Are Citations Still Relevant for Local SEO in 2025?

A lot of people say citations don’t matter anymore, but in my experience they’re still critical – especially for small businesses just starting out. I tested this with a local auto repair shop: before fixing their NAP, they were stuck outside the top 20. After cleaning and submitting to about 25 solid directories (Yelp, Foursquare, niche directories), they started climbing within 2 weeks.


The key isn’t massive volume, it’s consistency. When your NAP is 100% aligned across site, GBP, and citations, Google trusts your business profile much more.