Why moving premises can leave a legacy of NAP data that confuses search engines and is a pain in the bum.

Businesses are constantly opening new premises and closing old ones; whether it is to scale-up, scale-down, re-locate or shut down for good. However, a change of physical address does not automatically change your on-line address. Whatever the reason for closing or moving premises, the online listings associated with that NAP can linger on for years, leaving a trail of misleading address details and out of date telephone numbers, which will confuse search engines and customers.

A business that ceases trading and closes its premises is unlikely to be concerned about the ‘mess’ they leave behind in the listings. However, a business that continues to trade from a new address in the same town or city may be affected by the legacy of listings associated with the old address. When an established brand re-locates, they will either get a new telephone number, or transfer the old number to the new address. Each is fine, but both can affect your local performance if not managed correctly.

If nothing is done about it, your old NAP details will be listed for years.

If you find that your old Google local listing keeps coming back, despite you removing it, it could be that there is still a lot of NAP listings for the old address elsewhere. When you change premises don’t assume that the listing sites will remove the old listing when you create a new one; they won’t! You need to tell them which listings to remove. The same is also true if you change their trading name. If you re-name or re-brand a premises, the old listings need to be changed to reflect this. If you don’t you will find the old NAP details lingering for years – like a stubborn rash.

We call this NAPpy Rash!
If you are suffering with NAPpy Rash – give us a call – we have the right ointment.

Future Blog
Why Marketing Needs to Control Telephone Numbers