What is NAP? (And Why is it Important For Your Local SEO?)

NAP is the acronym for business name, physical address, and phone number. It appears on business listings you register for online, the most common being Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business or GMB). Your profile features your NAP on Google Maps and local search engine results pages (SERPs) when users search for your business.

Other online directories include Bing, Yelp, and social media profiles like Facebook. Your NAP listings on these sites can appear on Google search, but people must click on them to view your contact information.

Including them in all your online profiles helps Google provide users searching for your business with the contact details they can use to reach out to you.

Is NAP a Ranking Factor?

From a search engine optimization (SEO) perspective, NAP is a ranking factor for both local 3-pack and local organic. It carries a 7% importance among all ranking factors, according to the latest Whitespark survey results.

Also, your NAP helps legitimize your business in the eyes of Google. Allowing the search engine to show your NAP and other business information on your Google Business Profile (GBP) to its users gives Google a reason to trust your business, increase your business listing’s local ranking positions, and improve its online presence.

NAP is critical when you have a multi-location business. Google may not provide the correct information to searchers if you don’t have the appropriate contact details for each branch. By registering for business directories relevant to your business across multiple locations, you establish your NAP in these locations, allowing the search engine to show accurate information.

Why is NAP Consistency Important in Local SEO?

At the same time, you can’t just enter your NAP on all online directories and immediately expect to rank on Google’s local pack and local search results. You must ensure NAP consistency, meaning your company name, physical location, and phone number are the same across all listings.

Examples of inconsistencies in your NAP are due to a misspelling or a slight change in their characters. Instead of entering “166 Sunset Drive” in your address, for example, you entered “166 Sunset Dr.” Another instance is when you moved your company to a different address or changed phone numbers but didn’t change your NAP on your local directories.

Not entering the same NAP on these directories can result in multiple NAPs about your business. Google will then have to show these contact details to users, which will confuse them as to which NAP they should use. This could lead them to use the wrong information. Worse, 63% of them won’t reach out to your business.

Observing NAP consistency helps Google always show your business’s correct contact details. If potential customers see the same NAP across all local listings, this also encourages them to contact you.

5 Tips For Consistent NAP Citations

To ensure that you optimize your NAP and increase your local search rankings and online visibility, follow the tips below:

1. Keep Track of All Your Listings

If this is the first time you’re registering to online directories, be sure to remember the sites you signed up for profiles for and the NAP you entered in each. Input them in a spreadsheet that you can access anytime. If you changed your NAP over time, refer to your sheet and implement the changes to keep your contact details consistent.

If you had signed up for online listings before but did not keep a list of sites, search the emails you received from them and log in with the details you used to register for each. You can also reset your password in case you forgot it.

2. Get Directory Listings DIY With Services Like BrightLocal

To make building citations much easier for you, use local SEO tools and services like BrightLocal. Its Citation Builder service lets you choose which sites you want your NAP and business information listed (as low as $2 per site). 

The company manually registers your small business for these sites. It also uses local Data Aggregator Networks (optional, at least $25 per year) to speed up the listing process and your local SEO efforts. 

While you’ll have to pay for their services, the time and effort you’ll save from doing this task manually matters. Also, BrightLocal doesn’t require you to pay recurring fees–just pay for the listings on your desired sites, and you’re done. Just as important, the company gives you the login details to the listings so you can edit them when necessary.

3. Feature NAP Information Prominently on the Website

To help Google confirm your business’s NAP, feature it on your website. The most common places site owners use to place it are the header or footer sections since they appear on all website pages. Your contact page is another section on your website where you can show your business address, name, and phone number.

If you want to show your NAP on your header, consider making it sticky. When visitors scroll down the page, your header, which includes your NAP, will stay in place to encourage people to visit or call your page if they like what they’re seeing so far.

For multi-location businesses, add the addresses and phone numbers of all your stores in the sections above on your site. But indicate which among the NAP is your headquarters to help users and search engines know which contact details to prioritize. 

Another way to help search spiders understand your NAP data is to add the LocalBusiness schema markup data to your website. Use Google Structured Data Markup Helper by clicking the Local Businesses radio button and entering your website URL.

On the next page, check your site’s records for business information that search engines can view. If your NAP and other vital information is blank, click “Add missing tags” and fill each one out individually.

Once done, create an HTML file of the schema markup that you can copy and paste on your site’s <head> section in the HTML code. To ensure that you correctly installed your code snippet, run your website on Google’s Rich Results Test to see which structured data it can show about your site on the search engine rankings. 

4. Use Same NAP Data on Google Business Profile

Next, enter your NAP on your GBP. If you don’t have a GBP yet, you must create one (or claim an existing one). During the sign-up process, you must enter your business name and address. After filling out your information, you must verify your profile, which could take seven days before approval.

Upon approval, you can include your phone number. Go to GBP settings and click “Edit profile.” Then, click the Contact tab on the business information lightbox. You can also follow this process to update your NAP and other business information.

5. Uncover Directory Listings with Inconsistent NAP

After establishing the NAP on your GBP, you must update outdated NAP listings. BrightLocal offers to clean them up in addition to building local citations. It identifies business listings with NAP that differ from those you entered.

You can also run a Google search of your previous NAP, as it may uncover old listings you registered to in the past but forgot. Update these profiles with your most recent business information and add them to your list.

6. Regularly Audit Your NAP

Make auditing your NAP a habit even if you haven’t touched them for quite some time to ensure that its details and formatting are consistent with your current ones. A good time to do this is when your local SEO rankings suddenly drop, possibly due to updates in Google’s algorithms. Auditing your NAP and website for issues lets you get your local and organic keyword rankings back on track.

Let Us Handle Your Local SEO

On The Map Marketing is a digital marketing agency that can optimize your NAP across all your profiles on relevant online directories. We have implemented a solid SEO strategy that helped hundreds of clients generate more leads and customers, and we believe we can do the same for your business. Contact us to discuss increasing your rankings in the local 3-pack and search engine results pages.