Why consistency matters
Every mention of your contact details on another site, called a citation, confirms to Google that the business really exists at that location. When details conflict, such as an old address left on a directory after a move, Google may hesitate between two locations, create a duplicate on Maps or show an outdated number. The cost is also direct: a customer who dials a disconnected number calls the next company instead.
Google's rules for each element
- Name: the real-world name on your storefront, website and stationery. No taglines, keywords, hours, phone numbers or location descriptors like "near downtown", or the profile risks suspension.
- Address: precise and real. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not allowed; put a suite number on the second address line.
- Phone: a number that reaches the location directly, local when possible, never a premium-rate line.
- Service-area businesses: hide the address and set a service area instead.
Where to check your NAP in the US
Start with what you control: website footer, contact page and Google Business Profile. Then cover the platforms that feed maps and voice assistants: Apple Business Connect for Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yelp, Facebook, the Better Business Bureau, industry sites such as Angi or Houzz, and data aggregators like Data Axle and Foursquare that syndicate listings to hundreds of smaller directories.
After a move or a new phone number
Keep a reference sheet with the exact format to reproduce everywhere, down to "Suite" versus "Ste". Update the website and Google Business Profile on the same day, then the major platforms, and only then the long tail of smaller citations. Do not delete your old Google profile: mark the move so you keep your reviews.
