The Importance of Consistency with All of Your Listings

If you’ve ever found incorrect information about a business online, you know how frustrating it is. If you’ve ever found entirely different information from different sources online, you know how much worse that is. What’s bad for users is almost always a reason for Google and other search engines to penalize you, and that’s especially true in this case. The information most important to search engines, and therefore the most important to make sure you have correct across your profiles is known as NAP info.  

Why is NAP important to your SEO?

NAP, which stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number, is the information that can impact how Google and other search engines rank your online business profile. 

Of course, having all of the information included in your online profiles display accurately is incredibly important for your potential customers. The more information you can have correct, the easier it will be for people to find you, contact you, and ultimately become your client. Having incorrect information means your information will sometimes get indexed by multiple search engines, which can even result in duplicate listings.

Here are 3 ways you can maximize your practice’s local search listings.

• Claim your listings. This is the first and arguably most important step on the way to local search greatness. Claiming your listings and making sure your NAP information is correct means your prospective patients can find you, expands your online footprint, and sends all the positive signals to search engines that will help your business rank well.

• Utilize local directories. Local directories have considerable power in search engine result pages, so listing your practice can be hugely beneficial. Often, your practice will already appear on these listings, so ensuring correct information on those sites is important. Make a list of local directories you’re utilizing and audit occasionally to make sure any changes to your business information have been recorded.
• Pay attention to your reviews. It’s likely you’ve already collected a few reviews across your online listings. Responding to negative reviews is incredibly important, as your potential patients look to these responses to see how you handle them. 

Managing online listings and reviews does take a bit of time, but the returns for your practice are worth it. Investing the time to ensure your NAP information is correct and up to date means your practice can attract all of the new patients possible, and eliminate headaches for you. 

Need help managing your online listings? MyAdvice’s team of experts is here to help. Check out our Local Power page for more information or contact us to get started today!