Add accurate and complete contact details to your Google Business Profile.
Module 2 · Lesson 5
Contact Details
Ensure your business contact details are accurate, consistent and optimised across your Google Business Profile.
Learning Outcomes
Understand why NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency across the web matters for SEO.
Add a website link and ensure it points to the correct page.
Set up additional contact options such as messaging and booking links.
Key Concepts
The Importance of Accurate Contact Details
Your contact details — phone number, address, website and email — are among the first things a customer looks for when they find your Google Business Profile. Inaccurate or outdated contact information not only loses you customers, it also harms your local SEO. Google uses your contact details as part of its trust and relevance signals, and inconsistencies across the web can suppress your rankings.
Phone Number
Enter your primary business phone number in local format (not a 0800 number where possible, as local phone numbers are preferred for local businesses). Your phone number should be the same on your website, social media profiles, business directories and Google Business Profile. This consistency is known as NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone) and is a significant local SEO factor.
Website URL
Add your main website URL. For most businesses, this should be the homepage. However, if you are a multi-location business, link to the specific location page on your website rather than the generic homepage. Ensure the URL works correctly — a broken website link signals to Google that your listing may be neglected or inaccurate.
Additional Contact Options
Google Business Profile supports additional contact features including: Messaging (customers can send you a direct message from your profile), Booking links (link to your online booking system), and Social media profiles. Enabling messaging and responding promptly to messages improves customer engagement and can contribute to positive ranking signals.
Consistency Across the Web
Your business Name, Address and Phone number must be identical across every online platform — your website, Facebook, Yelp, TrueLocal, Yellow Pages, and every other directory. Even minor variations like "St" vs "Street" or "(04) 555-1234" vs "04 555 1234" can create inconsistency signals that Google's algorithm notices. Conduct a regular audit of your NAP across the web.
Step-by-Step Practice
Log in to Google Business Profile and navigate to Contact information.
Verify your phone number is correct and matches your website and other directories exactly.
Add or confirm your website URL and click the link to ensure it loads correctly.
Search for your business name + phone number on Google to find any inconsistencies in other directories.
Enable messaging if you are able to respond to customers within a reasonable time frame.
Ian's practical tip: My phone number is accurate and consistent across my profile. My website URL is correct and the page loads properly. I understand what NAP consistency means and why it matters. I have checked for NAP inconsistencies across my key online directories.
Practical Activity
Complete and record this task
Do a quarterly NAP audit — search for your business name and phone number and check the top 10 results. If you find any directories with wrong information, claim those listings and correct the details. Consistent NAP across the web is a powerful and often overlooked ranking factor.