The Complete Address Validation Cycle

What is Address Validation? Address validation involves a process that compares a formatted address against a database of valid addresses. The database includes addresses that actually exist, while those that don't are 'illegitimate'. If an address is incorrect, it is impossible to change it, because the information provided is not accurate. In this article, we'll take a look at the Complete Address Validation Cycle.

In the Complete Address Validation Cycle, addresses are verified on three different levels: cleansing, supplementation, and standardization. The cleansing stage involves fixing typos, and supplementation eliminates duplicate records. Transliteration is used to ensure that address data is accurate, and can even be used for geocoding. Address validation ensures that addresses are correct, while the standardization process checks for the presence of information. Each step in the validation process involves a certain degree of accuracy.

The Complete Address Validation Cycle can save a business money by improving the quality of its data. When you have accurate data, your delivery rates will increase, and your customer interactions will improve. Not only does address validation improve customer experiences, it improves back-office processes. For example, address validation will help you identify optimal locations for your retail store, and will improve customer service. Another example is identifying broadband service availability.

How is address validation done? Address verification is an ongoing process. New addresses are added to the national database each week, and address data changes as buildings change use. The data is then separated by household number and mis-spellings. The standardized addresses are then matched against each other to find duplicates. The whole process may take several days, but it's worth it to increase the accuracy of your data.