Glossary · Citation Density
Citation Density
The number and distribution of independent third-party mentions of a business across the web. A primary signal AI engines use to decide whether to cite a business.
Citation density measures how many distinct, independent sources mention your business with consistent NAP (name, address, phone). AI engines weight density heavily because it is hard to fake: a business mentioned in 50 independent sources is much more confidently a real entity than one mentioned in 5.
Density is not just count, it is also distribution: 20 citations across trade associations, manufacturer directories, local press, and industry-specific platforms is much stronger than 100 citations on SEO-aggregator directories that scrape from one another.