Free NAP audit builder
Build your local citation check list
Enter your canonical business details once, then open each source and mark what needs fixing.
Clean
0
Mismatch
0
Missing
0
Duplicate
0
Unchecked
12
What Google actually confirms
Google's Business Profile guidance says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and prominence, and that complete, accurate business information helps Google match a profile to relevant searches. This checklist is built around that foundation: make the public business entity consistent before chasing more citations.
Google Business Profile local ranking guidance · Google LocalBusiness structured data documentation
The 4-Step NAP Audit Method
This is the same methodology used by professional local SEO agencies. It takes ~45 minutes for an established business with citations across 30-60 directories. No paid tool required.
- 1
Lock in your canonical NAP
Decide ONE exact format for your business name, address, and phone. Address: run through USPS ZIP+4 for canonical formatting. Phone: pick either local OR toll-free as primary. Document this in a doc you reference for every future submission.
- 2
Branded search audit
Google your exact business name in quotes. Review every page-1 result. Note any that show different address, phone, or name format. These are your highest-priority fixes — they're what searchers see when they look you up.
- 3
Check the 5 critical directories
Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook Business, Yelp. These are the foundation — get these perfect first. Use the search links in the table below.
- 4
Sweep tier 2-3 directories
Work through the remaining 20+ sources below. For each, search your business name. Document inconsistencies. Submit corrections through each platform's "claim/edit" flow. For data providers such as Foursquare, Data Axle, Localeze, and Acxiom, source-level corrections can help reduce downstream drift over time.
The 25-Directory Checklist (Tier-Ranked)
Click any directory below to search for your business directly. This list focuses on US-relevant directories with measurable SEO impact. International directories are listed in our full directory database.
| Directory | Tier | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile → | critical | maps | Single most important. Discrepancies here directly impact local pack rankings. |
| Apple Maps Connect → | critical | maps | iPhone Siri queries pull from Apple Maps. |
| Bing Places → | critical | maps | Powers Cortana, ChatGPT search, Edge browser results. |
| Facebook Business → | critical | social | Often ranks for branded queries; phone tap-to-call active. |
| Yelp → | critical | review | Powers Apple Maps reviews + many third-party aggregators. |
| Yellow Pages → | high | general | Source of citation data for many smaller directories. |
| Better Business Bureau → | high | review | Trust signal; affects branded search trust. |
| Foursquare → | high | maps | Powers Snapchat, Twitter location data. |
| TripAdvisor → | high | review | Critical for hospitality, restaurants. |
| LinkedIn Company → | high | social | Often #1 result for branded company searches. |
| Manta → | high | general | B2B-focused; old-school but high citation weight. |
| MapQuest → | high | maps | Still has 30M+ monthly visitors. |
| Superpages → | high | general | Yellow Pages-affiliated; shared data network. |
| Whitepages → | high | general | Reverse phone search source. |
| Citysearch → | high | general | Local business focus; CitySearch reviews appear in Google. |
| Hotfrog → | medium | general | Active in 38 countries. |
| Brownbook → | medium | general | Crowdsourced; data quality varies. |
| Cylex → | medium | general | EU-strong; growing US presence. |
| Tupalo → | medium | general | Aggregates from multiple data sources. |
| CallUpContact → | medium | general | B2B contact directory. |
| EzLocal → | medium | general | US local focus. |
| iBegin → | medium | general | B2B directory. |
| Local.com → | medium | general | Generic local directory. |
| MerchantCircle → | medium | general | Local business community. |
| YellowBot → | medium | general | Aggregator with 16M+ businesses. |
The 4 Hidden NAP Killers (Most Audits Miss These)
- 1. Suite/unit number drift. "123 Main St" vs "123 Main St #4" vs "123 Main Street, Suite 4" creates avoidable ambiguity. Pick one format with the suite included and use it everywhere.
- 2. Phone format inconsistency. "(555) 555-5555" vs "555.555.5555" vs "5555555555" usually parse the same, but not always. The real killer: tracking numbers. If you use call tracking, every directory pointed at a different tracking number breaks your NAP graph.
- 3. Old address still listed at data providers. Foursquare, Data Axle, Localeze, and Acxiom can influence downstream local data. If you moved and only updated GBP, old records may keep reappearing elsewhere.
- 4. Multi-location consolidation errors. Multi-location businesses often have one location's NAP showing on another location's GBP listing. Audit each location separately, in incognito mode, from a device geolocated near that location.
Free Checker vs Paid Tools: Honest Comparison
| Approach | Model | Time/audit | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual (this guide) | Free | ~45 min | 25 critical sources |
| Moz Local | Subscription | Minutes | Core local platforms |
| BrightLocal | Subscription | Minutes | Citation audit and tracking |
| Whitespark Local Citation Finder | Subscription or campaign | Minutes | Citation discovery |
| Yext | Enterprise subscription | Continuous | Supported publisher network |
For most single-location small businesses, the manual method in this guide catches the visible issues that matter first. Paid tools justify their cost when you have multiple locations, need recurring monitoring, need exportable reports, or need supported push-to-fix coverage. Backlynk customers get directory submission workflows that keep new submissions aligned to one canonical NAP.
Bottom Line
NAP consistency is not the silver bullet some local SEO articles make it out to be — but it is not optional either. The 25-source checklist above covers the practical foundation: fix the listings customers and Google are most likely to see, align your website schema, suppress duplicates, and re-audit quarterly so stale records do not drift back into the index.