// SEO
How Consistent Contact Information Builds Google Trust and Local Rankings
Inconsistent business name, address, and phone number (NAP) across the web hurts your local SEO. Learn how to audit and fix contact info for Google trust.
What Is NAP Consistency?
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number — the three core pieces of business contact information. Google cross-references your NAP data across your website, Google Business Profile, social media, and citation directories.
Inconsistencies confuse Google's entity matching algorithm, reducing confidence in your business information and hurting local search rankings.
Common NAP Inconsistency Issues
- Phone number format: (555) 123-4567 vs 555-123-4567 vs +15551234567
- Business name variations: 'Acme Inc.' vs 'Acme' vs 'Acme, Inc'
- Address abbreviations: 'St' vs 'Street', 'Suite 200' vs '#200'
- Old addresses from previous locations still live on directories
- Multiple phone numbers on different pages of your own website
Where Google Looks for Your Contact Info
Google checks your website (especially footer, contact page, and structured data), your Google Business Profile, major citation sources (Yelp, YellowPages, BBB), and industry-specific directories.
Schema markup using LocalBusiness structured data lets you explicitly tell Google your authoritative NAP, reducing ambiguity.
How to Audit and Fix NAP Issues
Start by deciding your canonical NAP format — exactly how your name, address, and phone should appear everywhere. Then audit your own website first: every page footer, contact page, and any embedded maps or schema.
Use tools like Moz Local or BrightLocal to audit your citation profile across 50+ directories. Fix the most authoritative sources first: Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, and your industry's top directories.