A citation is any reference to a businesses name, address, and phone number online. There are over 100 local directories that contain citations for local businesses. Keeping citations consistent is a crucial element of local SEO. The more consistent your listings are, the stronger the signal to Google is that you are a credible business. Unfortunately there isn’t an easy way to manage these citations manually. Services like Yext and Whitespark have evolved to help business owners make sure their citations are consistent across the web.