NAP & Local Citation FAQ
Straight answers on NAP consistency, citations, and what any of this actually does for your rankings.
The basics
What is NAP?
Name, Address, and Phone number — the three fields every local business directory asks for, and the three fields Google cross-checks across directories to confirm your business is real and where you say it is.
Why does NAP consistency matter?
When your address reads "123 Main St, Suite 4" on one directory and "123 Main Street Ste. 4" on another, that's the same business to a human but a weaker match to an algorithm cross-referencing listings. Consistent formatting makes it easy for Google to confirm you're one real, stable business rather than several ambiguous ones.
Does fixing NAP consistency improve my Google ranking?
Not directly, and we won't claim it does. It removes a real, common obstacle to local visibility — Google has less confidence in a business it can't confirm consistently. Fixing it is a prerequisite for good local SEO, not a ranking hack on top of it.
What's a citation, exactly?
Any online mention of your business NAP, whether or not it links back to your site — a Yelp listing, a BBB profile, a YellowPages entry. Each one is a small trust signal, and the value comes from the total set being accurate and consistent, not from any single listing. See the full list of citation sites we support.
Using the extension
Which directories does Citation Manager support?
Yelp, YellowPages, BBB, Bing Places, Apple Maps Connect, and MapQuest today, with more added based on what people ask for.
Will auto-filling a directory's form get my listing flagged as spam?
No — the extension fills in the same fields you'd type by hand, with the same information. What gets a listing flagged is fake, duplicate, or misleading business information, which is true whether you type it or an extension does. Use real data and you're fine.
How does the AI description generator work, and is it required?
It's entirely optional. If you enter your own OpenAI API key, the extension can draft a unique "About this business" description per listing from your master description, industry, and USP, so you're not pasting the same paragraph into fifty directories. Every other feature works without a key.
Can I back up or move my data?
Yes. Export everything as JSON from the extension at any time, and import it back — on a new machine, a new browser profile, or just as a backup.
Pricing & agencies
Is Citation Manager actually free, or is that a trial?
Free forever for one business profile — full auto-fill, citation tracking and history, and JSON import/export, no time limit. If you look after a single business, that's the whole tool.
What does Pro add?
Pro ($12/month or $99/year) is for freelancers and agencies managing more than one client: unlimited business profiles, exportable citation reports you can hand a client or attach to an invoice, and priority on new directory requests.
I manage citations for multiple clients — how do I hand one a report?
Pro's citation report exports a clean summary of a client's NAP and the status of every directory you've worked on, ready to attach to an invoice or send as a deliverable.
Privacy
Does the extension send my business data to Citation Manager's servers?
No. Every profile and citation record stays in your browser's local storage — there's no server that stores it. The only network requests happen if you supply your own OpenAI key to generate a description, or when checking a Pro subscription with ExtensionPay. Full detail on the privacy page.
Not sure your NAP is even consistent right now?
Run it through the free formatter first — it flags the common mismatches before you touch a single directory.
Try the Free NAP Formatter