No matter which industry you are from, if you are trying to build an online presence and attract new clients online then Google is the place to be.
Why is it important to optimize Google My Business?
Almost every 1 in 20 searches on Google is health-related. So if you want to attract new patients, then establishing a presence on Google is extremely crucial. To make it more clear – your patient pool becomes the same as the 3.5 billion searches that appear on Google each day.
In order to show up in local search results and rank higher, optimizing the Google My Business listing for your healthcare practice is step one. Once your Google My Business page is optimized, it can drastically increase your visits and website.
Having an ineffective Google business listing is a bad sign and could steer away potential patients. This could end up being a deal breaker, making them opt for other local medical providers and practices.
What is Google My Business for doctors?
This is a tool that can help drive awareness about your healthcare practice in your local area. When you search for something online, Google throws up some quick information about your practice, including an address, phone number, and business hours. This is what a Google My Business page is and it is extremely important to take ownership of it. If you don’t have a Google My Business profile, it can raise some doubt amongst potential patients and affect your online reputation. This profile also showcases reviews left behind, which are crucial for potential patients. Having a solid online presence on Google helps you keep up with patient satisfaction.
Importance of Google My Business
Google My Business Profile helps local healthcare practices create an online presence by showcasing who they are and what they do. The more details Google has about your practice, the better your chances of being matched with a potential patient in your area are. Google uses this information to connect the right healthcare practice to the right patient when it comes to types of services and the specific healthcare-related questions they are seeking answers for.
To help you tackle Google My Business, here’s a quick guide by North Rose Healthcare to help you set up.
Step 1: Go to google.com/business and select “Manage now”.
Step 2: Keep these 4 points in mind as you progress through
- Stay consistent.
- Go into details.
- Mention who you are and what makes your practice different.
- Convey the experience of your practice online.
Step 3: Head to “Find and manage your business” where you can enter your practice name.
Step 4: This is followed by “Choose the category that fits your business best.” In this step, you have to select your primary business category and your specialty. The more specific you are, the better.
Step 5: When “Add your services” pops onto the screen, select the services that you offer at your practice, especially those unique to you. About five to seven services is a good average to have, although this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list.
Step 6: Here’s where you add your address which will show up on Google Maps when a patient is looking for your practice.
Step 7: Next comes the “Do you also serve customers outside this location?” slide. In this, you can choose if to make house calls.
Step 8: The last step is your contact details. Think of this as a mandatory section in order to maximize every possible connection point for patients to reach you.
And voila! You are done.
