6 Easy Ways to Optimize Your Dental Practice Google My Business Listing
Running a dental practice or multiple practices is no easy feat! Marketing might not be the first thing on your mind as a dental professional, but for continuous patient growth, having the right information online about your practice is essential.
Given the importance of the internet and specifically local Google searches (92 percent of all search engine traffic goes through Google), a free and simple marketing tool you need to know about is Google My Business. We’ve broken it down for you below so you can optimize your Google My Business listing and get the most out of this rich tool.
First, some basics:
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a free tool for businesses to manage their online presence on Google search.
Why do I need to use Google My Business for my dental practice?
Your Google listing is usually the first thing people see when searching for your business so it’s important to maximize your practice’s profile by having up-to-date information and content that make your dental practice outshine the competition.
The more you update your listing, the better it is for SEO. Since the number 1 organic result is 10 times more likely to receive a click compared to a page in number 10 spot, it’s important to rank higher up in the local search as it could make the difference between a prospective patient clicking on your website for more information instead of choosing another practice.
How do I get a Google My Business page?
Add or claim your business — here are the steps to do this. It’s totally free to do so!
Now you are set up, here are 6 steps to optimize your business listing:
1. Input all your dental practice information — the more accurate information you have on your dental practice listing the better. Ensure all the contact information is correct and spellings are exactly as listed on your website so it doesn’t negatively impact your search results. If details like office hours change, make sure to update them.
2. Ensure the business categories you select are the most relevant to the dentistry you offer — it can be enticing to throw the net wide when picking your business category, but it’s actually optimal to pick the most only the most relevant otherwise it can actually negatively impact your SEO. For example, you might think “Dental Supplies” is a vaguely relevant category however, unless you sell dental supplies it’s not actually relevant at all.
3. Add high quality images of your team, location and office — anyone can add photos to your listing so the quality can vary. So it’s important to invest in professional photos so that you can control how your brand looks online. Don’t add all your photos at once though. Add new photos or video every week to signal to Google that your page is being updated frequently which helps boost your listing.
4. Make a good listing a great listing by engaging with your patients —
Respond to patient reviews — respond to all patient reviews whether positive or negative. It’s good for SEO to have more reviews and also positive reviews are a great way to convert potential patients to actual patients. Get more reviews by asking your patients in person or via email by sending a link.
Answer patient questions — even if people don’t ask questions on the Q&A feature, you can think about what questions patients may have and do the Q&A yourself.
Increase your availability with messaging — turn on the messaging capability so your patients can message you (note you have to use the Google My Business app) and make sure to respond as soon as possible. A prompt response could result in someone converting instead of finding an alternative practice.
5. Share posts and promotions — use Google’s platform to share your dental practice’s latest promotions/offers, news or events. Again, the more frequently you update your posts, the more it signals positively to Google to boost your listing as it shows your business is active.
6. Share you Covid-19 updates — Google have made it easier for businesses to share their Covid-19 protocols and updates. This is particularly important for dentists so people feel safe visiting your practice.
Google Insights
Data is key in understanding how your business is doing — Google My Business has its own Insights to show valuable information about your dental listing including the number of interactions with your listing, where the traffic comes from, and what actions customers take from your listing. This data can provide important insights for your marketing plan.
If this still felt overwhelming, don’t worry, Denteo Marketing Group is here to help you navigate all your dental marketing needs including Google My Business optimization, SEO, website development, dental practice photography and much more. Drop us an email at info@denteomg.com if you have any questions about Google My Business or if you’d like a free dental marketing consultation to discuss your practice’s dental marketing strategy.
