Brand Citations explained
In local SEO, a citation traditionally means any online reference to a business’s name, address and phone number (NAP) — on directories, maps, review sites and data aggregators. They help search engines verify that a business exists where it says it does.
The term is easy to confuse with AI citations, which are links to sources shown alongside AI-generated answers. Brand citations are about consistent business facts; AI citations are about which pages an answer credits.
The two connect: consistent business citations make your core facts easier to corroborate, which supports accurate descriptions in AI answers.
Brand Citations: an example
Your company's listing on Google Business Profile, an industry directory and a local chamber of commerce site, each with the same name, address and phone number.
Why it matters for search and AI visibility
Consistent citations support local search visibility and give search and AI systems corroborated facts about your business.
Last reviewed by the Prisol team.