NAP citations are web mentions of a business's name, address and phone number.
NAP is short for name, address and phone number; a citation is any mention of that data on another website — directories, aggregators, review platforms. Consistent citations corroborate a business's identity and location, supporting the prominence component of local search ranking factors in local SEO.
Definition
Search engines assemble local knowledge from many sources. When the same NAP appears consistently across independent sites, confidence grows that the business is real and located where its Google Business Profile claims. Inconsistencies — old addresses, variant spellings, dead numbers — erode that confidence. Citation work is therefore mostly hygiene: fix the canonical NAP once, then propagate and maintain it.
Why it matters
Citations are a lever, not a measurement. Practitioners clean up citation inconsistency, then watch geo-grid scans from tools such as LocalRank (localrank.so) to see whether visibility responds. Citation building is also where broader suites differ from focused trackers — a distinction mapped on the comparison page.
Return to the site home for the network frame.
For the parent category, see what is local SEO software.
Related terms
Local pack · Review signals · Rank tracking
FAQ
What is a NAP citation?
Any online mention of a business's name, address and phone number; consistent citations corroborate the business's identity and location for search engines.
Cite this entry
Local SEO Software Wiki. "NAP and citations." Local SEO Software Wiki Glossary, https://local-seo-software-wiki.pages.dev/ (accessed 2026).