NAP Changes After a Move or Rebrand
You signed a lease on a bigger shop. Or you bought out a partner and changed the company name. Or you finally got a local phone number to replace the mobile one. Each of these changes your NAP: name, address and phone. And each can cause trouble in Google Maps if you handle it in the wrong order.
This guide lays out what to update, in what order, and what to watch for. MapClimb Marketing helps with NAP updates after a move for trades and law firms, and the checklist below is the one we would follow.
Why a NAP change is risky
Google and other search engines compare your details across many sources. When your website says one thing, your profile says another and a dozen directories say a third, trust drops. Rankings in the map pack can slip. Customers may drive to the wrong place or call a dead line.
The risk is short-term Google Local Services Ads if you act quickly and in a clear order. It becomes long-term when old details linger for months.
Plan before you change anything
Write down the old NAP and the new NAP exactly as you will use them. Decide the format for suite numbers, punctuation and the business name. Decide the date of the switch. If you are moving, plan a short overlap where both addresses are covered, such as a sign on the old door and a forwarding phone line.
Make a list of every place your details appear. Start with your website, your Google Business Profile, your social pages, your major directories, your email signature, your invoices, your truck wraps and your ads. Add every vendor who has a listing for you.
Step one: your Google Business Profile
Update the profile first. It is the main record that everything else is compared with. Change the address, phone, name or hours, then follow any prompts for verification. A change of address can trigger a new verification, and your profile may be limited until it is complete.
Take extra care with a name change. The name on your profile should match your real-world name on signs, invoices and your website. Do not add keywords or service descriptions to the name. That can get a profile suspended. For the full list of fields and what to enter, see the update NAP in your google business profile first guidance on the services page.
If your service area changes with the move, update that as well. Remove towns you no longer serve, and add the new ones you plan to cover.
Step two: your website
Next, update the site. Change the footer, the contact page, the header, any embedded map, your structured data and the privacy and terms pages. Search for the old phone number and old address in your page text and your images. Click-to-call buttons often hide the old number in the code.
If you rebrand, also update page titles, logos, the about page and any text that mentions the old name. Set up redirects from old URLs if the domain changes. The website design updates that carry your new NAP are best done in one pass, not piece by piece.
Step three: major directories and aggregators
Now work through the directories. Start with Apple Maps, Bing Places and the main data aggregators. Those feed many smaller sites, so a correct update at the source spreads. Then do the biggest consumer sites and your trade directories. For a broader reference, the local SEO field covers the basics.
Some of the smaller ones will not update on their own. You may need to claim each listing, edit it and submit the change. Keep a sheet that shows the site, the date you submitted the edit and whether it is live.
Different trades face different details. After a move, an electrician seo plan after a move or rebrand with new NAP has to cover licensing board pages and supplier lists as well as the usual directories. An exterior siding seo effort for firms that changed address and NAP may also need updates on manufacturer installer pages.
Step four: ads, call extensions and tracking
If you run paid ads, the old details may still show. Update location assets and phone numbers in your campaigns. The google ads call extensions that must show the new NAP are easy to forget, and they can send paid calls to the wrong line for weeks.
If you use call tracking numbers, remember that those are separate from your main phone. Use the main number as your NAP in citations and use tracking numbers only where you can control them, such as on the website and in ads. Mixing them in directories creates the mismatches this guide is meant to prevent.
Step five: the people and papers
Tell your customers. Post on your profile and your social pages. Send an email or a text to past clients. Update your signatures, estimates and invoices. Ask partners, suppliers and referral sources to change the way they list you.
If you used to receive reviews under your old name, keep responding to them. Reviews usually stay attached to a profile when you edit it, but a brand-new profile starts at zero. Avoid creating a second profile when you can edit the existing one.
What to watch for in the weeks after
Search your old phone number, your old name and your old address every couple of weeks. You will find stray listings. Fix them one at a time. If a duplicate appears, follow the steps in our article on fixing duplicate listings.
Watch your calls and your rankings. A short dip is normal as data settles. If it lasts, look for mismatches first. Monthly reporting from your agency should show what was changed and when, which is useful when you try to link a change to an outcome.
Where to get help
A move or rebrand is a busy time. The Local SEO plans listed on the site start at $999 per month with the website included, and you can see pricing for local seo covering NAP and directories updates online. If you want a second set of eyes before you change anything, contact the team before you change your NAP and ask about the order that fits your trade.
You can also scan the trades whose directories need NAP updates after rebrands or read the blog for NAP and citations questions for related guides.