If that sounds familiar, you’re not the only one — and in 2025, the answer still comes down to three letters: NAP.
Name. Address. Phone number.
It might seem simple, but inconsistent NAP details are still one of the biggest issues hurting local SEO. It chips away at trust, confuses Google, and quietly costs you traffic while your rivals get ahead.
We’ve seen it plenty of times at Outrank. A business might have the smartest site in the area but still struggle to show up on Maps or local searches, just because their citations are all over the place.
This blog explains why citations still matter in local SEO, how NAP consistency plays a part, and what you can do to fix yours so customers and Google know exactly where to find you.
Citations are online mentions of your business’s name, address and phone number (NAP).
You’ll find them in places like:
They don’t always include a link back to your site, but they still matter. Google uses them to check that your business is genuine, where it’s based, and how people can reach you.
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone Number, your core contact info. Keeping it consistent across all listings helps Google trust your business and rank you more accurately in local results.
In 2025, Google will use more trust signals than ever. But NAP is still one of the key ones — and here’s why:
When your business info matches across trusted sites, Google feels more confident about putting you in local results.
If your Google Business Profile says “10A High Street” but a directory lists “Unit 10 High Street” or an old phone number, it can cause issues. Google may hold back your listing or worse, show another business instead.
If your number’s wrong, you’ll miss calls. If your address is outdated, people won’t show up. And if you serve a local area, a wrong postcode can bump you off the map completely.
SEO has changed a lot, with AI content, more zero-click searches and voice assistants creeping in. But some things haven’t shifted.
Citations still help build location authority and make your business more relevant in local searches.
The difference now? Google’s less forgiving. Messy or low-quality citations can hurt your rankings quicker than before, especially if your area is competitive.
Here’s how citations still make a difference:
Let’s be honest, fixing citations isn’t the most exciting job. But it’s one of the fastest ways to boost your local rankings. And most businesses don’t bother doing it correctly.
Search your business name, postcode and any old numbers. See where and how you’re listed. Tools like BrightLocal, Semrush or Whitespark can speed things up.
Set the exact format you want for your business name, address and number including abbreviations and spacing. This is your baseline for all listings.
Some sites matter more than others. Start with the ones Google trusts most — they carry more weight in rankings. Prioritise these:
Then move on to trusted UK directories, especially ones built for service-based businesses:
Tip: Listings you control (like on Bizify or WeGetYouFound) let you keep info accurate and add offers, photos and updates, which all help with visibility.
UK aggregators like Foursquare, Factual and Data Axle supply hundreds of other sites. Fixing these gives you wider coverage with less effort.
Your citations aren’t set in stone. Addresses change, staff switch phones, and typos happen. Review your listings every 3–4 months to stay on top of things.
Citations aren’t the only thing that matters in local SEO, but they give your whole strategy a stronger base. If your listings are messy, then everything else has to work twice as hard.
Here’s the order we recommend for getting local SEO right in 2025:
We know it’s not a glamorous task. It’s fiddly, repetitive, and doesn’t feel like it moves the needle right away.
But the truth is, getting your NAP sorted can completely change your results.
In the last year, we’ve helped dozens of UK businesses fix their listings and they’ve jumped from page two to page one without touching their websites or spending more on ads.
Clean citations aren’t optional any more. They’re a basic requirement.
You can pour money into your site, ads, and content — but if Google doesn’t trust your business details, you’ll still get buried.
Consistent NAP details build trust. Reliable citations back it up.
If your listings are a mess, Google knows. So do your customers.
Let’s sort your listings, fix your NAP data, and help your business show up where it should.
Get in touch today — and we’ll take care of the rest.
