Quick answer: A business citation is any mention of your business name, address and phone number (often with your website) on another site. Your Google Business Profile is the listing Google itself shows in Search and Maps. A directory listing is a citation on a third-party site. A backlink is a clickable link to your website, which may or may not sit inside a citation. Google My Maps is a tool for drawing custom maps, and a pin on a custom map is not the same as a Business Profile. An academic citation is a reference to a source in a piece of writing, which is a different subject altogether.
The word "citation" gets stretched in local marketing. A seller might use it for directory listings, another for pins on custom maps, and a student searching "cite Google Maps" wants something else entirely. If you are trying to decide where to spend time or money, it helps to separate these ideas first. This guide puts them side by side.
The Six Things People Mean
| Term | What it is | Who controls it | Main job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Your official business listing on Google Search and Maps | You (once verified) and Google | Shows customers your details, reviews, hours and photos |
| Directory listing (structured citation) | A profile on a site such as Yell, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect or a trade directory | You, usually through a login | Repeats your details where customers and search engines may look |
| Unstructured citation | A mention of your business in an article, blog post or local news story | The publisher | Builds recognition; may include a link |
| Backlink | A clickable link from another site to yours | The linking site | Sends visitors; Google says links to your business are one input into prominence |
| Google My Maps pin | A marker on a custom map someone made with Google My Maps | Whoever created the map | Shows places on a shareable map; it is not a Business Profile |
| Academic citation | A reference to a source, such as a Google Maps view, in an essay or report | The writer | Credits the source so readers can check it |
Google Business Profile: The Listing Google Shows
Your Business Profile is the panel that appears when someone searches for your business, and the entry on Google Maps. Google compiles profile information from several sources: public web content such as your website, licensed data from third parties, contributions from users and owners, and its own interactions with the business (Google Business Profile Help). As the owner, you can claim and verify the profile and edit it directly.
That means your profile is not only shaped by what you type into it. Information elsewhere on the web can feed into what Google shows, which is one reason consistent details matter. If you have not yet worked through your profile, our Business Profile checklist covers each section.
Directory Listings and Other Citations
A citation is simply a mention of your business details. When it appears in a set format on a listing site, it is often called a structured citation. When it appears in ordinary text, such as a local newspaper story about your shop, it is unstructured. Our guide to what local citations are gives examples of both.
The value of a citation comes mainly from accuracy and relevance. A correct listing on a site your customers use can send enquiries directly. An outdated one can send them to an old address or a disconnected number.
Backlinks: Overlapping but Different
Some citations include a link to your website; many do not. A link from a respected local organisation might be valuable even if it does not show your phone number at all. Google's own guidance says prominence is based partly on information such as how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have (Google Business Profile Help). For the detailed comparison, read local citations versus backlinks.
Google My Maps: A Drawing Tool, Not a Listing
Google My Maps lets anyone create custom maps with pins, lines and shapes, then share or embed them. Maps are private until you change the sharing settings (My Maps Help). A pin on one of these maps carries whatever text its creator typed. It does not create, verify or edit your Business Profile.
Some freelance services sell "Google Maps citations" that consist of custom map entries carrying your business details. That is a legitimate product to buy if you understand what it is, but it is not the same as a directory listing and there is little published evidence that such entries move rankings. We look at that question in whether Google Maps citations really work.
Which one is this? A quick sorting test
- Does Google show it as your official panel with reviews and a verified owner? Business Profile.
- Is it a profile page you can log in to on another listing site? Directory listing (structured citation).
- Is it a mention inside someone else's article? Unstructured citation, and possibly a backlink if it links to you.
- Is it a pin on a map someone built in My Maps? Custom map entry.
- Is it a reference in an essay's bibliography? Academic citation, unrelated to local SEO.
Academic Citations: A Separate Topic
If you arrived here because you need to reference a Google Maps view in coursework, you need a style guide rather than a marketing guide. We have separate guides for APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard and IEEE, plus a guide to the rules on screenshots and Street View images. These have nothing to do with business listings.
What This Means for Your Plan
- Start with the Business Profile. It is the listing customers see on Google.
- Write down one correct version of your details and use it everywhere. Our NAP consistency guide explains why.
- Add relevant directory listings where your customers actually look.
- Earn genuine mentions and links from local organisations, suppliers and press.
- Treat custom map entries as optional extras, not as a replacement for the steps above.
Google is clear that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking (Google Business Profile Help). Every item above is about giving customers and search engines accurate information, not about buying a position.
Sources
- Understand how Google sources and uses info in Business Profiles (Google Business Profile Help)
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google (Google Business Profile Help)
- Share, download or print your map (Google My Maps Help)
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