What are citation share benchmarks by industry?

Citation share benchmarks vary widely by category — competitive density, query specificity, and content saturation all push the realistic targets up or down. Across Surfaced's aggregate dataset (anonymized, ~1,200 brands monitored), median citation share on a brand's category-relevant prompt set lands in these bands:

By industry, median citation share for category-leading brands (top 5 by revenue) on their core prompt sets, 2026: B2B SaaS (mid-market) — 18–32%. B2B SaaS (enterprise) — 22–38%. Ecommerce DTC — 8–18%. Local services (top-3 city ranking) — 25–45%. Healthcare digital — 6–14% (gated by trusted-source preference). Legal — 12–22%. Financial services — 10–20%. Higher education — 28–42% (institutional sources are over-weighted). Media and publishing — 22–35%. Travel and hospitality — 14–24%. Crypto and Web3 — 10–18% (high volatility).

Three caveats: (1) Citation share is engine-specific. ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and AI Overviews diverge meaningfully — the same brand might be 35% on Perplexity and 8% on Claude. Treat them as separate channels. (2) Long-tail prompt sets show much higher share than head terms — niche queries can hit 50%+ for category leaders. (3) Benchmarks are useful for direction, not exact targets. Your category's competitive density, content age, and entity coverage determine the realistic ceiling. Plot your own share over time and target a consistent quarterly uptrend rather than chasing an absolute number.

The leading indicator that beats benchmarks: delta in share-of-voice vs. your top 3 named competitors over the trailing 90 days. Direction matters more than altitude in a category that's still forming.