Check competitors' citations

Remember how the head prefect was picked at school? Usually the student with the most credible awards to their name. Local search rankings work similarly: one of the main criteria deciding who ranks is the number of citations a business has.

What are local citations?

A local citation is an accurate mention of your business’s Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) on a directory or website — it doesn’t necessarily need a link to your site. Mentions carrying extra information (hours, company size, categories, descriptions, images) count too. What qualifies a reference as a citation is that your NAP is featured.

Impact of citations on local SEO

Search engines rank businesses with more citations higher — but volume alone doesn’t decide it. The sources must be credible and every citation accurate. A hundred citations on weak-authority directories won’t get you to number one, and inconsistent NAP across your website and directories actively hurts. Sites like Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, and Bing Places carry highly valued citations because of their domain authority, and since customers can review you there, those citations also lift your overall star rating. Beyond directories, build citations through press releases and references in regional, national, or international publications, guest posts, and media submission sites.

Why should I check competitors’ citations?

Any business offering similar services targets the same audience. Once you understand how much citations matter, watch your competitors’: first, any directory they’re on that you’re not is a gap to close; second, you’ll learn how actively they’re building citations for their business.

Where can I check competitors’ citations?

Free citation-finder tools exist for exactly this — enter a competitor’s basic details and the tool pulls their citation list. Dedicated local SEO suites offer deeper competitor citation analysis if you want to make it a regular practice.