Does your business info match everywhere?

Your name, address, and phone number live in more places than you might think: Google, your website, Facebook, Yelp, Apple Maps, the Chamber directory, the BBB, and maybe an old "best of" list from a few years back.

When all of those say the same thing, nobody notices. When they don't, a customer calls a number you dropped years ago, drives to your old suite, or shows up on a Monday because one site still says you're open.

They usually don't call to tell you. They just go somewhere else.

Here's a quick, plain-English check you can do yourself. Most of it is free.

Why matching info matters

For customers, it's simple. If your hours say one thing on Google and another on Facebook, people don't know which to trust. A wrong number is a lost call. A wrong address is a lost visit.

For Google, it's about trust too. Google says it builds your Business Profile from more than what you type in. It also draws on your website, other sources around the web, and what customers report. Google also says that businesses with complete, accurate info are more likely to show up in local results, and that wrong info can keep you from showing up for nearby searches.

So when your website, your Google listing, and the rest of the web agree, you're giving Google one clear story instead of three.

What matching info won't do: it won't, on its own, push you to the top of the map. Google says local results mainly come down to relevance (how well you match the search), distance, and prominence (how well-known you are, which includes reviews and links from other sites). Clean listings are the foundation, not the whole house.

The 20-minute listing check

Grab a notepad. Write down your info exactly the way you want the world to see it:

• Business name: the real one, without extra keywords stuffed in
• Street address, including suite or unit, written the same way every time ("Ste 200" or "Suite 200": pick one)
• Main phone number: the one you actually answer, or the one that forwards to whoever does
• Website address
• Regular hours and holiday hours

Then check these places, in this order:

1. Your Google Business Profile. Search your business name on Google and on Google Maps. Is everything right? Are your hours current? Is your category what you actually do?
2. Your own website. Look at the footer, the contact page, and any locations page. Google reads your site, so it needs to match.
3. Facebook and Instagram. Check the About section and page info.
4. Apple Maps and Bing. Plenty of iPhone users see Apple Maps first, so search for yourself there.
5. Yelp and your industry's main directory. That might be Angi, Healthgrades, Avvo, or whatever your customers actually use.
6. Your Chamber of Commerce directory and the BBB, if you're listed.
7. Your old phone number and old address. Search each one in quotes on Google. Anything that turns up is a listing still pointing people the wrong way.

Mark anything that doesn't match. That list is your to-do list.

What to fix first

Not every listing matters equally. Start where the most customers look:

1. Google first. It's where a lot of "near me" searches start.
2. Your website second. You control it, and Google reads it.
3. Then the two or three places your customers really use. For a restaurant, that might be Yelp. For a dentist, a health directory. For a plumber, maybe Angi or Nextdoor.
4. Then everything else. Old directories, dead profiles, and duplicate listings. Claim them and fix them, or ask the site to remove a duplicate.

Keep an eye out for duplicates. Two Google listings for the same business, often one at an old address, confuse customers, and Google says duplicates are against its policies. Google lets you request a merge or remove a duplicate profile.

Do the Chamber and BBB still matter?

Yes. Mostly for people, and a little for search.

• For people: a Chamber membership and a BBB profile work as trust checks. Plenty of customers, especially for home services, look you up there before they call. If your listing is wrong or empty, it can read as "nobody's minding the shop."
• For search: Google counts links from other websites as part of how well-known you are. A real local directory listing that links to your site is a good, honest kind of link. Just don't expect one listing to change your rankings overnight.

The real value of the Chamber is the room, not the link. Show up, meet people, and make sure that when they look you up afterward, everything they find matches.

Keep it matched (the part people forget)

Listings drift. Someone suggests an edit to your Google profile. A directory copies an old page. You add holiday hours on Google but forget Facebook.

A few habits keep things clean:

• Whenever something changes (phone, address, hours, or name), update Google and your website the same day, then work down your list.
• Before every holiday, set special hours on Google.
• Once a quarter, search your business name and phone number and run the check above again.
• Keep one master sheet with your official info, so whoever updates a listing writes it the same way every time.

Common questions

What does NAP mean? Name, Address, Phone. It's shorthand for the basic info that should match everywhere you're listed. Most people add website and hours too.

Do I need to be on every directory? No. Be correct on the places your customers actually use, starting with Google and your website. A short, accurate list beats a long, messy one.

I work out of my home and serve customers on-site. Do I list my address? Google lets service-area businesses remove their address and show the area they serve instead. Set that up in your Business Profile so customers don't head to your house.

How long until fixes show up? It varies by site. Some update right away, and others take a while. That's why it's worth checking again in a few weeks.

Will fixing my listings get me to the top of Google Maps? Nobody can honestly promise that, and Google says you can't pay for a better local ranking. Accurate info helps you show up for the right searches. Relevance, distance, and prominence do the rest.

Rather hand it off?

You can absolutely do all of this yourself. If you'd rather stay focused on the work in front of you, that's where we come in. Our Local Presence plan tracks your reviews and your review pace compared with your top 3 competitors. It's $269/mo.

Not sure where you stand? Start with our free website check for plain-language findings on speed, listing match, and site basics. Or just reach out and we'll talk it through.

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