Whenever you are marketing your business, consistency is crucial. Using consistent branding and marketing helps create an overall impression for your target customers to help them remember your brand.
So why don’t so many businesses take care of the basics, like making sure their name, address, and phone number — known as NAP — are consistent across the internet?
It happens more commonly than you might think. 85% of consumers say they have found incorrect or incomplete information in the last year when searching for a business. 72% of consumers said they called the wrong number for a business they found online. 64% said they went to the wrong location due to inaccurate information.
A review by Vendasta detailed how pervasive the problem is. They found that 86% of businesses have missing or incorrect information across listing sources online.
The most common inaccuracies or inconsistencies include:
- Phone number
- Address
- Business name
- Hours of operation
- Email Address
It sounds so simple to use a consistent name, address, and phone number everywhere online, but the vast majority of businesses either don’t do it or don’t take the time to correct mistakes. Often, it’s not the fault of the business. Listing services or other sources get it wrong and then that information gets replicated across the internet.
Other times, organizations don’t think about the repercussions of what they’re posting online. If your phone number on your website is correct, but Google Business Profile and review sites have a faulty number, this inconsistency can cause prospective customers confusion, or worse – moving on to your competitor.
The most common causes for incorrect NAP information include:
- A change in a business name or address without updating citations and directory listings.
- Having one address registered, but using a different address online.
- Generating different phone numbers for attribution tracking.
Why Is NAP Consistency So Important?
Here are just a few ways why NAP consistency is crucial to your business.
Search Rankings
If search engines see several different versions of your information online, which one should they believe?
When there isn’t consistency in your NAP, it can significantly impact your search engine optimization. (SEO) Search engines want to provide searchers with relevant, trustworthy, and accurate information. When there is conflicting information about your business online, Google is less likely to show your business in its Search Engine Results Page (SERP) listings.
This is especially important in the local map pack. The majority of searches are local these days and Google needs to know exactly where your business is located to deliver on searcher intent. The wrong address can cause you not to get listed at all.
Marketing analytics firm Moz did a study on the impact of NAP data on search rankings. They determined that consistent NAP data on your website accounts for about 18%, consistent NAP data on external sites, such as review sites, accounts for 16%, and what’s listed on your Google Business Profile makes up 19%. This adds up to more than half of what Google uses to determine which businesses to show.
Consistent NAP data on your website accounts for about 18%, consistent NAP data on external sites, such as review sites, accounts for 16%, and what’s listed on your Google Business Profile makes up 19%.
It also may lead to searchers questioning the accuracy of the information they find when they see inconsistencies in listings.
Trust Signals
Imagine how frustrating it is for someone that specifically seeks out your business, only to find the address is wrong or there are multiple phone numbers to call. It can undermine a consumer’s trust in your business.
A study from BrightLocal shows that when consumers find incorrect information on a business listing, about six in ten say it would stop them from doing business with them.
About six in ten consumers say when they find incorrect information on a business listing, it deters them from purchasing from the business.
Poor User Experience
Beyond how NAP impacts search, bad information just creates a poor user experience. When information is wrong, consumers may never contact you at all.
How Consumers React When Finding Inconsistent Information
When consumers find incorrect or conflicting information, it takes extra work on their part to confirm the information. Here’s what consumers are most likely to do:
- Call the business
- Look for other online resources
- Go to a competitor
- Abandon the search altogether
While it’s great if they call since you still have a chance to connect with them, it also ties up customer support and service teams with unnecessary work. As many as 40% of consumers say they would either give up their search completely or go to a competitor.
When consumers find faulty business information, 40% of consumers say they would either give up their search completely or go to a competitor.
Action Steps to Improve NAP Consistency
Google’s algorithm is smart enough to know the difference between “Ave” and “Avenue,” but it may question if one listing shows “Street” instead. In many cities, there are roads with the same name where the only difference is street vs. avenue, so it can make a difference.
Check Your Owned Assets
The first place to check is your own website. It’s surprising how many company-managed websites have incorrect NAP information. It’s especially important if you make a change.
You will also want to review your social media, blog pages, online press releases, guest posts, and anywhere else your content appears online that you control.
It’s important to manage NAP for businesses that have multiple locations. While there will be differences based on locations, you want to ensure you are consistent in how you list it. Have a common format that all locations use and update any changes, such as closed or moved locations, as soon as possible.
Check Citations
Citations are online references to your business that appear online that may or may not be under your direct control. For example, citations might come from industry websites, online directories, review sites, or trade association groups.
Start by checking your information on high-quality sites that influence search results, such as:
- Wikipedia
- Google Business Profile
- Google Maps
- Bing Maps
- Apple Maps
- Yelp
- Sitejabber
- Trustpilot
- Better Business Bureau
One of the most important steps you can take is to make sure the information on your Google Business Profile is accurate.
Next, search for your business and see what pops up online. When you find inaccuracies or inconsistencies, reach out and ask for a correction. You can do a general search and search within specific listing sites. For example, Google lets you scan specific websites for information by typing in site operators. So, to search for your business on a forum for example you can type in “site:websitename.com YOUR BUSINESS NAME” and you can see all references to your business.
Businesses with consistent name, address, and phone number data online tend to rank higher because of these citations.
Claim Your Business Listing on Sitejabber
To claim your business on Sitejabber, update your information, and gain a new placement on the SERP, create a free Sitejabber account today.
