Friction Index · citable explainer
Name, address, and phone conflicts are one of the highest-cost sources of answer-engine friction for local and multi-location businesses.
Answer engines prefer consensus. When public sources disagree, confidence drops and citations become cautious or wrong.
Does one wrong directory listing matter?
Yes when retrieval systems sample conflicting sources and cannot choose a canonical version.
What is the fix order?
Pick a canonical NAP, update owned properties first, then high-authority public surfaces.