The Boring Detail That's Quietly Wrecking Your Google Visibility
There's a reason this topic doesn't get much airtime. It's not exciting. It's not a quick hack or a secret trick. It's admin, really. But if you're a local business trying to show up on Google, getting this wrong can undo everything else you're doing right.
I'm talking about NAP consistency. That stands for Name, Address, Phone number. And if yours don't match up across the internet, Google gets confused about who you actually are.
Why Google cares about your details
Google's job is to show searchers the most relevant, trustworthy results. When someone searches "roofer in Nottingham" or "dog groomer near me", Google has to decide which businesses to display. One of the ways it figures out which businesses are legitimate and established is by checking whether their information is consistent across the web.
If your business name is "Smith & Sons Plumbing" on your website, "Smith and Sons Plumbing Ltd" on Yell, "Smiths Plumbing" on Checkatrade, and "Smith & Sons" on Facebook, that's a problem. Google sees those inconsistencies and starts to doubt whether these are all the same business. The same applies to your address and phone number.
It's not that Google will remove you from search results entirely. But when it's deciding between you and a competitor who has clean, consistent information everywhere, you're at a disadvantage.
Where these inconsistencies come from
Most business owners don't deliberately create this mess. It builds up over time without anyone noticing.
You registered on a directory years ago when you worked from a different address. You changed your phone number but only updated it in some places. You incorporated and added "Ltd" to your name on some listings but not others. You let an old Yellow Pages listing sit there gathering dust. A directory scraped your information from somewhere and got it slightly wrong.
Before you know it, your business details are scattered across dozens of websites, and half of them don't quite match up.
The places that matter most
Your NAP appears in more places than you might realise. Your own website, obviously. Your Google Business Profile. Facebook. Instagram if you've added contact details. Yell, Thomson Local, Yelp, Checkatrade, MyBuilder, TrustATrader, Bark, and countless other directories. Industry-specific sites for your trade. Your local chamber of commerce if you're a member. Anywhere you've ever submitted your details or had them listed.
Some of these matter more than others. Your Google Business Profile is critical and should be your single source of truth. Major directories like Yell still carry weight. Industry-specific directories relevant to your trade are worth keeping accurate. Random listings on obscure sites matter less, but if you can fix them easily, it doesn't hurt.
How to find and fix the problem
Start by deciding what your correct NAP should be. Write it down exactly as you want it to appear everywhere. The precise business name you use (with or without Ltd, with "&" or "and", any specific formatting). Your current trading address. Your main phone number.
Then search for your business online. Google your business name on its own. Google your business name plus your town. Google your phone number. Google your old phone number if you've changed it. See what comes up.
Make a list of everywhere you find yourself mentioned. Note which listings have the correct information and which don't. Then work through them one by one. Some directories let you claim and edit your listing. Others you'll need to contact directly to request a correction. A few might be impossible to change, but most can be fixed with a bit of persistence.
Keeping it clean going forward
Once you've tidied things up, maintain it. Whenever you update your details anywhere, update them everywhere. Keep a record of all the places your business is listed so you know what needs changing if you move premises or get a new phone number.
If you ever rebrand or change your business name, treat your online listings as a priority, not an afterthought. The longer incorrect information sits out there, the more it can affect your visibility.
Your one thing to do this week
Google your business name plus your town and look at the first two pages of results. Open every listing you find and check whether your name, address, and phone number are correct and consistent. Make a note of anything that needs fixing. Then pick the three most important listings, the ones on well-known sites, and get those corrected first. It's not glamorous work, but it's the foundation everything else sits on.
Thanks for reading,
Ollie
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