Local SEO: How to format your NAP for better rankings
As a business owner, you understand the challenges that come with local SEO: Why are your competitors ranking above you in search results? Why do you not show up on page 1 when you type your business name into Google?
Local SEO is a frequently overlooked part of many SEO strategies, even though it’s one of the most important.
The importance of accurate business information (NAP)
Adding and maintaining accurate business information—name, address, and phone number (NAP)—on your website, directory listings, and business profiles are necessary steps towards ranking well in local search results. According to Moz, businesses with consistent NAP information see a 20% increase in local search traffic.
Key points in formatting NAP
Name
The first and most important part of the NAP is your business name. To leverage the power of search engines, the first step is to have a business name that is easy to comprehend and consistent across all your listings.
For example, if your business name is St. Louis Dentistry, but you signed up with Yellow Pages as “St. Louis Dentistry Inc.” and with Google My Business as “St. Louis Dentist Group,” search engines might consider these as different businesses. This will ultimately lower the listings’ overall local ranking.
Ensure you use one name for your business presence on the internet and refrain from using different names for your business.
Address
Your business address needs to be the same across all your listings to avoid losing a good local SEO ranking. A useful way to decide an apt format of your address is by searching for your business on Google Maps. Use the same address format as it appears in the Google Maps search result.
According to BrightLocal, consistent NAP information can boost local SEO rankings by up to 15%. Customers expect a seamless journey from finding out about your business to visiting your store or clinic.
Any inaccurate or incorrect business information will push them to choose your competitors and not you!
Phone number
It’s common for a business nowadays to have multiple phone numbers for various departments. However, it is not a good idea to add all of them to your online listings, as it can be confusing for the customers and search engines.
For instance, if you have three business phone numbers listed on Google My Business and only two of them listed on Facebook and Yellow Pages, the search engine may consider this a case of business information mismatch, negatively impacting your local SEO ranking. Narrow down your choice to one phone number and keep the format the same across all your listings.
Examples of successful NAP formatting
Case study 1: Dental clinic
Background: St. Louis Dentistry had inconsistent business names across various online platforms. On Yellow Pages, it was listed as “St. Louis Dentistry Inc.”, while on Google My Business, it was listed as “St. Louis Dentist Group”.
Challenges:
Inconsistent business names led to confusion for search engines, which treated them as separate entities.
This inconsistency resulted in a lower overall local ranking.
Potential customers found it difficult to locate accurate information, leading to a loss of trust.
Solution:
The clinic unified its business name across all platforms, standardizing it as “St. Louis Dentistry”.
They updated all listings on Google My Business, Yellow Pages, Facebook, and other directories to reflect the same name.
Results:
The unified NAP information led to a 20% increase in local search traffic.
The clinic saw an improvement in its local SEO ranking, appearing more frequently in top search results.
Consistency in information improved customer trust and reduced confusion, leading to higher foot traffic in the clinic.
Case study 2: Local restaurant chain
Background: A local restaurant chain had varying formats for its address across different online platforms. For example, on Google Maps, the address was listed as “123 Main St.”, while on Yelp, it was “123 Main Street”.
Challenges:
Inconsistent address formats caused search engines to treat them as different locations.
This inconsistency affected the restaurant’s local SEO ranking.
Customers faced difficulty in locating the correct address, leading to frustration and potential loss of business.
Solution:
The restaurant chain standardized its address format across all platforms, using the format found on Google Maps (“123 Main St.”).
They updated their listings on Yelp, Facebook, TripAdvisor, and other directories to reflect the same address format.
Results:
The standardized address format resulted in a 15% improvement in local SEO ranking.
The restaurant chain experienced an increase in local search visibility, driving more traffic to their locations.
Consistency in address information enhanced customer experience, making it easier for them to find and visit the restaurant.
Checklist for checking NAP
Ensuring your business information is consistent across all online platforms is crucial for local SEO success. Use this detailed checklist to verify and correct your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information on various platforms.
Gather your current NAP information: Gather all current instances of your business name, address, and phone number from your website, directory listings, and social media profiles. Compile this information into a master document to track and compare it.
Verify business name consistency: Ensure the business name is identical across all platforms. Look for any variations such as abbreviations or additional keywords.
Verify address consistency: Check the address format across all platforms to ensure it is identical in spelling, abbreviations, and punctuation. Use a standard format, preferably the one used by Google Maps.
Verify phone number consistency: Verify that the same phone number is used across all listings. This helps avoid confusion for both customers and search engines.
Check major directories and platforms: Verify and update NAP information on Google My Business. Ensure other details, such as the business category, are also correct.
Expert opinions on NAP importance
Jessica Marlow, SEO Specialist at LocalBoost Agency: “Consistent NAP formatting is the foundation of effective local SEO. Ensuring that your business name, address, and phone number are identical across all platforms prevents search engines from getting confused. This consistency enhances your local search visibility significantly.”
David Zheng, Digital Marketing Director at UrbanSearch: “The biggest mistake businesses make is not standardizing their NAP details. A small variation in address formatting or a different phone number can lead to ranking penalties. Use a standardized format and stick to it to see a noticeable improvement in your local search performance.”
Rachel Singh, Local SEO Consultant: “Local SEO is all about trust, and that starts with your NAP information. Search engines like Google rely heavily on consistent NAP data to rank businesses. Discrepancies can erode that trust and hurt your rankings, making it crucial to maintain uniformity.”
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