Are you looking to grow your local business with Google Places citations? To achieve high rankings in Google Places for local search terms, you need citations! This article is about outlining why citations are important for your business. And more crucially, how they can be achieved to help you gain top rankings for local phrases in Google search results. But before I go any further, there's something you should know in advance. To effectively grow your local business with Google citations, you require a Google Places business page. If you do not already have your own page, I suggest you set one up fast! It's free and easy to set up! (More on this later). Now let me continue by answering a key question..... What are Google Places citations? Citations are votes (links) from other websites credited to your Google Places business page. And that's assuming you have a page. In more simple terms, citations are a mention of your business name, address and phone number by other relevant websites online. It's imperative that you correctly list your business details on your Google places page. The reason being, Google search engine spiders will have to be satisfied that your business listing is real before you can be credited with valuable citations. But why are Google citations so important for your local business? Google regard links from other websites to your Google Places page as votes. The more websites linking to your page, the more citations you gain from across the internet. And for that reason, the higher your rankings in Google search engine results for local search phrases. Which of course also means you'll regularly generate high quality traffic, customers and sales in the long run. Other websites directly pointing to your page can incorporate positive reviews, local directory listings or blog posts. And all of these are typical quality citations to help you grow your business. And if you gain a citation from a site with high authority, it provides massive boost to your rankings in the Google local search results. High authority means a high traffic, reputable and popular website in the eyes of Google. If you receive a citation from such a site to your page, you will be more credited by Google for better rankings. For instance, a business owner receiving a citation from a local McDonald's restaurant could be worth more ranking value than one from a local pizza restaurant. How to gain Google Places citations to highly grow your business. Google index citations to your page when they crawl it. But how could you influence which sites provide links to your Google Places business listing? Target Competition Citation Sources - One way of gaining citations is by checking out your competition to discover sites linking to them. But how? Visit Google search engine. Find business listings ranked high for your 'local search phrases' or 'keywords'. Then dig out citation sources or references (through their web pages). Finally, visit their related sources to request possible citations for your own Google Places page. Approach High Authority Websites - You can also find and contact relevant authoritative websites in your target market or niche. Once again, do a search on Google to find them. For example, if you are a local hairdresser, you can approach other local hairdressers highly ranked by Google for possible citations. Then ask the site owners if they could write a review or listing on their site about your business. This way, you'll definitely get high quality relevant citations back to your page. The key is to make sure the businesses you approach are somehow relevant to your industry....they don't necessarily have to be in direct competition with you. Contact Your Industry Associates - Contact suppliers, customers and other business acquaintances in your industry. Once again, request if they could write a review or listing on their sites about your business. As a consequence, your Google Places page will be credited with more citations to boost your rankings in Google local search results. Apply Correct Business Listing - As mentioned earlier, your business page listing must accurately include your correct business name, address and phone number across the internet. Otherwise, you won't be credited with a citation. And besides, Google will not trust and reward you for high rankings in their local search engine. So, ensure your business details are correctly listed online to positively develop your credibility and authority in the eyes of Google. Use Quality Local Directories - You should also list your page in high traffic and popular local business directories (such as Yelp.com, Yell.com etc). To find relevant online local directories, search on Google and pick the ones that rank in the top pages of results. Particularly register with the directories that have several local businesses in their listing and full of activities. This way, you can greatly benefit from boosting your brand awareness, traffic generation and getting precious citations to your business listing. Which also means you'll consistently be acquiring customers. Use Google "Discussions" Filter - Another highly effective way of acquiring citations is through Google "Discussions" Filter'. I believe this method would be best explained with a visual illustration. So, to easily discover how to benefit from it, you can visit the link below. Conclusion - I hope you now appreciate the importance of Google Places citations and how they can effectively grow your business. If that's the case, then take necessary action to start benefiting sooner rather than later. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6817235