> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.platelunchcollective.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Local Citation

> A local citation is any online mention of a business tied to a place, structured or not, the umbrella term for a business's presence across the local web.

*Core concept* · *Local & Hawaii*

## Definition

A local citation is any online mention of a business tied to a place, its name alongside a location, whether the mention is a structured directory listing or a passing reference in a news story or a review. It is the umbrella term for a business's presence across the local web. The NAP-structured form, name, address, and phone in a fielded listing, is covered at local citation (NAP).

## Why It Matters for AI Search

A model asked for a business in a place assembles its answer from mentions scattered across directories, maps, reviews, and local press, and consistency across those mentions is what lets it treat them as one business. Local citations are that scattered evidence. The more places a business is named the same way, the more confidently a system can resolve it to a single entity and surface it for local queries. Wrangling that presence into agreement is local entity work, and the NAP-structured listing is its most rigid, most checkable form.

## Related Terms

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Local citation (NAP)" href="/ai-search-glossary/local-citation-nap">Narrower term</Card>
  <Card title="Local SEO" href="/ai-search-glossary/local-seo">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Local pack" href="/ai-search-glossary/local-pack">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Brand mention" href="/ai-search-glossary/brand-mention">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Google Business Profile" href="/ai-search-glossary/google-business-profile">See also</Card>
</CardGroup>

## Relevant Plate Lunch Collective Services

[Entity SEO](https://www.platelunchcollective.com/services/entity-seo)  [Context Map](https://www.platelunchcollective.com/services/context-map)