The Importance of NAP (Name, Address & Phone) Consistency for Local SEO Search and Visibility
The acronym, NAP, stands for name, address and phone number, and the NAP for your business should stay consistent across the web. E-A-T represents expertise, authority and trustworthiness. Your goal should be to exhibit these qualities to the ultimate level for your industry. This is essential for building a loyal customer base and for ranking high in Google SERPs.
Why NAP Consistency is Necessary for My Company’s Local SEO
Online business listings are an important element of your company’s digital marketing strategy. Since these listings are backlinks, they can strengthen your website’s authority and credibility with search engines and searchers. A backlink is similar to an endorsement from another site, which Google and other search engines value. Just remember that all of your endorsements should have the same identifying information about your business.
Why NAP Is Important for Your Company’s E-A-T
NAP inconsistencies relative to your business can have adverse effects on your local SEO. This is because search engines will not have confidence in the information that you are providing. Google’s highest standards for evaluating the NAP provided for your business are based on the superior quality information given for professional websites that have an effect on an individual’s financial, health or professional decisions and actions. To reach and maintain this high standard, you must consistently display accurate NAP data for your company.
Exhibit E-A-T to Your Target Audience and Customer Base
It is essential to exhibit E-A-T to your business target market and customer base. One very important aspect of successfully doing this is to ensure that there are no inconsistencies in your NAP. These inconsistencies may prevent potential customers and even loyal clients from reaching you about an important business matter.
How to Ensure NAP Consistency for Your Business
First of all, to ensure NAP consistency for your business, your business name must appear exactly the same across the web. To help maintain your company’s NAP consistency, ask yourself the following questions:
If your business is a limited liability entity, do you want to consistently include “LLC” as part of your company name?
Does your company name include the word “and” or an ampersand? If so, choose one or the other and use it consistently.
Does your company name contain commas? If so, either leave them in or omit them consistently.
Does your business address include a suite number? If it does, spell out the word “Suite” rather than abbreviating it each time you use or provide your address.
If you use consistent NAP data across the web, search engines are inclined to reward you with higher ratings for SERPs. In addition, your current clients will appreciate this consistency, ad potential customers will enjoy a positive introduction and first-time experience with your company.