How listings are compared
Each field is normalised before comparison so harmless formatting is not flagged:
- Name: case, punctuation, “&” vs “and” and extra spaces are ignored. Legal suffixes such as “Ltd”, “LLC” or “Inc” are flagged as a minor difference.
- Address: case and punctuation are ignored and common abbreviations are expanded (St/Street, Rd/Road, Ln/Lane, Ave/Avenue and similar). The postcode or ZIP is compared separately because a wrong one is a serious error.
- Phone: only digits are compared, and a leading country code or trunk zero is allowed, so “+44 113 496 0000” matches “0113 496 0000”.
Each listing is marked as matching, a minor difference (formatting a person would read past) or a mismatch (different information).
Which differences matter
- Wrong phone or old address: fix first. They lose you real customers and contradict your profile.
- Different business name: fix, especially if a listing adds keywords or uses an old trading name.
- Abbreviations and punctuation: low priority. Search engines handle these well, but tidying them is good practice.
Where to collect your listings
Start with the platforms that matter most in your country: Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Facebook, and the main general and industry directories. Search for your business name and old phone numbers to find listings you forgot about. Read what local citations are and whether they still matter for priorities.
Keep it consistent
Use the reference details on your website footer and contact page, and in your structured data. The Local Business Schema Generator creates markup with the same details.