Consistent NAP Citations (Name, Address, Phone Number)
What it means:
In local SEO, NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number. These three simple elements play a massive role in helping Google—and customers—verify your business’s legitimacy and location.
Every time your business is mentioned online with its NAP information, it’s called a citation. Think of citations as digital references or “votes of confidence” that tell Google, “Yes, this business is real and here’s how to find it.”
The catch? They all need to be exactly the same everywhere they appear.
Why Consistency Is So Important
Google and other search engines use NAP citations to:
Confirm your business location
Establish trust
Avoid confusion with other businesses
Help determine proximity and relevance in local searches
If your NAP info is inconsistent—like using “Street” in one listing and “St.” in another, or listing a different phone number—it sends mixed signals. Google might view those as separate businesses, which dilutes your local SEO authority and hurts your visibility.
Even small variations can cause ranking issues.
Examples:
“Virginia SEO Pros” vs. “VA SEO Pros LLC”
“123 Main Street” vs. “123 Main St.”
(757) 123-4567 vs. 757-123-4567
The goal: Keep your NAP 100% consistent across every platform.
Where NAP Citations Should Appear
Your NAP should be consistent in places like:
Your website (especially your footer and contact page)
Your Google Business Profile (GBP)
Local directories (Yelp, Yellow Pages, Angi, Foursquare)
Industry-specific sites (e.g., Houzz for home services)
Social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram business profiles)
Chamber of Commerce or BBB listings
Press releases, articles, and blog author bios (when applicable)
The more places your NAP appears consistently, the more signals Google receives about your local authority and trustworthiness.
How It Supports Your Silo Strategy
If you’re building out location-based silo pages, consistent NAP citations help reinforce those pages. For example:
If you have a page for “SEO Services in Chesapeake, VA,” and you’re listed on local directories under Chesapeake with the same NAP, that strengthens your location signals for Chesapeake.
This helps boost the relevance and authority of your silo page in Google’s eyes—especially when combined with reviews and localized content.
DIY Tips for NAP Citation Optimization
✅ Start with your Google Business Profile
Make sure your GBP has your correct:
Full business name (no keyword stuffing!)
Street address (not a PO Box)
Local phone number (avoid 800 numbers if possible)
Business category and hours
This becomes your NAP “source of truth”.
✅ Audit your existing citations
Use tools like:
Or search your business name + address manually
Check for any listings with outdated names, phone numbers, or mismatched addresses. Request updates where needed.
✅ Create or claim listings on top citation sites
Focus on the big ones first:
Yelp
Facebook
Bing Places
Apple Maps
YellowPages
BBB
Angi
Then build out citations on niche-specific or city-specific directories.
✅ Use the same format every time
Pick a format and stick with it. Example:
Business Name: Virginia SEO Pros
Address: 123 Market Street, Suite 300, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone: (757) 555-1234
Avoid variations like dropping the suite number or formatting the phone number differently.
✅ Add structured data (Schema)
Use Local Business Schema on your website to help Google understand and verify your NAP. This is a hidden piece of code you can add to your site’s footer or contact page.
✅ Keep it updated
Moving to a new location? Changing your phone number? Update it everywhere immediately—especially on high-authority sites like Google and Yelp.
Bonus Pro Tip:
Want to go above and beyond? Get a data aggregator service to push your NAP information to hundreds of directories at once. Services like:
Yext
Neustar Localeze
Factual
This saves you hours of manual work and ensures wide-reaching consistency.
Final Thought:
Your NAP may seem like a small thing, but in local SEO, it’s a big deal. Google wants to send searchers to legitimate, trustworthy businesses—and NAP consistency is one of the strongest trust signals you can offer.
Get this part right, and it lays a rock-solid foundation for everything else you do in your silo strategy, from keyword relevance to review building.