It will likely come as no surprise that Google is the world’s most frequently visited website. Holding more than 92 percent of search engine market share, Google tipped Ask Jeeves out of his short-lived stint in the early aughts and has reigned supreme ever since.
Oftentimes, people will turn to Google more often than they would to their closest friends. They’ll ask the platform everything from what they should eat for breakfast to which medical clinic to visit.
Google is the first touchpoint for many. If you don’t have a Google presence, you’re not on the map (literally, from the perspective that your business information won’t even appear on Google Maps!). Of course, you can use keyword-based SEO for medical practices to bring your website to Google’s top results page, but that is another discussion. Today, we’re going to talk about your Google My Business (GMB) listing and how important it is to keep it current.
Why is a GMB listing so important?
A Google presence is on par with business visibility, and GMB listings equip you with the tools to manage how you appear on the platform. With a GMB listing, you can edit how your business information appears on a Google search, as well as open a dialogue with your patients. For example, patients can ask questions and post reviews, and you can respond to each one. By facilitating an interactive space, you can boost your organic traffic, click-through rates, and more.
Overall, a GMB listing allows patients (both current and prospective) to view your key information at a glance—for example, your contact details or directions to your practice—without having to navigate through your website. It streamlines the user experience in a way that people respond to. And with convenience and easy user accessibility on your side, people will be more likely to choose your practice!
Why is it important to keep GMB listings up to date?
If the business information on your GMB listing is inaccurate or outdated, this is unprofessional and reflects poorly on your business. Let’s say, for example, that your business hours state 9am–9pm, you’ve recently altered your closing time to 8:30pm, and a prospective customer calls at 8:45pm. If they’re greeted with a voicemail message (or, worse, nothing at all), they may be put out and reluctant to call again.
At a minimum, ensure to keep your business information up to date. This includes altered operating hours on public holidays or similar. To leverage your GMB listing, you should take advantage of Google Posts. Not unlike social media updates, Google Posts keep users up to date on business updates, new technologies, or new website content. Your posts can include up to 300 words, a single graphic, and a hyperlinked call to action, and they will appear in search engine results as well as in Google Maps.
If prospective patients can see that your GMB listing is active, this tells them that your business information is likely accurate and trustworthy. It also clues them in that you care for your online presence and wish to provide an easy experience for patients new and old.
How can I keep my GMB listing up to date?
We’ve discussed the why and supported it with some examples. Let’s dig into the how with specific instructions. For the benefit of those just starting out, we’ll start from scratch.
Step 1: Log in or sign up
Almost anyone who’s ever used the Internet will be familiar with this phrase. However, it is the first step to creating or modifying your GMB listing. To get started, log in using your regular details or create a new Google account.
Step 2: Add your practice
Type your practice’s name into the drop-down menu. If it doesn’t appear, click Add your business to Google and select the category that matches your business.
Step 3: Specify your location
When Google asks if you have a brick-and-mortar location, select Yes and add your practice’s address. If asked to mark your location on a map, do so. You want to provide as much information as possible so that patients can locate your practice with ease.
Step 4: Fill out your contact information
Enter your practice’s website and phone number. Should either of these ever change, ensure to log in and update them as soon as possible.
Step 5: Verify your practice
Enter a brick-and-mortar mailing address to verify your business. Google will not share this information with the public. From there, you will receive a postcard by mail. Once you receive a five-digit code, type it into the corresponding field and hit Verify business or just plain Verify.
Resist all temptation to skip this step. If you’ve verified your location, your practice will be more likely to appear in local search results or on Google Maps. It will also have a better score in terms of distance ranking.
Step 6: Personalise your profile
Here’s where we begin to dig into specifics. Enter your operating hours (pun not intended), the preferred method of patient-practice communication, a business description, and photos of and around your practice. In the long run, completing your profile takes little effort and brings strong results. Complete your profile and prospective patients will be 2.7 times more likely to find your practice reputable—and 70 percent more likely to show up at your location.
Moreover, completed profiles boost visibility. Listing the bottom line—i.e. what you do, where you are, and when patients can visit—means you’ll be more likely to appear in relevant searches.
Once you’ve completed this section (which you can return to later), hit Continue to bring yourself to the Business Profile Manager dashboard. This is where you can edit your profile information, see your insights, manage messages and reviews, and make Google ads.
Step 7: Further optimize your profile
We’ve covered a few ways to optimize your profile, but see below for some more specific examples:
Upload images and videos of your practice
Including images and videos of your practice will make your practice feel ‘three-dimensional’ rather than like words on a webpage. When uploading images or videos, choose wisely. You want these visuals to capture your clinic’s values, atmosphere, location, and key team members. Businesses with visuals receive higher click-through rates and more requests for physical directions.
Use keywords to your advantage
Perhaps the oldest trick in the (medical) SEO handbook, using trending keywords can help bring your website to the top results pages that correspond with many Google search terms. Having said that, the rules of digital marketing for medical practices—or for any businesses—state that you should include these only when they’re an organic fit. Use them too often—or use keywords irrelevant to your practice—and this can affect your search ranking.
Request, review, and respond to reviews
You can’t turn off reviews—and this wouldn’t be a good idea, anyway. The more reviews you have, the more legitimate your practice appears to be. Following a positive exchange, you should ask your patients to post a Google review—you can even click the Share review form from your GMB dashboard, sending it to the patient in question.
Once you receive a review—be it positive or negative—you should respond in your brand’s tone of voice. When businesses acknowledge their reviews, the public perceives them to be 1.7 times more trustworthy than businesses that do not provide responses.
If you find a review that is inappropriate or untrue, you are within your right to report it.
Final thoughts
If you need further assistance navigating the ins and outs of GMB, we’re here to help. VIS Health is a medical marketing agency filled with medical marketing experts who can help you get the most out of your GMB listing. Because we are a healthcare SEO agency, we know what you can and cannot say thanks to our meticulous adherence to the AHPRA advertising guidelines. If you want some advice from the medical marketing experts, please don’t hesitate to get in touch so we can put your practice on the (Google) map! Here’s to driving more bookings and patients with a few simple tweaks.
