for searches.
Crawlers use the information they collect to decide which websites to rank higher in search engines.
Also known as bots, spiders, robots, etc., it is originally a derivative of the English word crawl, which means “to crawl”, so the image of a crawler swimming in the sea of information called the Internet comes to mind. I think it will come.
By the way, 90% of Japanese search engines are operated by Googlebot, which accounts for the majority of the market share.
In this way, the crawler goes through the series of patrols and analyzes, and reflects them in the search results.
At this time, it circulates on the Internet and records and classifies the analyzed websites as a database.
At that time, in order to display the website at the top, it is necessary to improve the ease of patrol by the crawler (crawlability), which is an effective SEO measure.
Specifically, the following seven are listed.
increase backlinks
The rate of visits from other pages will increase, making it easier for crawlers to visit.
review the URL
Eliminate negatively rated duplicate content and consolidate multiple URLs into one.
Make the site a three-level structure
Pages with a shallow hierarchy are easy for crawlers to crawl.
Utilize Google search console
Let Google know you have a website you want it to crawl.
Use text links instead of image links
Crawler crawls text preferentially.
Improved anchor text
Add a little trick, such as including keywords.
Create breadcrumbs
By installing it, crawlers can easily patrol the site.
In this way, instead of just creating content, it is necessary to take SEO measures after understanding what kind of website is likely to be crawled by crawlers.
Citation SEO effect
Now that the definition of citations is clear, let’s take a look at the SEO effects of citations.
At that time, before mentioning the advantages and disadvantages, I will introduce what SEO is.
In the first place, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is also called “search engine optimization”.
In search engines such as Google, by devising so that the company’s website is displayed at the top of the search result page, it means the technology and service for that purpose.
SEO has several advantages. It is as follows.
- You can start for free or at low cost.
- When the site is displayed at the top, a branding effect can be obtained.
On the other hand, there are also disadvantages. It is as follows.
- It takes time to show its effect.
- There is a possibility that it will be set left and right due to search engine updates and algorithms.
SEO can be broadly classified into two types. It is as follows.
- Internal measures Optimize the internals of the website. A typical example is content marketing and content SEO.
- External measures Increase and improve the quality and quantity of backlinks on the website.
In this way, in order to achieve results in SEO, it is necessary to take internal and external measures.
Above all, it is most important to continue to provide high-quality content from the user’s point of view.
At that time, it is effective to include the search keywords you want to use for SEO in the content in a contextual manner. In fact, Google also appreciates such websites.
At the same time, it gives users the opportunity to learn about your company’s products and services, and ultimately turns potential customers into fans.
Site operators who want to attract customers and increase the number of CVs by displaying their website at the top of the search ranking should take SEO measures.
The number of CVs here means conversions. A conversion is the achievement of a goal on a website.
It means conversion, conversion, conversion from a prospective customer to a customer, and is used as the final result. Many conversions are inquiries, requests for materials, purchases of products and services, applications for participation in events, etc. CVs are called conversions.
There are five types of such conversions. It is as follows.
direct conversion
It means that a product is purchased by a user through an advertisement placed on a website.
indirect conversion
It is different from direct conversion in that it is a case where a product is purchased by a user who left the site and then returned to the site.
unique conversion
It is unique in that it counts one user as 1, even if two items are purchased on a website, rather than counting each action as 2.
Click-through conversion
A conversion made by a user on a website after clicking on an ad.
view-through conversion
A conversion made by a user on a website after seeing an ad. At this point, the user only saw the ad and did not click on it.
To maximize conversions, you need to optimize your content and direct users to your website.
By using the logic tree, it is expected that the route to the final result will be subdivided and improvements will be made for each stage and element.
In this way, conversion is an index that quantifies how much a company has achieved in web marketing.
On top of that, the advantages and disadvantages of citations are as follows.
Advantages of Citation
The more positive citations and mentions about your company, the higher your site rating and the higher your search ranking will naturally be.
Since it is highly evaluated by search engines such as Google, SEO effect can be expected.
Disadvantages of Citation
Negative citations and mentions with bad publicity can negatively impact your SEO performance.
SEO effects cannot be expected because they are rated low by search engines such as Google.
In this way, please be aware that the SEO effect of Citation has advantages and disadvantages depending on whether it is evaluated well or badly by users.
How to get citations
There are four main ways to obtain citations. It is as follows.
1. Increase awareness through advertisements and quotes in various media
Advertisements include TV commercials, newspapers, tele-appointments, faxes, e-mail magazines, banner ads, and video ads.
You can get new citations by promoting your products and services in many ways through advertising.
2. Make your site and brand name clear
In order for users to recognize your company’s existence, let’s write the title not only in romaji but also in katakana and hiragana. One method of expression has a great impact on building a company’s own branding and obtaining citations.
Branding here is the systematic and long-term effort to build a brand.
Branding has several advantages. It is as follows.
- Acquisition of customer loyalty leads to improvement of repeat rate.
- Differentiation from competitors can be achieved.
- Be recognized by consumers.
- Products and services can be set at high profit margins.
By focusing on building branding in this way, you can expect all kinds of effects.
So how do you go about building your branding? It is as follows.
As a premise, the most important thing is to permeate and establish a unique image in the world.
To do so, you need to take three steps:
Analyze the current state of the brand
Know your strengths and improve your weaknesses.
Design the core concept
Make it clear what kind of image you want your customers to have.
Embodiment of the concept
Let’s actually promote products and services according to the set concept.
Companies that want to attract customers to their target audience and increase profits should implement a branding strategy.
3. Register with Google My Business
By registering with Google My Business , you can increase the opportunities for information about your company to be spread and shared on other sites and SNS, leading to the acquisition of citations.
In the first place, Google My Business (Google my business) is a service that allows you to register your business information on the Google website and display, update, and manage search results and Google maps.
Registration for the service is free.
If you use Google My Business, you can display the correct information of your store registered in advance on Google search and Google Maps.
You can also view analytics information and create free websites.
And at the same time as being able to appeal to users the appeal of your own store, it will also lead to an increase in name recognition.
Furthermore, it is excellent in that even non-store type services that do not have a physical store can be registered.
Here’s how to add basic information to Google My Business.
- Owner registration
- Edit basic information
- Add photos and videos
But before you register, there is a caveat. There are two points below.
- You can’t specify the photo to be displayed.
- -All reviews are public.
In this way, Google My Business can be said to be a recommended method for those who want to attract customers to their stores online.
This is because there are no costs or margins for placing advertisements on media such as web media.
If you are having trouble attracting customers to your store, try using Google My Business.
4. Improve awareness on SNS
Continue to provide a lot of good content and spread it on SNS.
When information about your company is spread and shared on SNS, you can get evaluations from users.
Therefore, if you are a site operator looking to acquire citations, the first step is to create your own SNS account.
SNS (Social Network Service) is an abbreviation for Social Networking Service.
In the English-speaking world, SNS is not called SNS, but is called social media or social.
Typical examples include Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LINE, and TikTok.
Such SNS refers to services on the Internet that support connections between people.
It is excellent in that users can interact with each other online, even if they do not know each other in the real world.
There are various places to use it, some people enjoy interacting with users who have common interests in private, and many people use it for work and business.
Recently, companies and organizations are making good use of SNS as a means of public relations activities. The spread of SNS in this way has ushered in an era in which individuals can transmit information.
The world is overflowing with information, and at the same time, it has become possible to know information more quickly than before.
However, the spread of SNS also has its negative effects. It covers a wide range of topics, such as the spread of false rumors, privacy issues, fraud damage, and virus distribution damage.
In such a modern society, there is power that people who use SNS should cultivate.
Information literacy is the ability to read information critically.
It is important not to accept all the information on the Internet without question, but to be able to safely select the information you need from all the information.
Those who use SNS should pay attention not only to its convenience, but also to the points to note.
Know your citation status
You can check the acquisition status of citations. It is as follows.
Search “site name”-site:site URL on Google
You can check how many citations you have earned.
Yahoo! Search with the real-time search function
The best part is that it doesn’t require any registration or login. However, the scope of searching for what was mentioned in real time is limited to Twitter and Facebook.
Summary
This time, after clarifying the definition of citations, we introduced the SEO effects (advantages and disadvantages) of citations and related knowledge such as how to acquire them.
Generally speaking, SEO can be divided into two categories:
- Internal measures Optimization of the inside of the website (installation of internal links, etc.)
- External measures Acquisition of backlinks and citations
The big difference between backlinks and citations is the presence or absence of a URL (link). A backlink has a URL, but a citation does not.
There are no links, and information about the company, such as the site name, is mentioned in text form.
No matter which one you get, you need to continue to provide a lot of good content and spread information about your company on SNS.
By acquiring such citations, it is expected that the site evaluation will increase and the search ranking will also increase.
On the other hand, negative citations or mentions of your company will result in your site being rated lower and lower in search rankings.
Make sure the content you put on your web pages is high quality so that you can get positive citations for your company.
The more trustworthy your site is, the higher your search ranking will naturally be.
In the future, site operators who want to attract customers through external SEO measures should focus on acquiring citations.
