NAP consistency
Every place your details appear is a vote. When the votes agree, Google is confident. When your website says one suite number, an old directory lists a disconnected number, and a review site shows a previous address, confidence drops and so does prominence.
The worst offender is the phone number you changed and never chased down. Old numbers on directory sites are also the most common way profiles get overwritten with wrong information.
You don't need every citation on the internet — you need the significant ones correct: the major aggregators, the top local directories, your trade associations, and anywhere your industry actually gets listed.
It's boring, unglamorous, and it quietly caps how far the rest of your local SEO can go.
Common questions
Does NAP have to match exactly?
Close is usually fine — Google recognizes "Ste" and "Suite" as the same. Exact consistency removes ambiguity and costs nothing beyond the effort.
How many citations does a local business need?
Quality over count. A few dozen accurate listings on sources that matter in your industry beat hundreds of thin auto-generated ones.
Related terms
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