📋 Overview
Local citation scanning helps you verify that your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across directories and data aggregators. This article explains where to find the citation tools in Search Atlas, how to run a scan, and what to do if the option is not available for your location or business type.
🗺️ Where to Find Citation Scanning
The citation tools live inside the Local section of Search Atlas, under Local Citations — not a standalone menu item. Some customers expect to see a dedicated Scan Citations button in the top navigation or sidebar, but it is accessed through your GBP location profile instead. Follow these steps:
- In the left sidebar, click Local, then select Local Citations.
- From the Local Citations dashboard, click Import from Google Business Profile if you have not yet connected a location. This pulls your GBP data — including your NAP details — into Search Atlas.
- Once a location is imported, open that location's profile. You will see the citation scan option within the location view, allowing you to initiate a scan against major directories and aggregators.
If you previously saw a Scan citations button described in documentation or a support conversation but cannot find it in the current UI, this is likely because the entry point has moved into the per-location workflow described above. The functionality is the same — it is simply launched from within the location record rather than from a top-level menu.
🔄 How GBP Citation Sync Works
When you import a location from Google Business Profile, Search Atlas uses your verified NAP data as the baseline for citation checking. The tool then compares that baseline against listings across data aggregators and popular directories, calculating a Citation Score that reflects how consistent and complete your listings are.
- Credit cost: Syncing citations with individual aggregators costs 40 credits per aggregator. Review your available credits before running a sync across multiple aggregators.
- Citation Score: After the scan completes, your Citation Score updates automatically to reflect any new matches or inconsistencies found.
- Re-scanning: You can re-run scans after making corrections to track improvement over time.
⚠️ When the Citation Scan Option Is Unavailable
There are two known situations where the citation scan option may not appear or may not be usable:
- Unsupported country: Citation scanning is currently only available for locations in supported countries. If your GBP location is in an unsupported region, you will see an eligibility message when selecting that location in the citation workflow. Support for additional countries is planned for future releases.
- Address-less or e-commerce businesses: Citation scanning relies on a physical NAP (name, address, phone number) to match listings across directories. If your business does not have a public address — for example, a service-area-only or online-only business — the scan cannot run because there is no address to match against. A website-based alternative for address-less businesses is not yet available but is being evaluated.
If neither of these situations applies to your business and the option is still missing, try refreshing your browser or clearing your cache, then navigate back to Local → Local Citations and open your location record again.
✅ Step-by-Step: Running Your First Citation Scan
- Go to Local → Local Citations in the left sidebar.
- Click Import from Google Business Profile and follow the prompts to connect and import your location.
- Select the imported location to open its detail view.
- Locate the citations section within the location profile and click to initiate a scan.
- Review the list of aggregators, confirm the credit cost (40 credits per aggregator), and start the sync.
- Once the scan completes, review your Citation Score and any flagged inconsistencies in the results panel.
💬 Still Need 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.