Business Directory (Local Citation)
A business directory is an online platform, either industry-specific or generally local in focus, that lists the name, address and contact details of a company; in the industry, every such entry is called a citation. It is not a ranking factor Google itself names – what is documented is only that the number of websites linking to a business feeds into its prominence; the practical value of consistent entries lies above all in customers and data providers finding the same details everywhere.
In practice
Quality beats quantity: a few reputable, industry-relevant directories with consistent NAP data are worth more than dozens of low-value entries. Before every listing it is worth checking whether the directory is genuinely used by people or is nothing more than a link farm.