Why Optimizing Your Google My Business is a Must for Patient Acquistion? A Guide for Doctors

In the Current Digital Era, Google My Business is essential for doctors to bring in new patients. Google My Business Optimization is the technique of making a business more visible online and connecting with potential patients who are searching for its services.

You must prioritize your efforts on ranking your practice and maintaining your Google Business Profile, as there are 4.3 billion Google users globally.

Make the best impression you can when people search for your practice on Google. Find out how to make the most of your Google Business Profile listing.

What is Google Business Profile?

Google My Business is a free Google tool that helps businesses manage their online presence on Google Maps and Google Search. You must verify your business and profile information to give patients the most accurate information about your healthcare practice.

Optimizing a GMB profile is essential for healthcare providers since it improves local SEO and increases the visibility of your business to individuals looking for healthcare services in your area.

It’s an excellent tool that could increase your patient base, thus boosting your income.

Why Do you Need a Strong Google My Business profile?

Having a Google Business Profile might help spread the word about your practice locally. Internet searchers can readily access quick details about your practice, including your address, phone number, and business hours.

Google has made numerous adjustments to the way it presents search results for individuals seeking information on illnesses, injuries, and therapies throughout time, favoring medical professionals who are closest to the searcher’s actual location.

In the past few years, patients have increased their use of “NEAR ME” searches by 200%. They increasingly look for medical practices using terms like “best dental clinic near me” or “IVF specialist near me.”

Source: invoca.com

Why Do Doctors Struggle to Attract Potential Patients?

Even with modern facilities, knowledgeable staff, and specialized care, doctors and hospitals frequently struggle to draw patients for advanced treatments. A few severe issues are part of this. Patients might not even be aware of your practice if local searches don’t turn up results.

• Low online visibility: It is difficult for patients to find your practice.
• Lack of faith: Poor reviews or incomplete information 
• Poor first impression: The GMB profile needs more details and photographs.
• Inadequate patient involvement: Poor relationship with prospective patients.
• Outdated profile: Service descriptions that are unclear or incomplete.
• Low ratings: Patient confidence is impacted by unfavorable evaluations. 

By improving your GMB profile, you can more readily connect with patients, gain their trust, and become more accessible to find.

It’s not sufficient to just have a landing page that is optimized with the correct address, phone number, and business hours. To get consumers’ attention, you need to offer more value through healthcare features, frequently asked questions, and open, encouraging feedback.

The following statistical data gives a brief overview of people visiting your website through your Google My Business profile, highlighting trends in user engagement and the potential for increased patient inquiries.

Source: Birdeye

How to Optimize Google My Business Profile for High Patient Acquistion?

The following tips will help you make the most of your Google My Business listing to attract more patients:

Claim Your Business:

You must first claim and validate your practice in order to optimise your Google My Business (GMB) profile. If it’s already listed, enter a verification code that Google issued you via postcard to verify ownership. By doing this step, you can be confident Google will acknowledge you as the legitimate owner.

Log in to the GMB website, look up your practice, and then follow the instructions to claim your business. If your company name, address, and phone number don’t show up, enter them manually to add them.

Use Consistent NAP Information:

It is essential to keep your company’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) the same on your website, Google My Business page, and other online channels. Google keeps track of these citations, and irregularities could affect your search engine rankings. 

Always use a physical address and list local phone numbers wherever you can to increase your website’s visibility in local searches.

Choose the Right Categories:

As a healthcare professional, you can help your business appear  in relevant patient queries by choosing the appropriate Google categories, such as “pediatric clinic” or “physiotherapy centre.” Avoid using the same category twice, such as “dental clinic” and “dental clinics,” and select up to five categories, combining general and specific ones.

 To avoid Google penalties, for instance, use “paediatrician” rather than “child vaccinations” and concentrate on company types rather than services. 

Make Use of Keywords for Premium Procedures:

In your GMB articles and descriptions, you should use keywords related to high-value services like dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, and teeth whitening. Instead of searching for general dental services, some people frequently look for particular treatments, so update the content to suit their needs.

Use a Consistent Website URL:

Verify that the URL you enter is for your actual website and not a landing page or social media account. Maintaining consistency is essential since Google can view your company as less reliable if different URLs show up in different web sources. 

As important as it is to keep your NAP information consistent is to have a consistent URL.

Write an Impactful Business Description:

You have the chance to highlight your practice and the distinctive services you provide in your business description. Be brief, engaging, and educational. To improve local SEO, use relevant keywords organically; stay away from keyword stuffing for better readability.

Complete Your Profile with Detailed Information:

The more thorough your medical practice’s information is, the more likely it is to show up in related local searches. Make sure that all details, including descriptions, contact data, and services, are correct and updated.

To keep patients informed, Google lets you modify company hours for holidays or special occasions.

Highlight Key Services in Your GMB Profile:

List your most valuable treatments, like Invisalign, veneers, or smile makeovers, directly on your Google My Business profile. This helps potential patients find essential information quickly and boosts your visibility in relevant searches, improving your search rankings.

Add Photos and Videos:

Videos and images of the highest quality can significantly improve your GMB profile. Visual information can help potential patients better understand your practice’s mood and the standard of service you offer.

Add pictures of your office’s front and interior, your employees, and any special equipment or features.

Highlighting Patient Reviews:

When choosing a physician, 84% of patients start by reading online evaluations, highlighting the significance of an online reputation.

 Encourage reviews from patients with significant operations to build credibility. Furthermore, respond to every review on your site, whether positive or negative, with appropriate explanations.

Source: Sixthcitymarketing

How To Add Your Medical Practice To Google’s Business Listing?

• Step 1: Go to the page with the business profile.
• Step 2: Select “Manage now.”
• Step 3: Do a name-based search for your practice.
• Step 4:Enter your healthcare practice manually if you are unable to locate it.
• Step 5: Add the name of your practice and choose the company type from the dropdown menu to begin accumulating your GBP
• Step 6: Include your physical address. Make sure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are the same on all websites and directory listings.
• Step 7: Choose the correct category that represents your practice.
• Step 8: If Google has generated a profile for you, you might need to confirm it. Choose your profile if it’s accurate.
• Step 9: Use the map’s zoom and drag features to pinpoint your precise location.
• Step 10: Incorporate your website and contact details into your GBP.
• Step 11: Confirm your company. This can be done by video, text, email, or phone call. In certain situations, depending on your company’s category, public data, and support hours, many verification techniques might be required.

Additional Steps include:

• Step 12: Insert your business hours. Once verified, you can make changes at any time.
• Step 13: Determine if you want to accept direct messages from your GBP account.
• Step 14: To educate patients about your offerings, include a description of your practice.
• Step 15: Provide clear, high-quality pictures of your office, waiting area, and exam rooms to establish trust with potential patients.

In addition to the photos and videos of your practice, you can also regularly update GMB users about your treatment through blog posts and other means.

Benefits of Google My Business:

• Patients find you more easily when you rank higher in local searches, particularly for specific treatment options.
• Patients are more likely to choose your clinic for high-end services when you have a well-maintained profile with reviews and before-and-after pictures.  
• Accurate information and a simple appointment scheduling procedure provide for a smooth experience that matches the high-quality treatment patients can expect.  
• Google My Business is a valuable feature that Google provides for free. Adding your company to your Google account is the first step, and it is an essential tool for healthcare marketing.
• A Google My Business profile is an effective way to communicate with and inform clients. Sharing promotions, pictures, and updates increases interaction, patient retention, and loyalty.

Wrapping Up:

When used effectively, Google My Business is a very beneficial resource for your practice. Complete your GBP, optimize it, and refresh it frequently to increase your visibility and maintain patient engagement. Contact us today, one of the leading healthcare marketing agencies, to learn more about Google My Business.