NAP in SEO is all about your company’s name, address, and phone number (these days it also includes other contact information like email addresses or socials).
Don’t sleep on your NAP info. It’s one of the fundamental concepts of SEO that often gets overlooked. A consistent NAP is vital for local search rankings.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about NAP and how to use it to boost SEO performance.
We’ll cover:
- What NAP is
- Why it’s important for SEO
- How to optimize your NAP
What Is NAP in SEO?
NAP stands for Name (Your Business Name) – Address – Phone number. It is an abbreviation that refers to how Google and other search engines’ profile’ a business.
Here’s an example from one of our own listings:
Search engines use this basic information about a business to determine its authenticity and credibility.
Why Is NAP Important For SEO?
A consistent NAP is essential for local SEO (search engine optimization). Here’s why:
Google Wants to Show Real and Trustworthy Businesses
Search engines want to provide users with trustworthy search results.
A consistent name, address, and phone number shows Google that a business is real. This can help your business show up higher when people search for keywords related to what you do.
Some SEOs have noticed that businesses with solid SEO fundamentals (like NAP) have been rewarded with higher rankings following Google’s Helpful Content algorithm update.
SMEs that respected SEO basics (NAP etc) over the last few years are being – and will be – rewarded. https://t.co/KKMSuRpecZ
— Ronnie (@ronniecaneco) October 1, 2023
Local Pack and Map Listings
If someone searches for a term like “pizza place near me,” search engines show a list of local businesses on a map.
NAP is one of the big things search engines look at to determine which businesses to show in these local packs.
A consistent NAP across multiple platforms and local directories can increase the chances of your business being included.
User Experience
Think about a customer who wants to call your business. They look you up online and find that the phone number on Google differs from the number listed on Yelp.
That would be confusing.
They might call the wrong number or choose a different business with consistent NAP information.
If your business information is the same everywhere, it’s easy for potential customers to find and contact you.
How To Optimize NAP For SEO
Here’s how to strengthen your NAP profile and boost your search engine rankings:
Claim Your Google Business Profile
Claiming your Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) is the most important task for NAP optimization. It allows you to manage the information Google displays about your business in local search results and Google Maps.
You’ll need to verify your connection to the business before you can manage its GBP. After verification, you can manage your profile and add your NAP and other details like opening hours.
Get Your Business Listed in Directories
Directory listings and local citations are a great way to help people find you. They also help search engines verify your business is real.
Start by making a list of popular online directories for business listings. Some well-known ones are Yelp, Bing Places, and Foursquare. But you’ll find a bunch more, depending on your business type and location.
Sign up to claim your listing and add your NAP information. Make sure your information is the same in every directory.
Instead of going to each directory one by one, you can use a local citation building service like FATJOE. We can help you list your business in multiple directories at once. Just provide your business details, and we’ll handle the rest.
Ensure NAP Consistency
This is the most common NAP-related issue.
Having different versions of your business name, address, or phone number across multiple platforms can dilute your SEO efforts.
For example, a bad NAP consistency would be: Fat Joe, FatJoe, FATJOE, FAT JOE.
You’ll also need to ensure that your address and phone number are consistent.
If you’re working with a new SEO client, a NAP audit should be one of the first things you do.
The business might have moved to a new address, changed names, or switched phone numbers. Make sure all listings and citations are up to date to maintain NAP consistency.
Update Your Website for NAP SEO
NAP optimization isn’t just about listing your business on third-party platforms. You also want to make sure the information on your website is correct.
This information should also be easily accessible to visitors and search engines.
According to a survey by KO Marketing, 64% of people want to see contact information on a business website homepage. And 44% will leave if they can’t find it.
Put your business’s name, address, and phone number in a location where it’s easy to see.
Many businesses place NAP information in the header or footer of their website.
You also need to make sure search engines can ‘see’ your NAP details. Don’t place the information in an image.
A quick way to test this is to see if you can highlight and copy the text. If you can, search engines like Google should also be able to read the text.
Add Local Schema Markup to Your Website
You can also add local schema markup to your website. This type of structured data helps search engines understand your NAP and other information about your business.
The easiest way to add schema markup is to use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper.
Go to the tool and select ‘Local Businesses’ from the options. Enter your homepage URL and click ‘Start Tagging.’
Highlight different elements of your page and choose the appropriate tag. You can tag your business name, address, phone number, opening hours, and more.
Once you’re done, click ‘CREATE HTML.’ The tool will then give you HTML code to add to your website.
After adding the code, use Schema Markup Validator to make sure it works. This tool will tell you if you added the code correctly and if search engines can see it.
Adding structured data helps search engines understand your business better. That can boost your visibility in search results.
Strengthen Your Rankings with NAP SEO
There are a lot of different aspects to a successful SEO strategy. You need backlinks, high-quality content, on-page optimization, and more. Sometimes, it’s easy to get lost in high-level strategies and overlook the basics.
NAP optimization is relatively simple. But it plays a vital role in search ranking.
A consistent NAP can boost your performance in local organic search. It’s also key for getting customers to contact and visit your local business.
Build your SEO strategy on a solid foundation by keeping your NAP in check.
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