# Eight Local Directories Actually Move Your Rankings. Here's How To Check Coverage Citations across Yelp, BBB, Yellowpages, Angi, Foursquare, Manta, Superpages, MapQuest still drive local-pack rankings. Most SMBs are listed on two and missing six. This tool surfaces the gaps. Author: J.A. Watte Published: April 21, 2026 Source: https://jwatte.com/blog/blog-tool-local-citation-coverage/ --- _Part of the [AEO / GEO / AI-search audit tool stack](/blog/blog-new-aeo-audit-tools-2026/). See the pillar post for the full catalog of sibling audits and where this one fits in the lineup._ Local-SEO rankings still lean on citations. Google reads Yelp and BBB directly for business legitimacy signals. Trade-specific directories (Angi for home services, Houzz for remodeling) feed localized search. Foursquare has licensed data into Apple Maps, Uber, and several other consumer apps for over a decade. Manta and Yellowpages remain in Google's crawl rotation because their datasets predate Google Business Profile. If your business is listed on two of these and missing six, you're leaving local-pack ranking on the table. The [Local Citation Coverage](/tools/local-citation-coverage/) tool checks eight directories in parallel and reports where you're listed and where you aren't. ## The eight directories it checks 1. **Yelp** — highest-weight citation in most US markets. Google reads Yelp's business data directly. 2. **BBB (Better Business Bureau)** — older demographic; accreditation badge still converts well in trades and financial services. 3. **Yellowpages** — long in Google's index; claiming is free. 4. **Foursquare** — licensed into Apple Maps. Apple visitors rely on it. 5. **Manta** — B2B leaning; older demographic for B2C. 6. **Angi (HomeAdvisor)** — essential for trades. Skip if you're not a home-services business. 7. **Superpages** — thin but Google still crawls it. 8. **MapQuest** — still relevant for driving-direction searches. ## Why coverage matters more than backlinks here A citation isn't a backlink in the traditional SEO sense. It's a structured data record: name, address, phone, hours, category, website URL. When your business appears on multiple authoritative directories with consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone), search engines treat the agreement as a confidence signal. Mismatches or gaps are a weak signal. Consistency is what moves the needle. A single typo across directories (Main Street vs Main St, Suite 100 vs #100) looks like two different businesses to the algorithm. Pair this tool with the [NAP Consistency](/tools/nap-consistency/) tool to catch mismatches. ## Detection limits The tool is heuristic. Directories change their HTML structure constantly; some actively block server-side scraping. A "not found" in the tool can mean: - You're genuinely not listed (claim the listing). - The directory blocked our probe (verify manually via the linked search URL). - The directory has you listed under a slightly different name (search variants manually). Don't treat the output as authoritative. Use it as a starting point for manual verification. ## The fix workflow for each missing listing 1. **Visit the directory's "Claim your business" or "Add your business" flow.** 2. **Enter exactly the same NAP** as appears on your website and Google Business Profile. Consistency is what you're optimizing for. 3. **Upload two or three photos** if the directory supports them. 4. **Pick the most-specific category** the directory offers. 5. **Add hours + a website URL**. 6. **Wait for verification** (many directories mail a postcard or call with a PIN). A full citation cleanup across eight directories takes about two hours. You do it once. The ranking signal lasts. ## When to pay BrightLocal / Whitespark Paid citation-management services like BrightLocal, Whitespark, Moz Local, and Yext will submit your business to 50+ directories, monitor for changes, and fix drift automatically. Worth it if: - You have 10+ locations. - You rebrand often. - You're in a high-churn category where directory data drifts. Not worth it for a single-location SMB. The eight directories in this tool cover the high-value citations. Manual claiming is a one-time cost; a $99/month service is recurring for limited marginal benefit. ## Related reading - [NAP Consistency Audit](/tools/nap-consistency/) for data-quality checks once you have the listings - [Restaurant Site Audit](/tools/restaurant-audit/) and [Trades Audit](/tools/trades-audit/) for vertical-specific local SEO - [Google Maps Audit](/tools/google-maps-audit/) for the GBP layer ## Fact-check notes and sources - schema.org LocalBusiness specification. - Google Search Central local-SEO documentation. - BrightLocal 2024 Local Citations Survey for directory weighting. _This post is informational, not SEO-consulting advice. Mentions of Yelp, BBB, Yellowpages, Angi, Foursquare, Manta, Superpages, MapQuest, BrightLocal, Whitespark, Moz Local, Yext are nominative fair use. No affiliation is implied. Detection is heuristic; verify findings manually._ --- Canonical HTML: https://jwatte.com/blog/blog-tool-local-citation-coverage/ RSS: https://jwatte.com/feed.xml JSON Feed: https://jwatte.com/feed.json Hero image: https://jwatte.com/images/blog-tool-local-citation-coverage.webp