Common NAP Mistakes That Hurt Your Local Rankings

This is the single most common mistake. Your address is written in slightly different ways across different platforms.

Why it happens

You're not paying attention to small formatting details. You enter your address one way on Google, another on Zillow (which auto-formats it), another on your website.

The fix

Choose one format and use it everywhere. Most directories accept "Street" spelled out. Use that format on all 7 directories.

What to standardize

• Street vs St vs St.
• Road vs Rd vs Rd.
• Avenue vs Ave vs Ave.
• Boulevard vs Blvd vs Blvd.
• Suite vs Ste vs Ste.

You have the same phone number on different platforms, but formatted differently. Computers see formatting as part of the data.

Why it happens

Different directories automatically format phone numbers differently. Google uses one format, Zillow uses another. You rarely notice because humans read the number the same way regardless of format.

The fix

Use the international format "(555) 123-4567" on all platforms. This is the most widely accepted format and less likely to be auto-changed.

Pro tip

After you update a phone number, check it 24 hours later. Some directories auto-reformat it. If yours was changed, you need to manually re-enter it in their preferred format.

You used different name variations when you set up different accounts. Now you have multiple versions of yourself online, and nobody knows they're the same person.

Why it happens

You rebrand or change how you present yourself, but you don't go back and update all the old listings. Or you set up accounts casually without thinking about the exact legal name.

The fix

Pick your official business name (your legal DBA or how your broker lists you). Use that exact name on all platforms. No abbreviations. No variations.

What to decide on

• Full name or initials? (Sarah vs S. or S.M.)
• Team name or individual? (Sarah Smith Realty vs Smith Team at ABC Realty)
• Exact legal name or trading name?

You moved offices three years ago, but one directory still has your old address. Or you closed a phone number, but old listings still cite it.

Why it happens

You move offices and update your main platforms, but forget about the listings you set up years ago and haven't touched since. They're like digital zombies—old info, still appearing in search.

The fix

Go through every platform where you have a listing and update the address. Then update the phone number. Check every account you've ever created.

Where to check

• Old Zillow profiles you created and forgot about
• Realtor.com (might still have your old office)
• Local MLS directory listings
• Yelp (you might not even know you have an account)
• Facebook business pages from old offices
• Abandoned Google Business Profiles

You closed an account, but the listing is still visible on the directory. Or worse: someone accessed the old account and updated it with wrong information.

This is particularly dangerous because the old listing might still appear in search results, and people have no idea it's orphaned data.

Why it happens

You left a brokerage and didn't think to fully remove yourself from the old brokerage's directories. Or you deleted an account without realizing your data stayed in the directory system.

The fix

Search for yourself on each platform. If you find a profile you don't actively manage:

1. Try to claim/log in to it
2. Update it to match your current info OR
3. Delete it completely if that's an option
4. Contact the directory support if you can't manage it

Places old listings hide

• Old brokerage internal directories
• Industry data aggregators that syndicate from other sources
• Cached Google results (these eventually expire)
• Local business listing sites you never remember signing up for