When someone starts looking for a new dentist, they often turn to Google for help. If you want your dental practice to show up as a relevant Google Search or Google Maps result to your target audience, you need to have a well-optimized and maintained Google My Business listing.
As SEO and web design experts, we can’t stress the importance of an optimized Google My Business profile enough, especially for dentists. When you make it easy for people to find your dental practice, you can draw in more patients and increase your profitability in no time.
What Is Google My Business?
Google My Business (GMB) is a free, easy-to-use tool that helps you maximize your dental marketing efforts. Because it is a business tool, you only need to create and manage your GMB profile if you’re a dental practice owner.
A GMB profile is the box of information that Google displays alongside search results or attached to a pin on Google Maps. Google My Business helps dentists with dental practices become more visible to their local audience.
When you claim and optimize your GMB profile, your business has a better chance of showing up when users Google certain keywords like “dentist near me.” Your Google My Business profile also tells potential patients everything they need to know about your office, including its address, hours of operation, review ratings, and more.
The Importance of Claiming Your GMB Listing
Your dental practice likely already shows up on Google Maps and in search results if someone Googles your business by name. However, creating a Google My Business profile gives you control over the information Google provides and allows you to optimize your listing to rank higher in relevant search results.
For example, you can easily edit your phone number, holiday hours, and address as necessary so patients can efficiently contact your office. You can also help Google understand your business better by writing a brief description with relevant keywords, adding photos of your dental office, and choosing categories related to your industry. The more Google knows about your practice, the higher your dental office will rank in Google searches.
Five Google My Business Tips for Dentists
1. Create a GMB Profile
Claiming your Google My Business listing is free and simple. Follow these steps to create your profile:
-
- Go to the GMB profile manager and sign in with a Gmail account that is associated with your business.
- Enter the name of your dental practice. If your business does not show up, you will have to click “add your business to Google” and follow the instructions.
- Choose the category that best describes your business, like “dentist,” “cosmetic dentist,” “dental clinic,” etc.
- Follow the remaining prompts to provide your office’s address, phone number, and URL.
- Double-check that all of the information you provided is accurate.
- Verify your listing by phone or mail.
2. Keep It Up-to-Date
The information on your Google My Business profile should be consistent with the information on your website. If your practice moves to a new location, make sure to update the listing with your new address and photos of your new office. Keeping your information consistent and up-to-date makes your dental practice more trustworthy to Google, which helps boost your search ranking results.
3. Choose Relevant Categories
You can choose up to 10 categories for your GMB profile, but you won’t need nearly that many to optimize your listing. Just pick one to three categories that reflect your practice and specializations, like “pediatric dentist” or “orthodontist.” Choosing the right categories will help Google recognize your practice as a relevant result when users search for those keywords.
4. Add High-Quality Photos
High-quality images on your GMB profile make your dental practice more appealing to potential patients. Many patients are anxious about going to the dentist, and knowing exactly what to expect can help calm their fears. Make sure to include images of your welcoming waiting room and smiling staff.
5. Engage with Reviewers
Another essential feature of your Google My Business profile is the reviews section. Encourage your patients to leave a review of their experience by sending a follow-up email after a dental appointment. Make sure to respond to both positive and negative reviews to show patients that their feedback is appreciated and heard. This engagement also helps your business rise in Google search results.
Improve Your Google Ranking with Professional Digital Marketing
Claiming a Google My Business profile is an essential way for dentists to improve search rankings. But, it’s certainly not the only way. The team of digital marketing experts at New Wine Digital can help increase traffic to your website through high-quality web design, content marketing, and other digital marketing services to make your dental practice more visible to local patients. Give us a call at 480-516-1819 today to start developing your SEO marketing strategy. We can’t wait to work with you!
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (2/23/2022). Photo by PhotoMIX Company from Pexels