NAP consistency: why your name, address and phone must match
What NAP consistency means for local SEO, the UK-specific mistakes that cause mismatches, and a step-by-step audit to fix your details across the web.
Read →Glossary
What is NAP consistency?
Also called: NAP, name, address, phone, NAPW.
NAP stands for name, address, phone number. Consistency means those three details match everywhere your business appears online: your website, your Google Business Profile, Facebook, Yell, Checkatrade, trade association listings and so on.
Google cross-checks these details to decide whether you are a real, established business at a real location. If one site says ‘J Smith Plumbing, Unit 4’ with an old mobile number and another says ‘Smith & Sons Plumbing Ltd’ with a landline, it cannot be sure they are the same business.
Small differences like ‘Rd’ versus ‘Road’ are not a disaster. Old phone numbers, previous addresses and different business names are the ones to hunt down and fix.
Why it matters for your business
Mismatched details can weaken your local rankings and, more directly, send customers to a number you no longer answer. If you have moved premises or changed phone numbers in the last few years, there are almost certainly old listings out there costing you calls.
Example. A café moved across town two years ago. Their website is up to date, but an old directory listing still shows the previous address, and a few customers turn up at the wrong street every month.
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