NAP (name, address, phone)
What is NAP?
NAP stands for name, address and phone number: the core contact details of a local business. In local SEO, NAP consistency means these details appear the same way on your website, your Google Business Profile and across local citations such as directories and review sites. Some people add W for website.
Consistency is about the facts, not exact punctuation. “St” versus “Street” is not a problem. A different phone number, an old address or an outdated business name is.
Why NAP matters for SEO
Search engines and map services gather business data from many sources. When those sources disagree, it is harder for them to trust which details are right, and customers may call a wrong number or travel to an old address.
Inconsistent NAP often comes from moves, rebrands, call-tracking numbers and old directory listings created years ago. Cleaning it up is one of the basic foundations of local SEO.
How to fix NAP consistency
- Decide the canonical version of your name, address and main phone number.
- Update your website, ideally in the footer or contact page, and in LocalBusiness structured data.
- Update your Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect and Bing Places listings.
- Search for your business name, old addresses and old phone numbers to find outdated listings, and correct them.
- If you use call tracking, keep your main number as the primary number in listings where the platform allows an additional number.
NAP example
Consistent: “Hart & Sons Plumbing, 14 Mill Lane, Leeds LS1 4AB, 0113 496 0000” on your site and in every directory. Inconsistent: one directory still shows your old address on Park Road and a mobile number you stopped using in 2022.
NAP FAQ
Does NAP consistency still matter?
Yes, mainly for accuracy and trust. Exact formatting matters little, but wrong or conflicting details confuse both search engines and customers.
What does NAP stand for in SEO?
Name, address and phone number. It refers to the core business details that should be consistent wherever your business is listed.
Related SEO terms
A local citation is any online mention of a business’s name, address and phone number, such as a directory listing or a review site profile.
Google Business Profile is Google’s free listing for local businesses, shown in Maps and the local pack with hours, reviews, photos and directions.
LocalBusiness schema is structured data that describes a business’s name, address, phone, hours and more in a format search engines can read.
Local ranking factors decide which businesses Google shows in Maps and the local pack. Google names three: relevance, distance and prominence.
Apple Business Connect is Apple’s free tool for businesses to claim and manage how their place appears in Apple Maps and other Apple apps.
Bing Places for Business is Microsoft’s free tool for managing how a business appears in Bing search and Bing Maps.