tab32 thanks Tyson Downs of Titan Web Agency for the insights in this post
Welcome to part 2 of a 9 part series entitled An Introduction to Marketing Your Dental Practice Online.
This blog post will be all about Google Business Profile.
Most of the people who look for a dentist do so by searching on Google, whether they do it to find local dentists or to read reviews before booking an appointment. For that reason, every dental practice needs to take advantage of Google Business Profile to ensure that prospective patients have the information they need.
Google Business Profile is an online profile designed to help businesses, including dental practices, to manage their online presence on Google, (search engine and Google Maps).
For reference, it was most recently called Google My Business.
When you complete your Google Business Profile, you are using this free Google listing to tell prospective patients about your practice, which services you offer, how to find you, and what your patients think of you (reviews). Google Business Profile is perhaps one of the most important components of local search and local SEO. You can have all your other components of marketing nailed, but if you aren’t handling this, then you are missing out, big time!
We have clients that are getting over 10k views per month to their Google Business Profile, and nearly 200 calls, along with 200+ website visits. The power of a fully optimized Google listing can’t be overstated!
There are four simple steps to follow to set up the Google Business Profile (GBP) for your dental practice and optimize it to ensure patients can find you.
To set up your Google Business Profile, you’ll need a Gmail account. If you’d like, you can use a personal Gmail account provided you are comfortable with having that email associated with your business. However, we recommend setting up a Google account and associating it with your domain email address. That way, in the future, if there is any issues with claiming it or ownership, it becomes infinitely easier.
Open your favorite browser and, if you’re logged into your Gmail/Google account be sure it is the Google account you want associated with your Google listing, if not, then sign out and sign back in with the correct account.. Then, go to Google’s Business website and click Sign In in the upper right-hand corner. You’ll be prompted to provide basic information about your business, including your business name, to set up your account.
After you create your account, the next step is to enter the name of your dental practice. Google may retrieve existing contact information they have and ask you to verify it.
You’ll be asked to provide and/or verify additional contact and business information, as follows:
When you enter your information, make sure to do it in the same format that you have used in other listing (if you’ve created other listings). If not, be sure it is the official USPS address.You can use the USPS zip code tool to get the correct address and formatting.
To make sure that all business information you have provided is accurate and that you are authorized to ‘claim’ the business, Google asks all business owners to verify their information using one of three methods. (There are other methods, but these 3 are the most common)
It’s essential to match your contact information exactly to what you provided when you set up your Google Business Profile. Failure to do so can delay your verification. Businesses that are eligible for phone or email verification get through the process more quickly than those that need to wait for a postcard, but you should have your code in a maximum of two weeks after creating your account.
The fourth step is to optimize your profile with details to clarify the services you provide and help prospective patients decide if your practice is right for them. According to Google, patients are 2.7 times more likely to think of your business as reputable if you have a completed a Google Business Profile, and 70% more likely to book an appointment.
To help you optimize your profile, here are some best practices to follow.
Following these best practices will ensure that your Google Business Profile gets across the message you want potential patients to see, gets the most visibility in the search engines, and helps convert visitors to patients.
Creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile is essential for every dental practice. An optimized profile with images and detailed information about your practice will ensure that prospective patients can find you and choose YOUR business over another. Increased traffic to your site means you’ll need efficient processes, so you don’t miss out on getting new patients booked for appointments. tab32 cloud based dental software offers an online appointment booking tool. Patients can request appointment times directly from your website. All your staff has to do is approve the request and the platform will send out a confirmation text to the patient. You can also choose to have appointments auto-book right onto your schedule without your staff’s involvement.
Appointment scheduling is one of the many things tab32 can help you with! Click here to learn about tab32’s Dental Practice Management software and get a free demo.
Tyson Downs, the owner of Titan Web Agency, has years of experience working with small businesses and helping them meet their revenue goals. Prior to starting Titan Web Agency, he freelanced in SEO and Web Design while working in the corporate world. Tyson is a graduate of Brigham Young University, the father of 5, and enjoys spending time with his family. Particularly on the baseball field.
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