Title: What Is NAP Consistency? Local Citations | Keres AI URL: https://www.keresai.com/glossary/nap-consistency Updated: 2026-10-12 Description: NAP consistency means your business name, address and phone match everywhere you are listed online. Why it matters for local search and how to fix it. Source: https://www.keresai.com/glossary/nap-consistency (HTML). This is a Markdown copy of the page's main content for AI agents and LLM tools. --- # What is NAP consistency? NAP consistency means your business name, address and phone number appear the same way everywhere you are listed online: your Google Business Profile, website, Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp and industry directories. Each listing is a citation. Matching details help customers and search engines recognize one business. ## How does NAP cleanup work? 1. **Pick the canonical version** of your name, address and phone, usually as it appears on your Google Business Profile and signage. 2. **Find your existing listings**, including ones created automatically by data providers or left over from a previous owner or address. 3. **Fix the differences:** an old phone number, a previous address, a different suite format, or a name with extra keywords added. 4. **Merge or remove duplicates**, which split reviews and confuse customers. 5. **Check again** after a move, a new number or a rebrand, because old details can resurface from data providers. ## Why does NAP consistency matter? Google says prominence in local results is based partly on information about a business from across the web, such as links, articles and directories, in its [guide to local ranking](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091). Conflicting details make that information harder to tie to one business. They also cost calls directly: a customer who finds an old number on one directory reaches a dead line or someone else. ## NAP vs citations Citations are the listings and mentions themselves; NAP consistency is whether they agree. A structured citation is a directory listing with fields, such as Yelp, Angi or Apple Business Connect. An unstructured citation is a mention in an article, blog or local news story. Both should carry the same name, address and phone. ## What does NAP consistency cost? Fixing listings yourself is free but slow, because each directory has its own login and verification. Listing services charge to push one set of details out and keep it there. In Keres AI’s Found, listings and citations are part of the plan, from $249 a month ($499 for law firms), month-to-month. See [pricing](https://www.keresai.com/pricing). ## How does Keres AI’s Found handle it? [Found](https://www.keresai.com/services/found) keeps one consistent name, address and phone across Apple, Bing, Yelp, Nextdoor and Angi, plus Avvo and FindLaw for law firms or Healthgrades for practices, matched to your Google Business Profile and website. Found’s AI search visibility add-on extends the same consistency to the details AI assistants read about your business. See [Google Business Profile management](https://www.keresai.com/google-business-profile-management). See the service behind this concept ### Want to see NAP Consistency working in practice? See how Keres puts it to work for your vertical and workflow. ### [Google Business Profile](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/google-business-profile) A Google Business Profile is the free listing Google shows for a local business in Search and Maps. It holds your name, … ### [Map Pack (Local Pack)](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/map-pack) The map pack, also called the local pack, is the map and short list of businesses, usually three, that Google shows near… ### [Review Generation](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/review-generation) Review generation is the routine of asking every customer for an online review after the job, usually by text or email w… ### [Local Services Ads](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/local-services-ads) Local Services Ads are Google ads for local service businesses that often appear at the top of results for searches like… [← Back to the full glossary](https://www.keresai.com/glossary) ## NAP Consistency — FAQ ### What does NAP stand for? Name, address and phone number. Some people add a W for website (NAPW). ### What is a local citation? Any online mention of your business name, address and phone, such as a directory listing on Yelp or Angi or a mention in a local news article. ### Do service-area businesses need NAP consistency? Yes. Even if your address is hidden on Google, your name and phone still appear across directories, and an old phone number on one listing sends customers to a dead line. ### How do I find inconsistent listings? Search your business name together with old phone numbers and addresses, then check the major directories one by one. A listings service can run the scan for you. Last updated October 12, 2026 · [Reviewed by the Keres AI team](https://www.keresai.com/editorial-policy)