Local SEO

Local Citation Finder

/local-citations

Find citation opportunities on directories, industry sites, and local platforms where your business should be listed but is not. Builds local authority through consistent presence.

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Install all free SEO skills with one command:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ccforseo/seo-skills/main/install.sh | bash

Or install this skill manually:

$ git clone https://github.com/ccforseo/seo-skills.git
$ cp -r seo-skills/local-citation-finder ~/.claude/skills/local-citation-finder
View on GitHubFree · MIT License · 8 skills included

What it does

The Local Citation Finder skill identifies directories, industry platforms, and local websites where your business should have a listing but currently does not. It analyzes competitor citations to find platforms where they are listed and you are missing, checks industry-specific directories for your business type, and prioritizes opportunities by domain authority and local relevance.

Key features

  • Identifies directories where competitors are listed but you are not
  • Checks industry-specific directories for your business type
  • Prioritizes citation opportunities by domain authority
  • Provides submission URLs and listing requirements per directory
  • Tracks citation count growth over time

How to use Local Citation Finder

  1. Run the command

    Type /local-citations with your business name, category, and location. Optionally add competitor business names for gap analysis.

  2. Review opportunities

    The output lists directories and platforms where you should be listed, sorted by priority. Each entry includes the submission URL and any requirements.

  3. Submit your listings

    Work through the priority list, submitting your business information to each directory. Use your canonical NAP from /nap-check for consistency.

When to use it

Building local citations for a new business location

Finding citation gaps compared to local competitors

Industry-specific directory discovery

Citation building campaign for improved local authority

Frequently asked questions

What is a local citation?

A local citation is any online mention of your business name, address, and phone number. Structured citations appear on directories with formatted listings. Unstructured citations appear in blog posts, articles, or social mentions. Both contribute to local search authority.

How many citations does my business need?

Quality matters more than quantity. Ensure you are listed on the top 30-40 general and industry-specific directories with consistent NAP data. After that, focus on earning citations from locally relevant and industry-authoritative sources.

Are paid directory listings worth it for local SEO?

Free listings on major directories (Google, Yelp, Bing, Apple Maps) are essential. Paid listings on industry-specific or local directories can be valuable if they have genuine traffic and authority in your market. The skill indicates which opportunities are free vs. paid.

How does the Local Citation Finder find competitor citations?

When you provide competitor business names, the skill searches the same directories for their listings. Any directory where a competitor has a listing and you do not gets flagged as a gap opportunity.

Related skills

Local SEO

NAP Consistency Checker

/nap-check

Check Name, Address, Phone consistency across your Google Business Profile, website, and major directories. Inconsistent NAP data confuses search engines and hurts local rankings.

Local SEO

GBP Audit

/gbp-audit

Audit your Google Business Profile for completeness, accuracy, and optimization. Checks categories, attributes, photos, posts, and Q&A for local ranking factors.

Local SEO

Local Competitor Analysis

/local-compete

Analyze local competitors' SEO strategies. Compares GBP optimization, local rankings, review profiles, citation counts, and content strategies across your service area.

Link Building

Backlink Profile Analyzer

/backlink-audit

Analyze your site's backlink profile for quality, diversity, and risk. Scores referring domains by authority, identifies anchor text patterns, and flags potentially harmful links.

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