The Idea of NAP is actually very straight forward, but surprisingly there are simple errors all over the internet that have a negative impact for Local SEO.
If you own a Local business in Northland or anywhere in New Zealand for that matter, NAP consistency should be at the top of your list of online tasks to do correctly.
Experts agree NAP consistency is a ranking factor. As researched by Whitespark lists citations in the top search engine optimisation factors that help your website move up the SERP’s.
Table of Contents
What does NAP mean?
- Name
- Address
- Phone Number
These three simple pieces of information can be the very reason why a buyer chooses to do business with you.
It is critical that your Business name, physical address and the company phone number you choose to use on your website is exactly the same on all business directory listings.
This includes social media sites, newspaper articles and reviews.
Does Website NAP count?
NAP on a website still counts as a citation and can impact your on-page local SEO.
Your website is the centre reference of your NAP. Make sure you are careful when choosing what you put on your website pages.
Typically a website will have the company NAP in the footer of the website and can also be found on the contact us page.
How does NAP become inconsistent?
If you think you have control of all of your listings on the world wide web believe me you are wrong.
Citations are built over time and occur naturally, for example a new website Business directory is built and your Local business is added in the early stages free of charge and unfortunately they add the wrong street number. You are unaware of this and as a result the search engines lose trust because of this type of false information.
We recommend you perform a citation audit. This will identify if your Northland business has any incorrect citations that can be corrected and point out missing citations (opportunities) that can be added. You can use Whitespark Local Citation Finder to do this.
As mentioned earlier NAP is a ranking factor, building trust with google and lets not forget potential customers is one of the key elements when it comes to local New Zealand business websites.
Why Maps and NAP work hand in hand.
Without the correct Name, address and phone number maps are pointless, you would have to agree…right?
When you make sure that NAP is accurate on all citations online you ensure that the user experiences reliability. That means your customers can find you, can contact you with any enquiries they may have that will stop them from going to your competitor.
Are you prepared for Voice Search?
Think about it…when was the last time you used Siri or Google to ask them to bring up the address of a local business in your area. I’m based in Whangarei and I use this locally, the surrounding areas and whenever I travel in New Zealand.
Data from Google said that the uptake of voice search has been faster than any other technology since the smartphone.
In an article on thinkwithgoogle The below image shows What voice-activated speaker owners would like to receive from brands.
Having a solid NAP network means that you are more likely to appear in a voice search.
So it’s fair to say that maintaining accurate NAP for your local Northland company is very important for business growth.
Conclusion
Make sure you spend time getting NAP for your business right. That way you know you are doing all you can to put your online presence in the best possible position to be ranked in the Maps and organic search engine positions.
If you need help getting more customer through your door. We can help
