NAP stands for name, address and phone number: the business details that appear on its Google Business Profile, its website and every directory listing. NAP consistency means those details match everywhere, and a citation audit is how you check that they do.
This guide explains why NAP matters in SEO, how to run a citation audit and cleanup step by step, and what to fix first. A local citation audit is also part of every local SEO audit we deliver for agencies, under the agency’s own brand.
What is NAP in SEO, and why does consistency matter?
Google checks a business’s details across many sources before it trusts them. When the same name, address and phone number appear everywhere, Google is more confident the business is real and correctly located. When they don’t, rankings can suffer, and customers end up calling a number that no longer works.
Common reasons NAP data goes wrong:
- The business moved, and old directory listings kept the old address
- A tracking phone number was used on some listings
- The business was rebranded or changed its legal name
- Someone created a second listing instead of claiming the first
- Data aggregators kept passing old details to smaller directories
What counts as a NAP error?
| Error | Example | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong phone number | Old number or tracking number | High: lost calls, mixed signals |
| Old address | Previous premises | High: wrong location for Google and customers |
| Different business name | Old brand or a keyword added | Medium to high |
| Duplicate listing | Two profiles for one location | High: splits reviews and trust |
| Formatting differences | “Street” vs “St.”, “Suite 4” vs “#4” | Low: usually ignored |
Fix the high-impact errors first. Formatting differences rarely need attention.
How to run a citation audit
1. Write down the correct NAP
Start with the details on the Google Business Profile, after checking they are right. This is the version every other listing should match: exact business name, full address, main phone number and website URL.
2. Find every existing listing
Search Google for the business name with the phone number, the old phone number, the address and the old address. Check the main directories in the business’s country, the data aggregators and the industry sites competitors use. Note every listing you find, with its URL.
3. Compare each listing with the correct NAP
Mark each one as correct, wrong or duplicate. A simple spreadsheet works: directory, URL, name, address, phone, website, status and whether you have the login.
4. Fix the errors and correct NAP syndication
- Claim the listing where you can, and correct the details.
- Contact the directory where you can’t claim it.
- Correct the data aggregators, so the right details flow to smaller sites. This spread of details from aggregators to other directories is called NAP syndication, and it is why old details keep coming back if you skip this step.
- Remove or merge duplicates, keeping the version with the most reviews.
5. Fill the gaps
Once the existing listings are clean, add the business to important directories where it is missing. Our guide to what citations are and how to build them covers which sites to start with.
6. Re-check in a few months
Some directories update slowly, and aggregators can take time to pass changes on. Check the most important listings again after two to three months.
Citation audit checklist
| Task | Done? |
|---|---|
| Correct NAP confirmed and written down | ☐ |
| Searches run for old names, numbers and addresses | ☐ |
| Every listing recorded with its URL and status | ☐ |
| Wrong details corrected on each listing | ☐ |
| Data aggregators updated | ☐ |
| Duplicates removed or merged | ☐ |
| Missing core and industry directories added | ☐ |
| Re-check booked for two to three months later | ☐ |
Citation cleanup for multiple locations
For businesses with several branches, the same audit runs for every location, and each one needs its own correct NAP and its own profile. Mixing up branch details is one of the most common problems we see, which is why local SEO for multiple locations needs its own process.
When to run a citation audit
- When you take on a new local client
- After a move, rebrand or phone number change
- When map rankings drop without an obvious reason
- Once a year as routine maintenance
A citation audit fits naturally into the first week of a new client. Our SEO client onboarding checklist shows where it sits alongside the other first-week tasks. Once the details are clean, citation building fills in the directories that are still missing.