NAP Consistency for Local Visibility: The Simple System That Prevents Confusion

Imagine you ask three friends where a restaurant is.

• Friend 1 says: "100 Main St."
• Friend 2 says: "100 Main Street, Suite 4."
• Friend 3 says: "The corner of Main and 1st."

You would be confused. You might not go.

Google is that confused friend.

When Google crawls the web to understand your business, it looks for consistency in your NAP (Name, Address, Phone). If it finds discrepancies, it lowers your "Trust Score." A low Trust Score means lower rankings in the Map Pack.

The Theory of "Citations"

A "Citation" is any mention of your business on the web (Yelp, YellowPages, Facebook, BBB).

Google treats these as votes of confidence.

• Consistent Citations: "This data is accurate. Rank them higher."
• Messy Citations: "We aren't sure where this business is. Rank them lower to be safe."

How to Audit Your NAP

1. Define Your Master Standard

Open a text file. Write your data exactly how it appears on your filed LLC paperwork or your primary Google Business Profile.

• Name: Bob's Plumbing (Not "Bob's Plumbing LLC" if you don't use the LLC online).
• Address: 1234 Oak Rd, Ste 100 (Not "Suite 100" or "#100").
• Phone: (512) 555-0199.

2. The Google Check

Search for "Your Business Name" + "Phone Number".

• Look at the results.
• Do you see old addresses? Old phone numbers?
• Do you see variations like "Road" vs "Rd"? (Google is smart enough to handle Rd/Road, but Suite numbers often trip it up).

3. The Aggregators

Most directories buy data from 3-4 major sources (Data Axle, Foursquare, Neustar). If your data is wrong at the source, it will keep popping up wrong everywhere.

Fixing the Mess

You have two options:

1. Manual Labor: Log into Yelp, Bing, Facebook, Apple Maps, BBB, Angi, etc., and edit them one by one. (Free, but takes forever).
2. Automated Tools: Use a service like BrightLocal, Yext, or Whitespark. You enter the data once, and they push the update to the network.

The Tracking Number Dilemma

We love Call Tracking. But it breaks NAP integrity if done wrong.

• The Rule: On your Google Business Profile and major citations, use your Real Local Number (Main Line).
• The Exception: On your Website or Paid Ads, you can use tracking numbers (Dynamic Number Insertion). Google's bot can see the tracking script code for DNI and understands it.
• GBP Exception: You can put a Tracking Number as the "Primary" phone on Google Business Profile IF you put your Real Number as an "Additional" phone number. This keeps the NAP link alive.

Verification Checklist

• Website Footer: Is the NAP in your footer text (not an image)?
• Facebook Page: Does the "About" section match GBP?
• Apple Maps: Have you claimed your Apple listing via "Apple Business Connect"? (Crucial for iPhone users).

Common Mistakes

[!TIP] Don't Sweat the Small Stuff "St" vs "Street" is fine. Google normalizes that. Focus on the Suite numbers, the zip codes, and totally different phone numbers.

• Duplicate Listings: Having an old listing at an old address is a NAP killer. One business = One listing per platform. Mark the old one as "Moved" or "Closed."
• Rebranding: If you change your name, you must update the entire ecosystem, or you will lose your rankings.

FAQ

Q: I moved 5 years ago. Do I still need to check? A: Yes. Old data acts like a zombie. It comes back to life when aggregators scrape old databases.

Q: Is Yext worth it? A: For large brands with frequent changes, yes. For small local businesses, a one-time cleanup (Whitespark/BrightLocal) is usually more cost-effective than a monthly subscription.

Sources and References

1. Moz: The Importance of Citations - SEO Learning Center
2. Whitespark: Citation Cleanup Guide - How to fix the mess.

Changelog

• 2024-04-16: Initial publication.

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Read Next in This Hub:

• Local Pack Visibility - How NAP feeds rankings.
• Duplicate GBPs - The worst NAP error.

Related System:

• Local Visibility Systems - We maintain your citations.