TECHNICAL · SEO GLOSSARY
NAP SEO (Name, Address, Phone)
The consistency of a business\'s Name, Address, and Phone number across all online citations — Google Business Profile, website schema, directory listings, and social profiles. NAP consistency is a local SEO ranking signal: inconsistent NAP data across citations creates conflicting location signals that can suppress local pack visibility.
Definition
NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency is a foundational local SEO signal — the principle that a business\'s exact name, full address, and primary phone number should be identical across every online source that references the business: GBP, website LocalBusiness schema, Yelp, Yellow Pages, Bing Places, Apple Maps, industry directories, social profiles, and any other citation source. Why NAP consistency matters: Google uses NAP data from multiple sources to verify and consolidate business location data into its local search index. When different sources list conflicting information (slightly different business names, old addresses from previous locations, phone numbers with or without area codes in different formats), Google\'s algorithm must determine which is authoritative — and inconsistency reduces confidence in any individual data point. Common NAP inconsistencies: **Business name variations** — "Johnson & Associates LLC", "Johnson and Associates", "Johnson Associates" — treated as different entities. **Address format variations** — "123 Main St", "123 Main Street", "123 Main St., Suite 400", "123 Main St #400" — different formats for the same address. **Phone number format** — "+1 (212) 555-0100", "212-555-0100", "(212) 5550100" — same number, different formats. **Outdated citations** — old address from a previous location still listed on a directory. NAP in website schema: the `address` and `telephone` in `LocalBusiness` JSON-LD should exactly match the GBP listing. Auditing NAP consistency: check all major citation sources (Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps, Facebook Business, industry directories) against the GBP listing. Citation management tools (BrightLocal, Whitespark, Yext) can identify and correct inconsistencies at scale.
Why it matters for SEO
NAP inconsistency is a common and often overlooked local SEO issue — particularly for businesses that have moved addresses, changed phone numbers, or updated their business name. Old citations persist on directories long after the information has been updated, creating conflicting data that suppresses local ranking. Correcting NAP inconsistency across major citation sources (Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps, major data aggregators like Acxiom) is a foundational step in local SEO that should precede more advanced optimisation.
How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this
DeepSEOAnalysis checks the `name`, `address`, and `telephone` in `LocalBusiness` JSON-LD on the audited URL for internal consistency — flagging cases where schema address doesn\'t match the visible page address, or schema phone doesn\'t match the visible phone number. Cross-citation consistency checking (comparing schema against GBP and other citation sources) requires a dedicated local citation audit tool (BrightLocal, Whitespark) used alongside DeepSEOAnalysis.
Useful tools and resources
GLOSSARY
Related terms
technical
Local SEO Ranking Factors
The three primary signals Google uses to rank businesses in local search results (the local pack / map pack): proximity (how close the business is to the searcher), relevance (how well the business matches the query), and prominence (how well-known and trusted the business is — based on reviews, citations, and website authority).
Read definition →structured data
LocalBusiness Schema
LocalBusiness schema is a Schema.org structured data type that describes a local business — name, address, phone, hours, geo coordinates, and more — enabling rich Knowledge Panel and Local Pack displays in Google Search. It is the foundation of structured data for local SEO.
Read definition →technical
GBP Optimisation (Google Business Profile)
The ongoing management and improvement of a Google Business Profile listing to maximise visibility in local pack and Google Maps results — covering category selection, business information completeness, review management, photo updates, GBP posts, service listings, and Q&A management.
Read definition →technical
Citation Audit (Local SEO)
The process of discovering, reviewing, and correcting a business\'s existing citations across directories, aggregators, and websites — identifying NAP inconsistencies (old addresses, multiple phone number formats, misspelled business names) that create conflicting local entity signals and suppress local pack rankings.
Read definition →content
Multi-Location SEO
The SEO strategy for businesses operating multiple physical locations — requiring separate Google Business Profile listings, individual location pages on the website with unique localised content, separate LocalBusiness schema per location, and a citation management approach that keeps NAP consistent for each location independently.
Read definition →See how your site scores on NAP SEO (Name, Address, Phone).
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