The Citations feature in Search Atlas lets you submit your business information to major aggregator networks, distributing your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data to online directories from a single workflow.
📋 What Citations Does
Citations in Search Atlas is a submission workflow — not a web crawl or directory audit. When you submit, Search Atlas pushes your business data to aggregator networks including Data Axle, Neustar, YP Network, GPS Network, and Foursquare. These aggregators then distribute your information to their partner directories. Search Atlas does not scan or audit what is currently listed on third-party sites such as Yelp or Apple Maps.
🚀 How to Submit a Citation
- In your Search Atlas dashboard, navigate to Left sidebar → Local → Local Citations.
- Select a location. Search Atlas pulls your existing GBP data to pre-fill a submission draft — this preview step saves you from entering details manually.
- Review and edit the draft fields: business name, address, phone number, business hours, social links, category, and description.
- Choose the aggregator networks you want to submit to. Available networks depend on your country.
- Review the pricing summary, then confirm and submit.
⏱️ Submission Status Explained
After submitting, your citation moves through three stages:
- In Progress — your submission is queued and being processed
- Submitting to sites — data is actively being sent to the selected aggregators
- Complete — distribution is finished
Propagation to individual directory sites takes time. Do not expect changes to appear immediately across all directories.
⚠️ Important Limitations
- Regional availability: Data Axle and Neustar are available for the USA and Canada only. GPS Network and Foursquare cover approximately 20 countries. Not all aggregators will appear for every location.
- Category compatibility: Your GBP primary category must be accepted by the citation API. If it is not recognized, the system will flag it and suggest a compatible alternative before you submit.
- Refunded rows: Your submissions list may show many entries marked Refunded. These are historical records from past submissions and are not active.
💬 Need More 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.