The Most Boring Thing That Matters Most
NAP consistency. Name, Address, Phone number. Identical across every single place your business appears online.
I know. It's not sexy. It's not exciting. Nobody's writing LinkedIn posts about the thrill of updating their phone number on YellowPages.com.
But hear me when I say this... inconsistent NAP data is one of the top reasons local businesses fail to rank.
Why Google Cares About NAP
Google's job is to serve accurate information. When it sees conflicting data about your business — different phone numbers on different sites, a slightly different address format here and there — it loses confidence.
And when Google loses confidence, your rankings drop.
What "Inconsistent" Actually Looks Like
Think this doesn't apply to you? Check these common issues:
Every single one of these confuses Google. And they're everywhere — directories you signed up for years ago, chamber of commerce listings, social media profiles, data aggregators.
sighs
How to Fix It
Step 1: Pick your canonical NAP. Decide on the EXACT format you'll use everywhere. Write it down. This is your source of truth.
Step 2: Audit everything. Search your business name on Google. Check every result. Does the NAP match your canonical version?
Step 3: Update the big four data aggregators. Neustar/Localeze, Foursquare, Data.com, and Factual. These feed data to hundreds of smaller directories.
Step 4: Fix the top citation sources. Yelp, Facebook, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yellow Pages, BBB, and your top industry directories.
Step 5: Monitor quarterly. NAP data drifts over time. Old listings resurface. New aggregators scrape incorrect data. Check quarterly.
The Payoff
Clean NAP data won't rocket you to #1 overnight. But dirty NAP data can absolutely prevent you from getting there. Use Whitespark's citation finder to scan for inconsistencies you might have missed.
It's a foundational task. Not glamorous. But essential.
Track All 113 Tasks
NAP consistency is one of the 113 local SEO tasks in SEO Checkup. Free. No credit card. 30 seconds to set up. Handle the boring stuff so the exciting results follow.