What are NAP Citations?

NAP citations refer to the consistent listing of a business’s Name, Address, and Phone Number across online directories, websites, and social platforms. These citations help search engines verify the legitimacy and accuracy of a business’s contact information, which directly impacts local search rankings. Common places for NAP citations include Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages, and industry-specific directories. Consistency is crucial—variations or inconsistencies in the business name, address, or phone number across different listings can confuse search engines and harm local SEO performance.

NAP citations are just listings of your business name, address, and phone number on different websites—kind of like the modern version of being in the phone book. Search engines like Google use these citations to confirm that your business is real and trustworthy. The catch? Everything has to match exactly. If your business name or address is slightly different on different sites, Google might not be sure which one is right, which can hurt your chances of showing up in local searches. Keeping your NAP consistent everywhere helps customers find you more easily and boosts your local SEO rankings.

If your business relies on local customers—whether you have a physical location or serve a specific area—NAP citations are a must. They’re one of the simplest and most effective ways to improve your local SEO and show up in searches when people look for businesses like yours. If your information is inconsistent across different sites, it can confuse both Google and potential customers, leading to lost business. If you’re in a competitive market, having strong, consistent NAP citations can give you an edge. You can use paid tools that help you create and manage citations, like Semrush, Moz, and BrightLocal. That said, if you only operate online with no local presence, NAP citations won’t matter as much.

• Google automatically fixes inconsistent citations. Google pulls data from multiple sources, but if your listings are inconsistent, it might not know which one to trust—so fixing them yourself is essential.

• NAP citations are just for big directories like Google and Yelp. While those are important, smaller industry-specific and local directories can also boost your visibility and credibility.

• You only need to set up NAP citations once. Listings can change over time due to site updates, business changes, or incorrect edits, so it’s important to check and maintain them regularly.