Local Citations: Business Directories and Listings
Local citations are mentions of a business's NAP data on external websites, directories and platforms. They are a confirmed local ranking factor and signal Google the legitimacy and relevance of a business for a specific location.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Citations are online mentions with NAP data
- ✓Quality and relevance of directories counts more than quantity
- ✓DACH-specific directories are essential for local rankings
- ✓Herold.at offers Do-Follow links with high domain authority
- ✓Structured citations (directories) and unstructured (mentions) both count
Citations are the currency of local SEO. Every mention with consistent NAP data strengthens search engines' trust in a business's existence and relevance.
Structured vs. unstructured citations
Structured citations are entries in business directories with standardized fields for name, address, phone, website and opening hours. Unstructured citations are mentions in blog articles, news reports or social media posts that contain NAP data in flowing text. Both types count as local signals.
The most important DACH directories
For Austria, Herold.at (largest directory, offers do-follow links with high domain authority), WKO business directory (high domain trust), FirmenABC.at and Cylex.at are the central platforms.
For Germany, Gelbe Seiten, Das Örtliche, 11880.com, GoYellow.de, DasTelefonbuch and the IHK/Handwerkskammer directories are the most important contact points.
For Switzerland, local.ch and search.ch together reach one in four Swiss adults. They are supplemented by renovero and yellowpages.swiss.
In all markets, Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Maps and industry-specific portals are mandatory citations.
Citation building strategy
The development takes place prioritized: First the top 5 directories of the respective market, then industry-specific portals, then general directories. Each entry must use exactly the same NAP data character for character.
Special DACH particularity: XING has 14 million users in Germany and is therefore an important local signal for B2B companies. LinkedIn supplements with 10 million German users. Both profiles should contain consistent NAP data.
Data & Statistics
Citation-Signale machen 8% der Local-Pack- und 13% der AI-Sichtbarkeitsfaktoren aus
Whitespark (2026)Unstrukturierte Citations korrelieren signifikant mit AI-Suchsichtbarkeit
Yext (6,9 Mio. Citations analysiert) (2025)“Citations have evolved from simple directory listings to contextual mentions that help AI systems understand what a business is known for.”
— Darren Shaw, Founder, Whitespark