🔍 Overview
When you submit a citation order for edits, it goes through a structured multi-stage review and publishing process. This process takes 40 or more days to complete from start to finish. This timeline reflects the complexity of updating your business information across hundreds of directories, each with its own review and publishing cycle.
This article explains every stage of the workflow so you always know where your citation edit order stands.
📍 Where to Find Your Citation Orders
To view your citation orders and their current status, navigate to Left sidebar → Local → Local Citations (statuses shown: Complete, Incomplete, Warning). From here you can monitor the progress of any active or completed citation edit orders associated with your account.
🔄 The Four Stages of a Citation Edit Order
Every citation edit order moves through four distinct stages. Each stage must be completed before the next begins.
- Submission — Your edit request is received and logged in our system. Our team reviews the details you provided, including updated business name, address, phone number, website URL, or other listing information. Orders at this stage appear as On Hold while the submission is being prepared and verified before outreach begins.
- Quality Assurance — Each citation is checked for accuracy and consistency before being sent to directories. Our team cross-references your submitted information against your existing listings to prevent errors and ensure your updates meet each network's formatting requirements. This stage is critical to reducing rejection rates across directories.
- Live Checks — Updated citations are submitted to the relevant directories and networks. Our team actively monitors each submission and follows up where a directory requires manual approval, additional verification, or has its own internal review period. Individual directories can take days or weeks to approve and publish changes, which is the primary reason the overall timeline extends to 40 or more days.
- Completion — All targeted directories have published your updated information. Your citation order is marked complete, and the updated links and listing details are reflected in your Local Citations dashboard. At this point your business information is live and consistent across the networks included in your order.
⏱️ Why the Process Takes 40+ Days
The 40-plus day timeline is normal and expected for citation edit orders. It is not a sign that something has gone wrong. The following factors contribute to the full processing window:
- Directory review queues — Each directory operates independently and processes update requests on its own schedule. Some publish changes within a few days; others require several weeks.
- Manual verification requirements — Certain high-authority directories require phone verification, email confirmation, or owner authentication before accepting edits.
- Rejection and resubmission cycles — If a directory rejects a submission due to formatting rules or duplicate detection, our team corrects and resubmits it, which adds time.
- Network propagation — Once a primary data aggregator is updated, secondary directories that pull from it need additional time to reflect the change.
📊 Understanding the "Incomplete" Status
If your citation order displays an Incomplete status, this does not mean there is a problem with your order or your account. Incomplete is the default status during the Submission and early Quality Assurance stages while the order is being prepared. It transitions automatically as your order progresses through the workflow. No action is required from you while an order is Incomplete.
✅ When Will Updated Links and Details Be Visible?
Updated listing information and live directory links will appear in your Local Citations dashboard once your order reaches the Completion stage. You will be able to see the live URLs for each updated listing at that point. If you check your listings on a specific directory before the order is marked complete, the old information may still be displayed — this is expected while that directory is still processing your update.
💡 Tips While Your Order Is Processing
- Avoid submitting duplicate edit orders for the same listing while an order is already active, as this can cause conflicts during the Live Checks stage.
- Make sure your business details in Search Atlas remain current and accurate throughout the processing window so there are no discrepancies if additional verification is needed.
- Check your Local Citations dashboard periodically for status updates rather than contacting directories directly, as independent outreach can sometimes reset a directory's review queue.
🆘 Need Help with Your Citation Order?
If your citation edit order has been in a single stage for an unusually long period, or if you have questions about a specific order, our team is here to help. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.