Build citations matching your exact GBP category

1–2 hours. Impact: high Effort: medium

Building citations specifically on directories that match your exact business category — niche, industry-specific listing sites rather than only general ones.

A citation on a directory relevant to your trade carries more weight than a generic one, because it ties your business to your specific industry in Google's eyes. Category-matched citations sharpen your relevance, not just your presence.

How to do it

1

Find directories specific to your trade

Search '[your industry] directory' and '[your trade] association' — trade association listings, home-services platforms, niche listing sites.
2

Prioritize reputable, relevant ones

Pick directories real customers in your field use or that carry industry authority. Skip generic or spammy ones.
3

List with exact NAP and right category

Add your canonical NAP and select the category matching your primary GBP category, so the signals reinforce each other.
4

Note any that offer a backlink

Many industry directories give a followed link to your site — a bonus authority signal on top of the citation.

Common mistakes

Settling for generic directories when category-specific ones carry more relevance.
Inconsistent NAP undermining the citation.
Low-quality niche sites just to have more — trust still matters.
Mismatching the category between the directory and your GBP.

How you'll know it's done

You're listed on several reputable directories specific to your industry, with exact NAP and matching category.

Tools that help

BrightLocal Citation Finder ↗

Surface industry-specific citation sources.

Track this in your hive

H.I.V.E. turns this into a real mission — tracked, checked off, part of your site's overall visibility score.

Run this mission in H.I.V.E. →