Local business NAP audit checklist

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Local business NAP audit

Business: [business name]
Location or service base: [location]
Google Business Profile URL: [profile URL]
Website: [website URL]
Audit date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
Auditor: [name]
Profile type: [storefront / service-area / hybrid]
Overall status: [Pass / Fix / N/A]

Canonical record

• Canonical business name: [exact real-world name]
• Canonical street address, if customers are served there: [complete address, including building, suite, floor or unit]
• Canonical service areas, if customers are served at their locations: [cities, postal codes or other named areas]
• Canonical phone: [number]
• Canonical website: [fully qualified URL]
• Canonical LocalBusiness.url, if present in structured data: [fully qualified URL for this location]
• Canonical evidence checked: [storefront / website / stationery / business records / other]
• Canonical values approved by: [owner or responsible person]

1. Name

• The profile name matches the business's real-world name on its storefront, website, stationery, and other branding.¹
• The profile name does not add a marketing tagline, store code, trademark or registered sign, business hours, phone number, website URL, service or product information, containment information, or a repeated bilingual name or script transliteration.¹
• Location wording appears only when it is part of the real-world name. Ordinary words are not changed to full capitals; established real-world capitalization remains unchanged.¹
• Any special character or legal term such as LLC, LTD, or INC is supported by evidence that it is consistently part of the real-world name.¹
• For a chain, the location uses the same name as other locations in the same country unless a consistently applied sub-brand, department, operation type, or location-specific real-world name supports a difference.¹
• Observed profile name: [value]
• Action or note: [none / correction needed]

2. Address and map location

• If the business serves customers at a storefront, the profile contains the complete official street address.²
• The address includes every official building, suite, floor, and unit detail.²
• The address contains only official-address information. Where the official address does not pinpoint the business accurately, it may include a nearby cross-street or landmark. It contains no remote P.O. box or mailbox, URL, or unrelated keyword.¹²
• If there is no street number or Google cannot find the correct address, the map pin has been checked and adjusted when needed.²
• The map pin points to the business location: [Pass / Fix / N/A].
• Observed profile address: [value]
• Observed map location: [value or map link]

3. Service area and profile type

• The business type matches where customers receive service: [storefront / service-area / hybrid].
• A service-area business that does not serve customers at its address hides or removes the address and lists only its service area.²³
• A hybrid business that serves customers at its address shows both its address and service area.³
• A business without permanent on-site signage is not represented as a storefront.³
• A business with age-restricted products or services is not represented as a service-area business without a storefront.³
• Each service-area entry is a city, postal code, or another named area the business actually serves.³
• The profile lists no more than 20 service areas.³
• New or edited service areas use named areas, not a radius. If the profile still has an older radius-based service area that cannot be edited, enter a new area by city, postal code, or another area type.³
• The overall service area generally stays within about 2 hours of driving time from the business base, with any larger area explained in the audit notes.³
• Observed profile type: [value]
• Observed service area: [value]

4. Phone

• The profile phone is the business's single authoritative phone number and the owner can verify it.⁴
• The phone connects to the individual business location.¹
• A local number is used instead of a central call-center helpline whenever possible.¹
• The phone is under the business's direct control.¹
• The phone does not redirect users to a number other than the actual business.¹
• The phone is not a premium-rate number.¹
• Observed profile phone: [value]
• Public sources checked: [source list]

5. Website and structured-data location URL

• The profile website is the business's single authoritative website and the owner can verify it.⁴
• The website content is owned and managed by the business owner.⁴
• The profile website does not redirect or refer users to a URL or phone number other than the actual business, including a social-media page.¹
• If LocalBusiness structured data is present, its url value is fully qualified, points to the specific business location, and works when opened.⁵
• Observed profile website: [value]
• Observed LocalBusiness.url value: [value / not present]
• Working-link check: [Pass / Fix / N/A]

6. Source sweep

• The official website was checked as a public source: [URL and read date].
• Relevant third-party listings were checked: [source, public URL and read date].
• Publicly visible user-contributed factual information was checked where relevant: [source, URL and read date].
• Other public records and Google's displayed profile value were checked separately: [source, URL and read date].
• Each conflict keeps the observed profile value and the conflicting source value as separate records.⁶⁷
• A source is recorded even when it agrees with the canonical value: [source list].

7. Correction log

Field	Canonical value	Observed value	Source type	Public URL	Read date	Owner	Action	Next check	Status
[name / address / service area / phone / website / LocalBusiness.url]	[value]	[value]	[profile / website / third party / user contribution / other]	[URL]	[YYYY-MM-DD]	[name]	[edit / suggested edit / contact source / no action]	[YYYY-MM-DD]	[Open / Done / N/A]
[field]	[value]	[value]	[source type]	[URL]	[YYYY-MM-DD]	[name]	[action]	[YYYY-MM-DD]	[status]

8. After a correction

• An owner or manager signed in to the linked Google Account made the edit, or someone who does not own or manage the profile suggested an edit.⁸
• The saved profile value was checked again: [date].
• An address or profile change was allowed about 10 minutes to appear before the first recheck; the audit allows for cases that take up to 30 days.²
• An approved service-area edit was allowed up to 48 hours to appear before it was treated as missing.³
• The new observed value, the source URL, the recheck date, and the final status were added to the correction log.

How do I use the NAP audit checklist?

Start by writing the canonical record from the business's real-world materials. Google says the business name should match its storefront, website, stationery, and how customers know it. For an address, use the complete official address and unit details. For a service-area business, use the actual named areas served instead of showing an address where customers do not receive service.¹²³

Next compare the canonical values with the profile, the owner-managed website, and other public sources. Google says Business Profile information can come from crawled web content, licensed third-party data, user contributions, and Google's own interactions with a local place or business.⁶ A public source can therefore agree with the profile or conflict with it. Record both values rather than overwriting one with the other.

Finish each mismatch in the correction log. An owner or manager signed in to the linked Google Account can edit the profile. Someone who does not own or manage it can suggest an edit. Keep the next-check date because a saved correction is not proof that the public profile has already changed.⁸

What should I treat as a NAP mismatch?

Treat a field as a mismatch when the observed value differs from the canonical value in a way that changes how a customer identifies, contacts, or reaches the business. Examples include an added keyword in the profile name, a missing suite number, a visible address for a service-area business that does not receive customers there, a phone number that routes elsewhere, or a broken LocalBusiness.url value when that structured data is present.

Do not turn formatting differences into corrections automatically. Compare each observed form with the real-world name and address rules above. Record the difference, then assign an action only when it conflicts with one of those rules or changes the customer-facing meaning.¹²

What happens when Google shows a different value after I fix it?

Keep the difference in the log. Google says it may choose not to display supplied content when trusted signals indicate that it is inaccurate, and it may show an edited value or content from another source instead.⁷ The audit should show the value submitted or expected, the value displayed publicly, the source that conflicts, and the date of the latest check.

An address or profile change usually appears in about 10 minutes, but Google says some changes can take up to 30 days. An approved service-area edit can take up to 48 hours to appear. Use those windows as recheck timing, not as a promise that a correction will be accepted.²³

What should I do with a NAP mismatch?

Use the row that matches the problem:

For the wider context, see understanding local citations, Google Business Profile, and Local SEO. If the profile still shows conflicting business facts after the recheck, request a free Google Business Profile audit.