NAP consistency and local citations
The short answer
NAP stands for name, address and phone number. NAP consistency means your business shows the same three details on your Google profile, your website and every directory that lists you. To check it, pick one correct version, then compare each listing against it and fix any that differ.
By Reputant · Updated October 31, 2026 · 5 min read
What is NAP consistency?
NAP is short for name, address and phone number. A citation is a mention of those details on another website or directory, such as Yelp or TripAdvisor. NAP consistency means the details match everywhere your business is listed.
Match means the same spelling of the name, the same street address and suite, and the same phone number. If you moved last year or changed your number, any listing that still shows the old one is out of step with your Google profile.
Why does NAP consistency matter?
Google says businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results, and that a profile with inaccurate info might not show up for relevant searches in your area. That page is about your Google profile. It does not mention other directories.
For the wider web, the 2026 edition of Whitespark's Local Search Ranking Factors, published on November 6, 2025, is a survey of 47 local search experts who scored 187 factors. It lists NAP consistency under "citation signals". It also lists matching your website's name, address and phone to your Google profile as a factor.
The experts in that report do not agree on how much citations count today. One writes that with AI, consistent citations are going to be important. Another writes that broad citation coverage and NAP consistency seem to matter much less. One expert says consistency is still a reputation and conversion issue, because customers get inconvenienced when a listing shows the wrong details.
That last point needs no survey. A customer who calls a dead number or drives to an old address has a bad first experience with you.
Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google · Whitespark: Local Search Ranking Factors 2026
How do I decide which version is the correct one?
Our suggestion is to write down one master version before you check anything. Use your Google profile as the starting point, since that is the listing most customers see. Then copy the exact text everywhere else.
Fill in the example below with your own details. It is a made-up business.
| Detail | Master version | Common ways it drifts |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Maple Street Dental Clinic | Maple St Dental; Maple Street Dental Clinic Inc. |
| Address | 120 Maple Street, Suite 4 | Street vs St; suite missing; old address |
| Phone | (555) 010-0199 | Old number; tracking number; extra digit |
The table is an example only. Keep the master record in a shared note so everyone who edits a listing uses the same text.
How do I check my citations by hand?
Work through the places that show your details, one at a time, and compare each against the master record.
- Open your Google profile and confirm it matches the master record.
- Check your website. Look at the footer, the contact page and the page your profile links to.
- Search your business name and your phone number in a private browser window and note every directory that appears.
- Open each listing you find, such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Facebook, Apple Maps and Bing. Compare name, address and phone with the master record.
- Fix each mismatch on that site, using the owner login for that listing.
- Come back in a few weeks and look again to confirm the changes landed.
What does the Reputant citation check do?
You save your listing ID for Yelp, TripAdvisor or OpenTable. Reputant reads each listing and compares its name, address, phone, rating and hours with your Google profile. Each field shows both values and whether they match.
After you fix a listing on that site, you can refresh it to confirm the change landed. The check is read only: it shows what differs and you make the change yourself.
It covers those three sites and no others. It does not search for duplicate listings, and it does not check Facebook, Apple, Bing or other directories. Pushing updates to directories is not built.
How do I keep my listings consistent over time?
Most mismatches start with a change: a move, a new number, new hours. Our suggestion is to add "update every listing" to the checklist for any such change, and to check again after a few months.
Your Google profile comes first. The rest of the profile work, from categories to photos, is in the Google Business Profile optimization checklist. How the profile fits with ranking is covered in how to rank higher on Google Maps, and the list of ranking factors is in local ranking factors.
If you serve customers at their homes and hide your address, read the guide on service-area businesses before you fill in an address anywhere.