NAP in local SEO: why your name, address and phone must match

NAP is shorthand for a business's name, address and phone number. In local SEO, the advice is to keep those details exactly the same everywhere they appear: your website, your Google Business Profile, map apps, directories and review sites.

Why it matters

Search engines and AI assistants piece together a picture of your business from many sources. Matching details make it easy to connect them to one business; conflicting ones (an old address on a directory, a different phone number on your site) create doubt about which is right, and send customers to the wrong place.

Where your NAP should appear

• Your website: in the footer or contact page, as text (not only in an image).
• Your Google Business Profile and Apple Business Connect.
• Bing Places.
• Industry directories, associations and chambers of commerce.
• Review sites and social profiles.

Add it as structured data

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Example Dental Clinic",
  "telephone": "+91-20-0000-0000",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "12 Example Road",
    "addressLocality": "Pune",
    "postalCode": "411001",
    "addressCountry": "IN"
  }
}

Fixing inconsistent NAP

1. Decide on one exact format, including abbreviations and the phone format.
2. Update your website and Business Profile first.
3. Search for your old name, address and phone to find outdated listings, and update or claim them.
4. After a move or rebrand, check again a few months later.