# Citation Building Service > Citation building service: our team builds 25 citations and fixes wrong listings so your name, address and phone match everywhere. Part of Growth, $599 a month. Canonical: https://brickbyclick.ai/citations Last updated: 2026-11-04 ## What is citation building? ### A citation is your business details on another website A citation is any listing of your business's name, address and phone number on a site other than your own. People in SEO call those three details NAP. Citations live on online directories, review sites, map apps, trade association member lists, the chamber of commerce and plenty of other places. Most also show your website and hours. ### Citation building means creating them and fixing them - **Building:** creating listings where your business should be and is not. - **Cleanup:** finding listings that show an old name, address or phone number and correcting them. - **Duplicates:** asking sites to merge or remove second listings for the same business. - **Consistency:** using one exact version of your details on every listing, down to the suite number. ### One business, three listings Over time a move, a new number or a name change leaves old details behind, and they do not fix themselves. Here is an example, not a real business: *An example of mismatched citations for one business* | | Name | Address | Phone | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Your website | Ace Plumbing | 400 Main St, Springfield, IL | (217) 555-0142 | | A directory | Ace Plumbing & Heating LLC (does not match) | 400 Main Street #2, Springfield (does not match) | (217) 555-0142 | | An old listing | Ace Plumbing | 18 Oak Ave, Springfield, IL (does not match) | (217) 555-0199 (does not match) | Is it one business or three? A customer cannot be sure, and neither can a search engine. The old number is a call that never reaches you. ## Why does citation building matter for local businesses? ### Customers call what they find An old phone number on one directory is a call that never reaches you. A wrong address sends a customer to the wrong place, or makes them wonder if you are still in business. ### Search engines cross-check your details Google and other search engines compare your business details across the web. When they match, it is clear every listing is the same business, which backs up your [Google Business Profile](https://brickbyclick.ai/gbp-management) in local and map results. ### Duplicates split your reviews Two listings for one business on the same site split your reviews between them and confuse anyone comparing you with a competitor. ### What citations do not do - They do not put you at the top of Google on their own. Your Google Business Profile, reviews, website and distance to the searcher matter more. - More is not better on its own. Hundreds of thin listings are hard to keep accurate, and a wrong one undoes the point. - They are not a quick win. Corrections can take weeks to show up, and the effect is steady, not sudden. Nobody can honestly guarantee a ranking, and we do not. Citations are one piece of [local SEO](https://brickbyclick.ai/local-seo), the piece that keeps your details straight. ## How does our citation building service work? Our team does the work. You answer a few questions at the start and pass on a code when a directory asks for one. ### Step 1: settle your details We agree with you on one exact way to write your business name, address, phone number and website, and use it on every listing. In your CRM it sits under **Your details, exactly the same everywhere**, with a Copy button for each line. ### Step 2: find what is already out there We look for your existing listings, including ones under an old name, an old address or an old phone number. ### Step 3: fix what is wrong We correct wrong and outdated listings, claim them where we can, and ask sites to merge or remove duplicates. Some sites only let the owner make changes; when one needs you, we tell you exactly what to do. ### Step 4: build your 25 citations On general business directories and on sites for your industry and your area, with your website, hours and services wherever the site has room for them. ### Step 5: keep them right Moving, changing your number or renaming the business? Tell us and we update the listings we manage for you. Every directory has its own schedule Some publish a listing within days, others take weeks, and a few check by calling you or sending a code to your phone or email. That is why citation building takes weeks, not days. ## How you see the citation work in your CRM Citation building is not a report you get once. The work shows on the SEO page of your [CRM](https://brickbyclick.ai/crm), under the **Google & listings** tab and the **Overview**. ### Directory listings - Each directory has a status: Not checked, Listed (details match), Listed (details wrong) or Not listed. - **Get listed** opens that directory's sign-up page, and **Add the link** saves the address of your listing. - On Growth and Total Growth our team sets these statuses as the work is done. ### "What we did" The Overview has a month-by-month list of the work our team logged for you, including Listings, next to blog posts, Google profile work and the strategy call. ### What it does not check for you The CRM does not read your listings on other sites by itself. The statuses are set by hand, by our team or by you; the page does not detect whether a listing exists. We do not have a screenshot of the listings tab on this page yet; ask to see it in the demo. ## What does "AI citation building" mean, honestly? Some services call themselves "AI citation building". We build citations by hand. The AI part is about where your details end up. ### AI assistants read listings too When someone asks an AI assistant "who is a good roofer near me?", the assistant often reads directories and review sites to answer. If your details there are wrong or missing, the answer can be wrong or leave you out. ### The AI search check on Growth - Each month we ask an AI with web search the questions your customers ask (10 on Growth, 20 on Total Growth) and record whether it names you. - "Websites the AI reads" lists the sites it used in its answers, and you can mark each one Not on it yet, Working on it, On it or Not for us. - Sites that match a directory marked listed show a chip, so you can see where your citations already feed AI answers. *Image: AI search check in the BrickByClick CRM: named you 3 of 6, best spot number 1, the business named most instead, a month-by-month bar for three months and the list of questions asked* The AI search check (sample data from a plumbing business). AI answers change from person to person and day to day. Nobody can guarantee an AI will recommend a business; the check shows the trend, asked the same way each month. ## Citations and map rankings Map results are where consistent details matter most for a local business. On Growth and Total Growth you can watch where you show up on Google Maps across your area. - **Growth:** 3 keywords, scanned monthly, with 3 extra "Scan now" scans a month. - **Total Growth:** 5 keywords scanned weekly, plus a table of the businesses you are up against. - Each scan checks 49 points around your business and shows your spot at each. *Image: Map rankings in the BrickByClick CRM: a 7 by 7 grid of numbered dots around the business for the keyword plumber, tiles for average spot, top 3 and top 20, and the list of businesses shown at the selected point* Map rankings (sample data, Total Growth account). Rankings move for many reasons, so the map does not prove what citations did on their own. It shows where you stand while the work goes on. ## Do you sell citation building packages? No. Many citation services sell listings in packages for a one-time price. We do not sell citations on their own, in packages or per listing. ### Why we bundle it - Citations work alongside your Google Business Profile, reviews and website; on their own they do little. - Your details change over time, and someone has to keep the listings right after they are built. - The 25 we build are chosen for your industry and area, not to hit a big number. ### What you get with each plan *Which BrickByClick plans include citation building* | Plan | Price | Citations | | --- | --- | --- | | [Starter](https://brickbyclick.ai/starter-plan) | $99 a month, self-serve | Not included | | [Front Office](https://brickbyclick.ai/blueprint-plan) | $399 a month | Not included | | [Growth](https://brickbyclick.ai/automation-plan) | $599 a month | 25 citations built and fixed by our team | | [Total Growth](https://brickbyclick.ai/total-growth-plan) | $999 a month | 25 citations built and fixed by our team | Growth also includes local SEO, Google Business Profile management, a blog post a month put on your website, email campaigns and a monthly strategy call. Total Growth adds two blog posts a month and local link building ([backlinks](https://brickbyclick.ai/backlinks)). Month to month, no setup fees. [Compare every plan](https://brickbyclick.ai/plans-comparison). ## Citation building for contractors and other service businesses The directories that matter depend on your trade and your area. A roofer, a cleaning company and a landscaper need some of the same general directories and some different industry ones. ### Contractor citation building - Contractors often work from a home address and do not want it shown. Google lets a service-area business show the area it serves instead of a street address, and many directories allow the same. - Where a directory insists on an address, we talk it through with you before listing anything. - Trade association and supplier member lists can be citations too, if you belong to them. ### Other local service businesses Cleaners, landscapers, movers, auto shops and the rest of the 30+ industries we serve get the same process: one exact set of details, old listings fixed, 25 citations built on general and industry sites. Ask on your demo and we will tell you which directories we would use for a business like yours. ## What we need from you - Your business name, exactly as you want it shown. - Your address, or the area you serve if customers do not come to you. - The phone number customers should call. - Your website address and your hours. - A short description and your main services. - Your logo and a few photos of your work. - Any old names, addresses or phone numbers you have used. - Logins for listings you already manage, if you have them. - A few minutes to pass on a code when a directory sends one. ## Citation building service vs doing it yourself vs a listing tool *Ways to get citations built* | | Do it yourself | Citation package from a vendor | Subscription listing tool | BrickByClick Growth | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Who does the work | You | The vendor, once | You, through the tool | Our team | | Old and duplicate listings fixed | If you find them | Varies by package | Varies by tool | Yes, where the site allows it | | Kept right when details change | If you remember | Usually not | While you pay | Yes, on the listings we manage | | Tracked with your other marketing | Spreadsheet | A report | The tool's dashboard | In your CRM next to SEO, reviews and map rankings | | Comes with | Nothing else | Usually nothing else | Usually nothing else | Local SEO, Google profile, blog, CRM, AI receptionist, website | | Cost shape | Your time | One-time per package | Monthly | Part of $599 a month | If all you want is listings and nothing else, a one-time package or doing it yourself costs less. Growth makes sense when you also want the rest of the local marketing done for you. ## Is a citation building service worth it? ### A good fit if - You moved, changed your number or renamed the business, and old details are still out there. - You find duplicate listings or listings you never set up. - You want map results and AI answers to show the right details. - You want local SEO, your Google profile and citations handled by one team. ### Not the right fit if - You only want a big batch of listings for a one-time price. We do not sell that. - You expect citations alone to put you at the top of Google. They will not. - You are on Starter or Front Office and do not want to move to Growth. - You need it done in days. Directories take weeks. ## Questions people ask ### What is a citation building service? A citation building service creates listings of your business's name, address and phone number on directories and other sites, and fixes the ones that are wrong or duplicated. At BrickByClick our team builds 25 citations and cleans up old listings as part of the Growth and Total Growth plans. ### How much does citation building cost? At BrickByClick citation building is not sold on its own. It is part of the Growth plan at $599 a month and Total Growth at $999 a month, along with local SEO, Google Business Profile management and blog posts. Starter and Front Office do not include it. ### Do you sell citation building packages? No. We do not sell citations in packages or per listing. The 25 citations come with the Growth and Total Growth plans, because citations work best alongside your Google profile, reviews and website, and need to be kept right over time. ### What is AI citation building? The term is used in different ways. Our citations are built by our team, not by software posting listings. The AI part is that AI assistants read directories and review sites when they answer "who is good near me?", so correct listings help those answers too. Growth includes a monthly AI search check that shows whether AI names you. ### Do citations still matter for local SEO? Yes, as a consistency check rather than a ranking shortcut. Matching details across the web help search engines trust that every listing is the same business, which backs up your Google Business Profile. Reviews, your profile and distance to the searcher usually matter more. ### Will citations get me to the top of Google? Nobody can honestly promise that. Consistent citations back up your Google Business Profile and website, and together with reviews they help search engines trust your details. Rankings depend on much more, including who you compete with. ### Why 25 citations and not hundreds? More listings is not better on its own. What matters is that the listings people and search engines actually use exist, and that your details match on all of them. Hundreds of thin listings are hard to keep accurate. ### Which directories do you use? It depends on your industry and where you work: general business directories plus sites for your trade and your area. Ask on your demo and we will tell you which ones we would use for a business like yours. ### How long does citation building take? Weeks, not days. Every directory reviews and publishes on its own schedule, and some send a code to your phone or email that you will need to pass on. Corrections to old listings can take longer to show up. ### Do I have to show my home address on citations? Not if you go to your customers and do not have a storefront. Google lets you show the area you serve instead of your street address, and many directories allow the same. Where one insists on an address, we talk it through with you first. ### What is the best citation building service for contractors? Look for one that fixes old and duplicate listings, not only adds new ones, uses one exact version of your details, keeps them right when you move or change numbers, and does not promise rankings. BrickByClick does this on the Growth plan for contractors and other local service businesses. ### How do I see which citations were built? In your BrickByClick CRM, the SEO page's Google & listings tab shows each directory's status, and the Overview's "What we did" list shows the listing work our team logged each month. ### What is NAP consistency? NAP stands for name, address and phone number. NAP consistency means those three details are written exactly the same way on your website, your Google Business Profile and every listing, so customers and search engines see one business, not several. ## Related - [Local SEO](https://brickbyclick.ai/local-seo): The rest of what gets you found in your area. - [Google Business Profile management](https://brickbyclick.ai/gbp-management): The listing that matters most, kept up by our team. - [Review software](https://brickbyclick.ai/review-software): Email review requests and replies. - [On-site SEO](https://brickbyclick.ai/onsite-seo): Your own website, set up to be found. - [Backlinks](https://brickbyclick.ai/backlinks): Local link building on Total Growth. - [Growth plan](https://brickbyclick.ai/automation-plan): The plan with 25 citations, $599 a month. - [Compare plans](https://brickbyclick.ai/plans-comparison): Every plan and feature side by side.