It is every medical practitioner’s dream to fully tap into the pool of online opportunities offered by today’s digital landscape. While customers are increasingly searching for products and services online, unveiling the potential of the online world is still a challenge as competition is fiercer than ever before.
For the medical industry, this challenge is even more intense. Almost 77 percent of patients did an online search before making an appointment, indicating that medical practitioners who ignore the importance of online presence and search engine optimization (SEO) are at a disadvantage. If you are looking to increase the chances of your practice being found online, then it is worth focusing your efforts on creating quality business listings.
Although there are many options for getting your practice listed, Google My Business is one of the top influencers. A Google My Business page helps you get your medical practice added in the local pack, which is the first section of the search engine results pages that users see after paid advertisements. Creating a Google My Business page for your medical practice will have a direct impact on improving your local search rankings.
As with other online listings, the information on your Google My Business page should be consistent and up-to-date. You must pay attention to the structure of your Google My Business page. Here are some examples worth considering:
Single location and sole practitioner: If you are the only medical practitioner in your area, it is advisable to create a single Google My Business that is dedicated both to you and your practice. Through this single page, users searching for your name will find your practice information, and users searching for your practice name will get you as the primary contact.
Unique location and many practitioners: This is a typical scenario where many practitioners work in a group medical practice or a hospital. In this case, the practice should create a separate local page with a verified address, contact details and other relevant information. Individual practitioners working at this location should create individual pages that contain their contact information. However, it is important to note that the business name belongs to the practitioner and should not include the group practice or hospital’s name.
Multiple locations and many practitioners: You must be very cautious if your practice is constantly changing locations or practitioners. In such cases, setting up a Google My Business page can be a challenging task. Before you create a Google My Business page, you must consider if each practitioner has his or her separate page. You should also think about the listed address as it is not uncommon for practitioners to leave practices and move to other hospitals. You must read and follow Google’s guidelines on managing your Google My Business page in this situation.
How can Google My Business help your medical practice?
A Google My Business page will make it easy for potential patients to find your practice. Google is one of the most popular search engines, owning more than 80 percent of the total search volume globally.
Google has recently introduced many changes in the way it displays search results for patients looking for health-related information. It prefers medical practitioners who are located closest to the searcher’s location. In order to determine a healthcare provider’s proximity to a searcher, Google relies on the Google My Business profile for the healthcare provider. This means, if a patient types “Arizona dentist” into Google and you have a verified Google My Business profile, your practice has an opportunity to appear as one of the top listings. Having a validated Google My Business page is essential to the success of your online marketing efforts. More than 60 percent of potential patients are likely to click on your profile if you show up in Google’s local search results. Eventually, your Google My Business profile page may turn out to be the biggest contributor in your online ranking.
Some useful tips
To maximize benefits from your Google My Business page, here are a few best practices to keep in mind:
Claim your business listing: If you have not already done so, claim your business listing and make sure all the information is accurate and consistent across all listings. It will give your practice more online exposure so more potential patients can find you.
Regularly review Google Insights: You can learn a lot about the performance of your medical practice from these analytics. They are split into three sections: visibility, engagement and audience. You can see how potential patients are finding your practice, how frequently your information is being viewed and how often visitors go to your practice website from their Google search. You can even see the number of followers you have as well as a breakdown of their demographics.
Add high-quality photos: Pictures and images are one of the best ways to attract people. Therefore, you must try to upload compelling and relevant images on your profile. You can post high-quality pictures of your staff, patients, products, community events and a before-and-after photo gallery showcasing your popular services.
Respond to customer reviews: Reviews are one of the most powerful ways to boost your online presence. For better results, you must regularly monitor and respond to customer reviews on your Google My Business page.
One of the most effective ways to ensure you are on top of all online marketing efforts is by hiring a professional reputation management agency for your medical practice. MyPracticeReputation can help you establish your online presence, promote your medical practice and grow more revenue.