{"id":3886,"date":"2026-04-24T18:17:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darwenonline.co.uk\/web\/?p=3886"},"modified":"2026-04-25T09:52:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T09:52:16","slug":"what-are-nap-citations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darwenonline.co.uk\/web\/what-are-nap-citations\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Citations? NAP Citations Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h1\" dir=\"ltr\">Your Business&#8217;s Digital DNA: How NAP Citations Drive Local SEO Success<\/h1>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Every time a potential customer searches for a business like yours \u2014 on Google Maps, a voice assistant, or an online directory \u2014 search engines work behind the scenes to determine which businesses are legitimate, trustworthy, and geographically relevant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">At the heart of that determination lies a deceptively simple concept: NAP citations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Your business&#8217;s Name, Address, and Phone Number are more than just contact details. They are the digital DNA that search engines use to verify your existence, confirm your location, and decide whether you deserve a spot in the Google Local Pack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">This guide breaks down what NAP citations are, why they matter in 2026, and how to build, audit, and maintain them to unlock stronger local search rankings and a more powerful online presence.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: center;\">What Exactly Are NAP Citations?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">A NAP citation is any online mention of your business&#8217;s core identifying information: its business name, physical address, and phone number.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">These mentions appear across a wide spectrum of digital properties \u2014 from major online directories like Yellow Pages and Bing Places, to social media platforms like Facebook, to niche industry websites and local news blogs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/learn\/seo\/local-citations\" rel=\"noreferrer\">According to Moz,<\/a> a local citation can be a partial or complete mention of your NAP data, occurring on local business directories, websites, apps, and social media profiles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Citations help people discover local businesses and directly influence local search engine rankings.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\">How Search Engines Process NAP for Local Search<\/h2>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Search engines like Google aggregate information from your Google Business Profile, data aggregators like Data Axle + Foursquare, major directories, and social media platforms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">When all of these sources consistently report the same business name, address, and phone number, Google interprets this as a strong trust signal \u2014 consistency equals credibility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Conversely, inconsistencies \u2014 a slightly different business name here, an old phone number there \u2014 create confusion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Search engines cannot confidently verify your business&#8217;s legitimacy, which suppresses your rankings in local search results and reduces your chances of appearing in the Google Local Pack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Think of your NAP data as a digital fingerprint: if it looks different every time it appears, the system flags it as unreliable.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\">Connecting the Dots: How NAP Fuels Local Search Results and the Local Pack<\/h2>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">The Google Local Pack \u2014 the prominent map-and-listing block at the top of local search results \u2014 is the most valuable piece of digital real estate for any local business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Local SEO citations are one of the most significant factors influencing whether your business appears there, contributing to three core signals:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__ul\">\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"1\">Proximity\u00a0\u2014 Your consistent address data helps Google accurately place you in\u00a0local map search\u00a0results<\/li>\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"2\">Relevance\u00a0\u2014 Citations on niche-relevant directories reinforce what your business does<\/li>\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"3\">Prominence\u00a0\u2014 The volume and quality of your citations signal how established your business is<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">With 46% of all Google searches carrying local intent, ensuring your NAP data is accurate and consistent is one of the most direct ways to capture that traffic.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Understanding Structured vs. Unstructured Citations<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h3\" dir=\"ltr\">Structured Citations<\/h3>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Structured citations appear on platforms specifically designed to publish business listings. Key platforms include Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Maps, Yellow Pages, and data aggregators such as Data Axle, Foursquare, and Neustar Localeze.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Data aggregators are particularly important because they distribute your business information to hundreds of downstream directories, apps, and mapping services \u2014 getting your NAP right at the aggregator level creates a powerful cascading effect across the entire local search ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Structured citations appear on platforms specifically designed to publish business listings. These are the most impactful citations for local SEO because they are standardised, easily crawled by search engines and often include additional business details like hours, categories and reviews.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Key platforms for structured Local SEO citations include:<\/p>\n<table class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__table\">\n<colgroup>\n<col \/>\n<col \/>\n<col \/><\/colgroup>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCellHeader\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Platform<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCellHeader\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Type<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCellHeader\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Priority<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/business.google.com\/locations\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Google Business Profile<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Search Engine<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Critical<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/maps\/myplaces\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Bing Places<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Search Engine<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">High<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/maps.apple.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Apple Maps<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Search Engine\/Maps<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">High<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yell.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Yellow Pages<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Major Directory<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">High<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yelp.co.uk\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Yelp<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Major Directory<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">High<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Social\/Directory<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">High<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/foursquare.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Foursquare<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Data Aggregator<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__tableCell\">\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Medium-High<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Data aggregators are particularly important because they distribute your business information to hundreds of downstream directories, apps, and mapping services.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Getting your NAP right at the aggregator level creates a cascading positive effect across the entire local search ecosystem.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h3\" dir=\"ltr\">Unstructured Citations<\/h3>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Unstructured citations are organic mentions of your business on platforms not designed for business listings \u2014 local news articles, blog posts, community event pages, and social media posts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">While they may carry less algorithmic weight individually, they contribute meaningfully to online visibility and can generate local backlinks that further boost your authority in local search engine rankings.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\">The Strategic NAP Audit: Finding and Fixing Inconsistencies<\/h2>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Before building new citations, you must understand the state of your existing ones. A thorough audit is the essential first step in any local SEO improvement campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Recommended tools:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__ul\">\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"1\"><a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/products\/local\/check-listing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Moz Local<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 Identifies inconsistencies, duplicate listings, and missing citations across major directories and\u00a0data aggregators<\/li>\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"2\">Google Search Console\u00a0\u2014 Monitors how Google sees your business and surfaces discrepancies<\/li>\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"3\">Manual search\u00a0\u2014 Search your business name, old phone numbers, and previous addresses to surface rogue listings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Common sources of inconsistency include old addresses, typos, abbreviation variations, rebranding changes, and multi-location data errors.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h3\" dir=\"ltr\">A Step-by-Step Guide to Correcting Inaccurate Citations<\/h3>\n<ol class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__ol1\">\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"1\">Establish a master NAP record\u00a0\u2014 one definitive version of your business name, address, and phone number<\/li>\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"2\">Run a full audit\u00a0<a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/products\/local\/check-listing\" rel=\"noreferrer\">using Moz Local<\/a> and manual searches<\/li>\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"3\">Prioritise corrections\u00a0\u2014 start with\u00a0Google Business Profile,\u00a0Bing Places,\u00a0Apple Maps, and primary\u00a0data aggregators<\/li>\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"4\">Claim and update listings\u00a0directly on each platform<\/li>\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"5\">Suppress or merge duplicates\u00a0to eliminate conflicting signals<\/li>\n<li class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__listItem\" value=\"6\">Document everything\u00a0in a citation tracking spreadsheet<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\">Smart Citation Building: Quality Over Quantity for Lasting Impact<\/h2>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Once your existing citations are clean, focus on strategic citation building.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">A citation on a respected industry association&#8217;s website is worth far more than ten listings on low-quality directories.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Always ask: <i><em class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__textItalic\">Does my target customer use this platform?<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h3\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Advanced Citation Strategies: Integrating Structured Data (Schema.org)<\/h3>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Implementing <code spellcheck=\"false\"><span class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__textCode\">LocalBusiness<\/span><\/code> schema markup on your website is a powerful advanced strategy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">According to <a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/appearance\/structured-data\/local-business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google&#8217;s official developer documentation<\/a>, LocalBusiness structured data provides machine-readable confirmation of your NAP data, business hours, and geo-coordinates \u2014 speaking directly to search engines in their own language.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">This structured data (Schema.org) acts as an authoritative on-site citation, reinforcing every external Local SEO citation across the web.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\">Case Study: Boosting a Local Floral Business&#8217;s Citations<\/h2>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Consider &#8220;Bloom &amp; Co.&#8221;, a local floral business that had moved locations 18 months prior.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Despite updating their Google Business Profile, dozens of local business directories still showed the old address, causing a noticeable decline in local search rankings and customer confusion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Using Moz Local, the team identified 47 listings \u2014 31 with the old address and several with inconsistent business name formatting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">After establishing a master NAP record, updating all priority platforms including data aggregators, and adding schema markup to their website, the results were clear: within 12 weeks, Bloom &amp; Co. re-entered the Google Local Pack and saw a 34% increase in calls from Google Maps.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Consistent NAP data is a direct driver of revenue.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\">Maintaining Your NAP Citations: An Ongoing Commitment<\/h2>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Citation building is not a one-time task. Conduct a full audit at least quarterly using Moz Local and Google Search Console, and monitor for new inconsistencies introduced by third-party data aggregators.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h3\" dir=\"ltr\">Adapting to Business Changes: Relocations, Rebranding, and New Phone Numbers<\/h3>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Any significant change \u2014 a new address, a rebrand, a new phone number \u2014 must trigger an immediate, systematic citation update campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Update your Google Business Profile and data aggregators first, then work outward to all local directories and social media profiles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Delays can result in weeks of inconsistency that suppress your local search engine rankings and misdirect customers.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\">The Future of NAP: Voice Search, AI, and Evolving Local Search Queries<\/h2>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">The relevance of NAP citations is not diminishing \u2014 it is evolving. Voice local search queries and AI-powered assistants rely entirely on structured, verified business data.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">If your NAP is inconsistent or absent from key platforms like Apple Maps or Google Business Profile, your business will be invisible to these queries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">As AI-driven search experiences increasingly pull from online directories and third-party platforms to validate business information, your citation footprint becomes a key factor in next-generation search visibility.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Conclusion: What Are NAP Citations? NAP Citations Explained<\/h2>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Your NAP data is the foundational layer of your entire local SEO strategy. Consistent, accurate NAP citations across online directories, data aggregators, social media platforms and your own website tell search engines exactly who you are, where you are, and why you deserve to be found.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__paragraph\" dir=\"ltr\">Ready to take control of your business&#8217;s digital DNA? Request a <a class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/cmldesign.co.uk\/web-design-lancashire\/contact-us\/free-seo-audit-score\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">free citation check <\/a>today and discover exactly where your local SEO foundation needs strengthening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Solidify Your Digital Foundation with Consistent NAP<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your Business&#8217;s Digital DNA: How NAP Citations Drive Local SEO Success Every time a potential customer searches for a business like yours \u2014 on Google Maps, a voice assistant, or an online directory \u2014 search engines work behind the scenes to determine which businesses are legitimate, trustworthy, and geographically relevant. At the heart of that determination lies a deceptively simple [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[207,214],"class_list":["post-3886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-advice","tag-reputation-management","tag-search-engine-marketing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>UK Digital Marketing Blog - Web Design, SEO, Maintenance &amp; Promotion by Darwen Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn what NAP citations are, why consistency matters for local search rankings, and how to audit, build, and maintain them to grow your local business online.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/darwenonline.co.uk\/web\/what-are-nap-citations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Are Citations? 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