Glossary · Citation
Citation
Any mention of a business name, address, or phone on a third-party website, with or without a backlink. Citations build entity confidence for both Google and AI engines.
In local SEO, a citation is any reference to a business across the web, distinct from a backlink. A citation can be a directory listing, a news article mention, a partner page reference, or an industry association page.
AI engines weight citation density heavily when deciding whether to recommend a business. The more independent sources mention the business with consistent NAP, the more confident the model is that the entity is real and worth recommending.