Session 1.6: Fixing NAP Inconsistencies

Course → Module 1: Identity Consistency: NAP and Beyond

Session 6 of 7

You have your master NAP record and a spreadsheet full of inconsistencies. This session is about fixing them, in the right order, using the right methods. The order matters because some platforms feed data to others, and fixing upstream problems first prevents wasted effort.

The Correction Priority Order

Fix from the inside out. Start with platforms you fully control, then move to platforms you can claim, then to platforms where you need to request changes.

graph TD A["Priority 1: Your own website
You have full control"] --> B["Priority 2: Google Business Profile
You control after verification"] B --> C["Priority 3: Major social profiles
LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram"] C --> D["Priority 4: Major directories
Yelp, Yellow Pages, industry-specific"] D --> E["Priority 5: Minor directories
Aggregator sites, niche listings"] E --> F["Priority 6: Third-party mentions
News, blogs, event pages"] style A fill:#2a2a28,stroke:#c47a5a,color:#ede9e3 style B fill:#2a2a28,stroke:#c47a5a,color:#ede9e3 style C fill:#2a2a28,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3 style D fill:#2a2a28,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3 style E fill:#2a2a28,stroke:#8a8478,color:#ede9e3 style F fill:#2a2a28,stroke:#8a8478,color:#ede9e3

Priority 1: Your Own Website

Your website is your entity home. It is the single most authoritative source for your NAP information. Every other correction flows downstream from here.

Check these locations on your website:

Footer: NAP should appear in the footer of every page, exactly matching your master record.
Contact page: Full NAP with schema markup (we will add schema in Module 2, but the display text should match now).
About page: If your address or entity name appears here, it must match.
Structured data: If you already have JSON-LD on your site, verify it matches your master NAP. If not, you will add it in Module 2.

This should take minutes, not hours. You control the code. Fix it and deploy.

Priority 2: Google Business Profile

GBP is the second most important source because it is Google's own platform. Corrections here directly affect what Google knows about your entity.

Log into your GBP dashboard and verify every field against your master NAP:

Business name (exact match, no extra keywords or location qualifiers)
Address (exact format from master NAP)
Phone number (primary and secondary)
Website URL (canonical version with https)
Business categories (correct but not relevant to NAP; verify anyway while you are here)

GBP changes can take 3-5 days to reflect in search results. Some changes may trigger a re-verification request.

Correction Methods by Platform Type

Platform Category	Examples	Correction Method	Typical Turnaround	Difficulty
Your website	Homepage, contact page, footer	Direct edit (you own the code)	Immediate	Easy
Google Business Profile	GBP listing	Edit in GBP dashboard	3-5 days	Easy
Social profiles (owned)	LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X	Edit in profile settings	Immediate	Easy
Claimable directories	Yelp, TripAdvisor, Foursquare	Claim listing, then edit	1-7 days (claim verification)	Medium
Data aggregators	Neustar/Localeze, Data.com, Factual	Submit correction to aggregator	2-8 weeks	Medium-Hard
Auto-generated listings	Business scraper sites, info pages	Submit correction request or removal request	Varies (weeks to months)	Hard
Third-party editorial	News articles, blog mentions, event pages	Contact the publisher	Varies (may not be possible)	Hard

The Data Aggregator Problem

Many small directories pull their data from a few major aggregators. If an aggregator has incorrect information about your entity, every directory that pulls from that aggregator will also have incorrect information. Fixing the aggregator fixes dozens of downstream listings at once.

graph TD AGG["Data Aggregator
(incorrect NAP)"] --> D1["Directory A
(wrong)"] AGG --> D2["Directory B
(wrong)"] AGG --> D3["Directory C
(wrong)"] AGG --> D4["Directory D
(wrong)"] FIX["Fix the aggregator"] --> AGG2["Data Aggregator
(corrected NAP)"] AGG2 --> D5["Directory A
(auto-corrected)"] AGG2 --> D6["Directory B
(auto-corrected)"] AGG2 --> D7["Directory C
(auto-corrected)"] AGG2 --> D8["Directory D
(auto-corrected)"] style AGG fill:#2a2a28,stroke:#c47a5a,color:#ede9e3 style AGG2 fill:#2a2a28,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style FIX fill:#2a2a28,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3

Major data aggregators in the US include Neustar/Localeze, Data.com (formerly Infogroup), and Factual. In Southeast Asia, the aggregator landscape is less centralized, but Google Business Profile itself functions as a primary data source for many local directories.

Dealing with Duplicate Listings

During your audit, you may find duplicate listings for your entity on the same platform. Two Yelp pages, two GBP profiles, two entries in the same directory. Duplicates are worse than inconsistencies because they create separate entity candidates.

For each duplicate found:

Identify which listing is the primary (the one with more reviews, more complete information, or higher search visibility).
Claim the primary listing if you have not already.
Request removal or merge of the duplicate. Most platforms have a process for this.
On GBP, use the "Suggest an edit" or "Report a problem" feature to flag duplicates.

The chart shows average time to correction by platform type. Green bars are quick fixes (under a week). Gold bars take 1-2 weeks. Orange bars can take 3-6 weeks. Plan your timeline accordingly and do not expect everything to be fixed overnight.

Tracking Corrections

Add two columns to your audit spreadsheet:

Date correction submitted: When you made the edit or sent the request.
Date verified: When you confirmed the correction is live.

Check back on submitted corrections weekly. Some platforms silently reject changes. Some revert to old data when they re-sync with aggregators. Verification is not optional.

Fixing NAP is not a one-time project. It is an ongoing maintenance task. New listings appear, aggregators re-push old data, and platforms change formats. Build checking into your quarterly routine.

Assignment

Fix your own website first. Update every instance of your NAP (footer, contact page, about page) to match your master record exactly. Deploy the changes.
Log into your Google Business Profile and correct any field that does not match your master NAP.
Update your three most important social profiles (LinkedIn, Facebook, and one other) to match your master NAP.
For directory listings you can claim, claim them and submit corrections. Record the date of each submission in your audit spreadsheet.
For directory listings you cannot directly edit, submit correction requests. Record those dates as well.

Fixing NAP Inconsistencies