Quite simply this acronym NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number. These three are the more significant and defining pieces of information specific to dental SEO and dental practice. Remember your NAP info can be found in several places across the web such as your site, your GMB page, your Facebook profile, other social media platforms, online directories such as StartLocal and Yellow Pages, on various sites of firms you are associated with, etc.
Significance of NAP
The significance of NAP information is of paramount importance for your dental SEO. It is by using this NAP info your patients are going to make a connection with you. However, there are other important aspects to NAP info. It gives Google a trusted third-party signal that demonstrates that your practice is indeed real. Although you have complete control over this info you have placed on your site and your social media profiles, you cannot be so sure about directories. Many of them have stringent verification processes to make sure that your NAP info is arriving from a bona fide dental practice. The NAP info is very important for local SEO and needs to be consistent across several trusted and relevant professional and business directories as part of your dental SEO marketing campaign.
Effect on visibility
It is critical for your dental practice that correct NAP info is listed in all these places. This is because incorrect info can not only be confusing to your prospective patients but it can also confuse Google. This can have a serious consequence because it may jeopardize your ranking in local SERP results. NAP consistency is one of the significant factors for local visibility. If Google can trust your dental SEO office is located in a specific area it is more likely to list your business in the local ranking. It also enhances your visibility online.
How do the dental practices get NAP info wrong?
One might wonder how dental practices could get this significant info wrong. It is a fact that all practices don’t however; there are several practices that either make a mistake while entering the data or they forget to change citations while changing names of their practice, moving locations, or updating phone numbers. For instance, if you have changed the business name, there may be a mix of new and old citations around the web having the same address but different names. You have to watch out for typos as well. One mistake and this may last out there on the web for years without anyone noticing. For instance,
ClearSlate Dental
1096 Woodlawn Street
Clearwater FL 33756
727-216-6789
Woodlawn Dental
765 Woodlawn Street
Clearwater FL 33756
727-216-2345
Look at this NAP info above. It will not be a surprise to anyone if these two firms are having trouble becoming visible on the local dental SEO.
The importance of having your NAP information perfect cannot be undermined. You have to make sure that this NAP info is consistent in all those places it appears on the web. You have to invest your time and efforts into something, especially when you are looking to get your dental SEO office to appear on local search results in your area. First, you have to find all your history about the dental practice NAP info. Then you may start your sleuth work to find errors. It is also possible to run a NAP diagnostic to correct all these citations that are found to be incorrect.