📋 Overview
Search Atlas lets you manage business citations in two ways: editing citations that are already live across directories, and submitting new citations for businesses that are not connected to an OTTO project. Both workflows run through the Local > Local Citations section and use BrightLocal for distribution and sync.
✏️ How to Edit Live Citations
If a citation is already live and you need to update details such as your business name, address, phone number, or website, follow these steps:
- Go to Local in the left sidebar and select Local Citations.
- Find the citation listing you want to update. Use the search or filter options to locate the correct business or directory entry.
- Click Edit next to the citation you want to change.
- Update the fields you need to change — for example, NAP details (Name, Address, Phone), website URL, business hours, or category.
- Click Confirm & Continue to push the updated information.
Once submitted, the update is sent to BrightLocal, which syncs the corrected data across the relevant directories. Propagation time varies by directory but typically takes a few days. You can monitor the sync status from the Local Citations dashboard.
Important: Editing a live citation does not consume additional Hyperdrive Credits if you are only updating existing information. Credit usage applies when new citation submissions are made.
🏢 Submitting Citations for Non-OTTO Projects
You do not need an active OTTO project to submit citations. Citations can be submitted for any business by entering the details manually. This is useful when managing clients or locations that are not yet connected to OTTO SEO, or that you prefer to manage separately.
- Go to Local in the left sidebar and select Local Citations.
- Click Confirm & Continue (or the equivalent button displayed in your account).
- When prompted to link a project, choose the option to enter business details manually instead of selecting an OTTO project.
- Fill in the business information form with the following details:
- Business name
- Address (or service area, if applicable)
- Phone number
- Website URL
- Business category
- Business description
- Review the details carefully, then click Confirm & Continue.
The submission is processed through BrightLocal and distributed to the selected directories. You will be able to track the status of each citation from the Local Citations dashboard, even for businesses not linked to an OTTO project.
💳 Hyperdrive Credits and Citation Submissions
Each new citation submission requires Hyperdrive Credits. Before submitting, make sure your account has enough credits to cover the number of directories selected. You can check your current credit balance in Billing → Plans & Top-ups, opened from the top-right avatar menu.
- Credits are consumed at the point of submission, not when citations go live.
- Editing an existing live citation does not require additional credits.
- If you run out of credits mid-submission, the process will pause until credits are topped up.
🚫 Avoiding Duplicate Citations
Submitting citations for a business that already has existing listings in the same directories can create duplicates, which can harm local SEO performance. To prevent this:
- Run a citation audit before submitting new citations for any business, including non-OTTO projects. This identifies existing listings across directories.
- If duplicates already exist, use the suppress or update options available in the Local Citations dashboard rather than submitting brand-new entries.
- Confirm the business NAP details are consistent across all entries before submitting to avoid conflicting data.
🔄 Tracking Citation Status
After submitting or editing citations, you can monitor progress directly in the Local Citations dashboard. Each listing displays its current status — such as Submitting, Quality assurance, On hold, Live checks, Completed, or Refunded — so you always know where things stand. Status updates are pulled from BrightLocal and refresh periodically.
🆘 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.