Citation cleanup and NAP consistency
Google checks your business details against what the rest of the web says. One old address on a directory you forgot about is enough to lower that trust. We find every listing and make them agree.
A typical audit finds wrong details on 40 or more listings, most of them copied from one bad aggregator record.
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What is NAP consistency and why does it matter?
NAP is name, address, phone. NAP consistency means those three details are identical, character for character, on your Google Business Profile, your website and every directory that lists your business. Google uses these listings, called citations, to confirm the business is real and located where the profile says. When they disagree, Google trusts the profile less, which suppresses map-pack rankings and can trigger suspension. Citation cleanup is the work of finding every listing, correcting or removing the wrong ones, and adding the ones that matter.
How details end up inconsistent
Nobody sets out to have three addresses online. It happens over years.
- A move: the old address stays on directories nobody updated.
- A second phone: a tracking number or an old cell number was used on some listings.
- Name variants: "Smith Roofing", "Smith Roofing LLC", "Smith Roofing & Siding".
- Data aggregators: a wrong entry at one aggregator gets copied to dozens of directories.
- Duplicate listings created by past marketing vendors or by directories themselves.
What a clean citation looks like
One canonical version of the business details, written once and used everywhere.
| Field | Rule |
|---|---|
| Name | The legal or trading name exactly as on the Google profile. No added city or keywords. |
| Address | Same format everywhere: suite numbers, street suffixes and abbreviations identical. |
| Phone | One primary number. Tracking numbers only where they can be set as secondary. |
| Website | The same URL, with or without www, on every listing. |
| Categories and hours | Matching the profile where the directory allows them. |
Our citation cleanup process
What the audit finds
Mistakes we see in almost every citation audit
- A tracking number used as the main phone on directories, so the phone never matches the profile.
- Two versions of the name, one with "LLC" and one without, split roughly evenly across the web.
- A move two years ago with the old address still on a dozen listings nobody remembers creating.
- Bulk citation packages from a past vendor: hundreds of low-value listings, many with the details wrong.
- A suite number on the profile and none on the website.
- Nobody owning the logins, so wrong listings cannot be corrected without claiming them again.
What it costs
Citation cleanup is a one-time service at $349: audit, canonical record, corrections, duplicates, gaps, aggregator fixes and the recheck. It is included in the Map Pack and Industrial plans.
What the $349 covers
- Every listing found across search engines, aggregators, industry directories and social profiles.
- One canonical record agreed with you, then applied everywhere.
- Wrong listings claimed and corrected, or removed where they cannot be.
- Duplicates merged, gaps created on the directories that matter for your trade.
- A recheck a few weeks later, because aggregators re-import old data.
Why this matters more for industrial and B2B suppliers
Suppliers accumulate listings in trade directories, equipment marketplaces and association pages that consumer businesses never touch. Those listings are cited by Google for prominence and are the most likely to carry an old yard address. Cleaning them is where the gain is.
Why citations move rankings at all
- Google confirms a business exists by seeing the same details repeated across the web.
- Agreement raises confidence; disagreement lowers it, and low confidence suppresses the map pack.
- Citations sit in the prominence part of ranking, alongside reviews and links.
- They are also the cheapest fix on this list: nothing to earn, only to correct.
How citation work fits with the rest
Citation cleanup rarely moves rankings on its own; it removes the drag that keeps profile optimization and ranking work from working. It is the first step after a move, a rebrand or a phone change, and part of prevention after a suspension.
Mismatched details are also a common trigger behind a removed profile, which is handled on the <a href="/gbp-reinstatement/">suspension and reinstatement page</a>.
Read about Google Business Profile optimization
Written for suppliers and trades: see how this works for pallet rack and warehouse equipment dealers and for roofing companies, or browse all industries we serve.
Common questions
How long directories take to update is covered on the FAQ page.
How many citations does a business need?
Correct ones on the directories your customers and Google actually use, which is typically a few dozen, not hundreds. Quantity built by bulk services adds noise; accuracy is what counts.
Does NAP consistency still matter?
Yes. Google is better than it was at matching variants, but conflicting addresses and phone numbers still lower trust, and directories still feed Google's knowledge of your business.
Can I use a call-tracking number?
On your own website and as a secondary number on the profile. Do not use it as the primary number on directories; that creates the inconsistency we would then have to clean.
How long does cleanup take?
The audit and corrections take a few weeks; some directories take longer to update. The recheck a few weeks later catches re-imports.
What if a directory will not correct or remove a listing?
Most do, given a claimed login or a support request. For the few that refuse, we document it; one stubborn listing rarely matters once the aggregators and major directories agree.
Do you build new citations too?
Where they matter: the directories your industry and region actually use. Not bulk packages of hundreds.
We rebranded. Do we need this?
Yes, before anything else. A rebrand leaves the old name on every listing; until they are corrected, Google is looking at two businesses.
Find out where your listings disagree.
The free audit includes a check of your name, address and phone across the main directories, with the mismatches listed.