Improve NAP consistency

If you are one of the active members of this digital marketing world, then NAP consistency is the one buzz word you hear more often.

Out of the top 6 ranking factors for local SEO, 3 are CITATION quality, quantity and consistency. And this citation means any time your NAP data appearing on any blog site, website, directory etc.

Now you can imagine why NAP is so crucial for local SEO. You may already know that NAP Stands for Name, Address, and phone number.

So, you see, NAP is a quite basic and straightforward concept. But its consistency is something you should be very careful of. Although it is very fundamental but its consistency has the power to increase or decrease your citation. So, It is high time to pay attention to this.

Today, we are here to help you with NAP consistency. Keep reading this and find some effortless way to of maintaining NAP consistency.

What is NAP consistency?

NAP consistency means the accuracy of Name, address, and Phone number of your location-based business across all the social media profiles, websites and local directory.
Simply to set your NAP exactly same in all available digital marketing and information platform. It is a basic local SEO strategy.

Organize your business details

The first step is to set up your fixed business name, address and phone number details. I have some recommendations for that:

1. keyword-rich business names are in googles favour. And it is one of the important factors that play a significant role in ranking. You can add location or service name to your Google My business name which will help you in Ranking.
2. Your address expresses your authenticity in digital marketing. So write your address distinctly. You can write both in short or in full form. But go for the most popular and well-known option. This will be your officially registered address which will appear and will add value anywhere on the web.
   
3. Write your phone number with code or the way it is more appropriate in your area. Search engines recognize the area code when it provides the local search results.

Example:

1. S&R salon
7/5, US-302,NH 03838,
Phone number: 9986-567

2. Scissors & Razor Salon
7 Colby Ct #5, Bedford, NH 03110
(+1 603)- 9986 – 567

Here, in the first example, the name is written in abbreviated form. The address is not clear.  And the contact number does not contain the area code. It is not a good NAP style. Whereas,  the second one provides a more clear and specific idea about your business name, address and contact info. So, opt for the second option.

Double-check your NAP data

Now that you are ready with your NAP details, now you have to do some paperwork to submit them to the right Institution. After they’re published, Doubled check that how they recorded your NAP.

If you move or change the business to a new place, do not forget to update your information.

Avoid recording cloned locations. Same NAP recorded in different ways will confuse the search engines because they will not understand on which listing they have to depend on. The customer will also move on because of the ambiguity of NAP and trust issue.

I would suggest you to use Moz check Listing to find out if any cloned location is recorded.

If you can find any, immediately contact the website owner to delete that. And claim your business listing. Also, avoid using multiple contact numbers for the same location. If you have multiple brunches then you can use a different number for each one.

Keep the NAP updated on your website

Update your NAP info on your website is the main area, from where customers and search engines will get the details. So, keep updating your website (if there is any change).
Remember to keep the information same in listing data and website.

I would recommend you to present your NAP in some specifics areas like. On the header and footer. This will help the visitors to find you easily.

Another thing to remember is search engines index your web pages not the site. You have to make sure your NAP (accurate data) is on every of your web pages.

Update your social Media Profiles

A large group of potential customers search products and service on social media. Having profiles on a different social platform is a wise decision. It will play a significant role in your search results.

Check all your social media accounts, if they have the same NAP info. And they should be the as your website.

If you are new in the business, It’s never too late. Create your business profiles, and keep them updated.

GMB page optimization

Whenever a consumer searches any product or service related to your business or just the name of your business, they should get the complete information. This is why you should have a Google My Business (GMB) page.

A huge number of consumers depends on google searching for what they need so, it is kind of obligatory to have a GMB page to grow. GMB not only show your business on google but also most of the giant search engines. In order to let google trust on your business update your NAP on GMB. And make sure they match with your website & paperwork. After verification, your correct NAP data will be displayed on the local page of Google, when customers search your product.

You can share crucial info of your business to a large number of customers through it, gain trust and hence grow your business.

Use local Schema Mark up.

There is another great option to allow Google to access your NAP information and make them appear in a rich snippet. That is local Schema Mark up.

It is not that hard as it sounds. Just go to Google Structured Data Mark-up Helper. Then add your company data. See the picture for clear understanding.

Now that you generated the structure data now you can check Its validity by Google’s structured Data Tool. You will be able to see if any data is missing or any kind of recommended properties that you can add on your structured data.

Things Not To Do:

Now that you know what you should do for NAP consistency. It’s time to know what you should avoid.

Several contact numbers for the same location.
Ensure that you provide a single contact number for each location in your website, GMB Listing, Social Media profiles and Online directories. It is crucial for your NAP consistency.

Less is More
Do not go for every option available for citation. It will be quite hard to maintain NAP consistency in a bunch of profiles.

Avoid URL variations
Stick to a fixed URL. Duplicate web address can harm your business.

Conclusion:

NAP consistency not only works for your search engine ranking algorithm but also creates a positive perception towards customers. Customers decide whether to trust you or not depending on your NAP consistency. And  Google will consider your business legitimate depending on the accuracy and consistency of NAP. So, make sure you bring in the full advantage of this opportunity. So, to grow your businesses NAP consistency is mandatory. Hope these tips will help you.

Keep your NAP consistent and experience more growth.