NAP (Name, Address, Phone)
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone — your business's three core contact details. NAP consistency means they match everywhere. Contradictory NAP data can lead AI assistants to recommend your business with wrong information.
NAP is short for Name, Address, Phone. These are the three details a customer uses to find and reach you. NAP consistency means these details are identical and current everywhere: your own site, map services, booking portals, business directories, social profiles.
The problem arises when the same detail differs across places: an old phone number here, outdated opening hours there. Directories often copy their data from each other, so a single error spreads further.
For AI visibility, NAP consistency is decisive: AI assistants also draw their answers from this directory data. If it's contradictory, the AI may recommend your business with wrong information — worse than not being recommended at all.
Why the details must match everywhere and how a single source helps: Local visibility.
Frequently asked questions.
Why does an AI recommend me with the wrong number or opening hours?
Because AI assistants mostly pull their facts from map and directory data. If your details are inconsistent or outdated there — an old number, a wrong opening hour — the AI picks up exactly that and states it confidently as an answer.
Directories also often copy from one another, so a single error spreads across several platforms. For your business, that means a small inconsistency in one place can end up as a wrong answer in several AI responses.
How do I find out whether an AI gives wrong information about my business?
Regularly ask the major AI assistants about your own business — services, opening hours, prices, and how you compare to competitors — and check the answers for accuracy. Without this check, wrong information often only surfaces when customers arrive with false expectations or never get in touch at all.
Can I correct wrong AI-generated information about my business?
You can't directly correct a single AI answer — but you control the sources it's built from. AI systems rely mainly on your website and public directories such as your Google Business Profile or trade directories.
Concretely: enter the same phone number, address, and opening hours everywhere — maintained in one place that all channels draw from. If that source has current, unambiguous, machine-readable details, it can gradually crowd out outdated or wrong information; realistically it takes weeks to months for AI answers to catch up.