A lot more citations than competitors OK?

[BobGW]

Is it OK to have 2 times as many citations as competitors?

I want to make up for factors such as less reviews.

[MiriamEllis]

Hi BobGW,

Provided you are getting them from quality sources, then, no, I would not be concerned about having more citations that competitors. However, if you have far surpassed your competitors in the number of citations you've earned and it isn't achieving a defined goal (like rankings for certain target keywords), then I would recommend that you devote effort to other pieces of the puzzle. So, for example, if it's obvious that a business is lacking reviews, turning your attention there would likely be a wiser use of time/budget than continuing to build citations if you've already outdistanced the competition in that area.

*Nota Bene: Though you didn't ask about this, Bob, I will add - don't get a ton more reviews than any of your competitors. While you want to have more reviews than your direct competitors, you don't want to earn a TON more as this can look spammy.

[RepLoc_Tim]

It shouldn't hurt unless you are stooping to the low end secondary citation sites and spam directories.  They can hurt you just like any spammy source sites can hurt.

You might be at a point of diminishing returns if you have covered the majority of high authority citation sites, industry-specific sites, and hyperlocal directories (BBB, Chamber, etc).

The best way to make up for "factors such as less reviews" is to start focusing more energy on that.  A diversified strategy is always going to be better than a lopsided one.  I think we all get into a little creative avoidance when it comes to getting more reviews, but it is an important part  and it sounds like it is time for you to put your energies there.

[Raydon]

I'd say just don't make it look spammy, uncle G is going bananas with spammers and may just roll out punishing updates for citations in a few years if people abuse this too.

i mean, who is to know after them two dreaded double P updates they pulled

[NateStewart]

I don't see how this can hurt. Since citations are just simply mentions, and you can't really insert your self into other pages (unless your a hacker).

In fact I think it could help in a small way.

Just make sure that it not a listing, not that listings are bad or anything. Just know the difference. If it a listing on a site like Yelp or yellow pages or something like that the create an account and claim that listing.A great tool for this is (recently purchased by SEOMOZ), getlisted.org