What is NAP?

NAP stands for Name, Address and Phone number — the three core pieces of information that identify your business online. For UK local businesses, it is the single most important data set Google uses to decide whether to show you in the map pack and local results.

Why does NAP matter?

Google uses your NAP data to verify that your business is legitimate and to understand where you are located. When Google sees your business name, address and phone number listed consistently across dozens of trusted UK directories, it builds confidence that the information is accurate — and that confidence feeds directly into local search rankings.

The opposite is also true. Conflicting details across directories tell Google your business information is unreliable, which suppresses rankings even if everything else you do is perfect.

What does NAP consistency mean?

NAP consistency means your business details are identical everywhere they appear online. Even small variations — a different phone format, an abbreviated street name, an old postcode — can confuse Google and undermine your local rankings.

Consistency applies to:

• Business name exactly as registered
• Street address including unit/suite numbers
• Postcode formatted the same way every time
• Phone number in one canonical format (e.g. 020 7946 0123 not 02079460123)

What counts as an inconsistency?

Common inconsistencies we see when auditing UK businesses:

• Using St vs Street or Rd vs Road
• Writing and vs & in the business name
• Including or omitting the postcode
• Different phone number formats
• Old addresses that were never updated after a move
• Abbreviating your business name ("Smith Plumbing" vs "Smith Plumbing Ltd")

NAP and local SEO rankings

Citations are one of the top local ranking factors consistently identified in Moz's Local Search Ranking Factors and Whitespark's industry surveys. The more consistent, accurate citations you have on trusted UK directories, the stronger your local presence. Google cross-references these citations to verify your business details and assess how established you are in your area.