Local citations are becoming more and more important in local search ranking. A citation is every time that your business is mentioned on the internet whether or not there is a link attached to it. It can be just your company name, the name and phone number, the name, phone number and address or all these things and a link. Citations will help your website rank better in local searches which will help attract more leads and bring in more sales.
In case you are wondering a good place to find citations just think of your local business directory. It lists all the businesses in your area yours included. Anyone who is looking to buy your products will go to the listing and they will find your business and they can either come to your physical location or find your website and buy through there.
For your citations to work you have to make sure that the information that they contain is complete and accurate. The more complete it is the easier it is for potential customers to find you. Also, it is an indication that you are a serious business that cares about the image that you put out there. You want citations to be accurate because if they arent you will be sending your clients on a wild goose chase and they will soon end up buying from your competitors.
The best person to manage your citations for you is the same one who does your SEO. Make sure that it is included in your contract and from time to time do searches to see how many you have and how accurate they are. Agree on how often they should be updated and what information should go into them. Provide the information yourself so as to be sure that it is all correct.