How will people find your amazing website to learn about your fabulous company and its outstanding products? Unless they are deliberately looking for you, following up on a conversation they had with you, they will turn to their search engine of choice, Google. However, search and search results are not limited to Google. This means we need to focus on more than Google. We need to look at ALL directory sites and search engines. They all scrape what’s published online and rank it based on MANY factors from the last time you added to your site, edited it, inbound links, and credibility. This includes people who have reviewed your site. But, it also includes on if you are deemed a trustworthy online entity.

This is where NAP comes in.

NAP is Name, Address, and Phone Number. Example:

(503) 807-4543 is not 503-807-4543 or 503.807.4543 or 1-503-807-4543.
Susan Finch Solutions is not Susan Finch Solutions, LLC or Susan Finch Solutions L.L.C
220 Forest Ave. is not the same as 220 Forest Avenue or 220 Forest Ave

The search algorithms and discerners see these as different companies.

If you are in professional directories or portals, it matters here, too. Think about a Real Estate agent or broker. All of the tools they use, including MLS listings, need to match. However, they have to list their company in those needs to dictate all the rest.

If you don’t have those restrictions, you can start with Google Maps to see how you come up and decide if that’s how you want to list your company name, address, and phone everywhere. I genuinely mean EVERYWHERE. 

Decide on the formatting and then tell your ENTIRE company. Then, you have to go clean it up in all of these directory sites.

Have it somewhere easy to copy and paste.

And for those of you listing your name for the company name or contact, be careful there, too. This is especially true if you want to add your degrees and certifications to your name. Be consistent. Will it really help, or just clutter up your listing? LinkedIn is different. This advice pertains to PUBLIC pages on Social media. Your LinkedIn profile can be adjusted regularly and should continue to evolve with your ever-growing skills.

Let me know if you need help tracking these down and making the changes.

Initial directory sites to check:

  • Facebook
  • Yahoo
  • Bing
  • Citysearch
  • MapQuest – yes, still a thing
  • Superpages
  • Insider Pages
  • Yelp

You can also run your own test here: https://www.yext.com/pl/powerlistings/mscan.html# to see where you stand currently.