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The Small Mistake That Hurts Your Rankings
Your business info is out there—on Google, Yelp, Bing, Facebook, Yellow Pages, and dozens of other sites.
But here’s the thing:
If your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) isn’t exactly the same across those listings, Google starts to lose trust in your business.
This is called NAP inconsistency—and it’s one of the most overlooked SEO killers for local businesses.
In this guide, we’ll explain:
- What NAP consistency means (and why it matters)
- How mismatches hurt your local rankings
- Where to check for inconsistencies
- How to fix and monitor them long-term
1. What Is NAP Consistency?
NAP = Name, Address, Phone Number
NAP consistency means your business is listed the same way, everywhere online, including:
- Google Business Profile
- Yelp
- Bing Places
- Apple Maps
- Yellow Pages
- Business directories
- Local citations
🔍 Even small differences—like “St.” vs. “Street” or “Unit 3” vs. “#3”—can throw off Google’s trust algorithm.
2. Why Inconsistent NAP Hurts Your SEO
Google uses your NAP data to:
- Confirm your business is real and legitimate
- Verify that your GBP matches external sources
- Rank your business higher in local search results
❌ When it finds mismatched info, it gets confused.
As a result:
- Your GBP might not show up in the 3-Pack
- You could lose rankings to less “confusing” competitors
- Google might even suspend or suppress your profile temporarily
📉 Multiple NAP variations = lower local authority = fewer customers.
3. What Causes NAP Inconsistency?
It usually happens when:
- You’ve moved but didn’t update all listings
- You changed your business name (e.g., added keywords)
- Multiple employees or agencies have edited listings over time
- You used a tracking phone number in some places
- Your website footer, GBP, and citations all list slightly different details
⚠️ Common examples:
- “ABC Plumbing Inc.” vs. “ABC Plumbing”
- “Suite 2B” vs. “#2B” vs. “Unit 2B”
- “905-123-4567” vs. “(905) 123-4567”
- Listings with outdated addresses still showing up online
4. How to Find NAP Issues (Free Tools & Manual Checks)
Start by Googling your business name + city.
Open all listings and compare your:
- Business name
- Address formatting
- Phone number
- Website link
📋 Also check:
- Google Business Profile
- Your website’s Contact and Footer sections
- Social media pages
- Directory listings like Yelp, Yellow Pages, Foursquare, etc.
🛠 Tools that can help:
5. How to Fix NAP Inconsistencies
🛠 Step 1: Standardize Your Official NAP
Choose one “correct” version of your:
- Business name (no keywords or abbreviations unless legal)
- Address (spell it out consistently)
- Phone number (format it the same way everywhere)
✅ Example:
ABC Plumbing Inc.
123 Main Street, Unit 2B
(905) 123-4567
🛠 Step 2: Update All Listings
Start with the major platforms:
- Google Business Profile
- Your own website
- Facebook / Meta
- Yelp
- Apple Maps
- Bing Places
Then work your way through business directories, local chambers, and aggregators.
📧 Some platforms require a support request or manual verification.
🛠 Step 3: Remove Duplicates and Outdated Listings
Search for:
- Old addresses
- Defunct phone numbers
- Business name variations
Close or remove those listings, or merge them into your current NAP.
🛠 Step 4: Monitor Consistency Every Few Months
Things can drift—especially if you change hours, hire a marketing agency, or change phones.
🔁 Re-run your audit every 3–6 months to stay consistent.
6. Bonus: Why Consistent NAP Also Improves Trust
It’s not just about Google.
People notice when your info doesn’t match:
- A different address on Maps than your website? Sketchy.
- Two phone numbers floating around? Confusing.
- Outdated hours on Facebook? Annoying.
✅ Clean, consistent NAP builds confidence in customers—and converts more clicks into calls.
Final Thoughts: One NAP to Rule Them All
If you want better rankings, more calls, and higher trust—your first job is to clean up your digital identity.
NAP confusion weakens your SEO at the foundation.
At GBP Support, we help small business owners fix NAP issues across the web—so Google sees your business clearly and customers do too.
👉 Book your free discovery call and we’ll run a NAP consistency check, identify weak points, and help you unify your listings for stronger, smarter local SEO.