Have you claimed your veterinary clinic’s Google My Business (GMB) listing yet? Google My Business is a useful tool for vets that provides helpful information about your clinic to potential patients. When you claim and optimize your listing, your clinic’s website becomes more visible to local pet owners.
The marketing experts at New Wine Digital are experienced in a variety of services that will help you improve the visibility of your website and attract new patients. Continue reading to learn more about the importance of Google My Business for veterinarians.
What Is a Google My Business Listing?
If you search for a business using Google Search, the box of information that appears to the right of the results is the GMB listing. A GMB listing also includes the information attached to a location pin when searching for a business using Google Maps.
Google typically will add a listing of your business automatically. However, it’s important to claim your listing so that you can edit your free GMB profile. Editing, updating, and optimizing your profile gives you control over the information Google provides about your vet clinic.
Three Benefits of Google My Business for Vets
1: Increases Traffic to Your Website
Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing helps Google better understand your vet clinic. When Google knows what value your business provides, it will be more likely to recommend it as a high-ranking search result. Because you can link your website to your GMB profile, pet owners can easily discover and access your website when searching for a local veterinarian.
However, driving traffic to your website is only helpful if your website holds a web user’s attention. A poorly optimized website can lead to a high bounce rate, meaning people exit your website quickly after visiting it. A comprehensive content marketing strategy optimizes your website, provides pet owners with valuable information, and reduces bounce rates. If your site can prove that your clinic is trustworthy, local pet owners are more likely to book an appointment.
2: Helps Your Vet Clinic Reach Local Patients
By optimizing your GMB profile with local search engine optimization (SEO), your website will be able to reach more local patients. Local SEO involves strategically using location-specific keywords that tell Google and potential patients where your vet clinic is located. When pet owners near you search for a clinic in their area, Google will be likely to display your business as a local Google Search or Google Maps result.
3: Allows Patients to Easily Book Appointments
Did you know that over half of all U.S. search engine visits happen on a mobile device? GMB listings are very mobile-friendly, making it easier for patients to get in touch with your business. You can also edit your Google My Business profile to include your vet clinic’s phone number and/or a button that allows patients to directly book an appointment. The more convenient it is to contact you, the more pet owners will want to choose your clinic for their pet’s needs.
How to Claim and Optimize Your Vet Clinic’s GMB Listing
Follow these six tips to expertly claim and optimize your free Google My Business listing.
- Claim Your Business: Enter the name of your vet clinic with the Google Business Profile Manager, then follow the prompts.
- Choose Descriptive Categories: Choose one to three categories that describe your business and services, like “emergency veterinarian service” or “animal hospital.”
- Add Relevant Information: Add or edit the name, address, phone number, hours, and website URL for your clinic. Make sure to update this information regularly.
- Optimize Your Description: Write a brief description of your business that includes relevant keywords like “San Diego vet clinic,” “Phoenix animal hospital,” etc.
- Upload High-Quality Photos of Your Clinic: Up-to-date photos show potential pet owners what to expect from your clinic.
- Encourage and Engage with Patient Reviews: Ask happy patients to leave a review on Google after an appointment. Make sure to quickly and politely respond to both positive and negative reviews.
Digital Marketing Services to Improve Your Google Ranking
Claiming and optimizing a Google My Business profile isn’t the only way vets can improve their Google ranking. With professional marketing services from New Wine Digital, you’ll see an increase in traffic to your website and better rankings in Google search results. We offer a variety of online marketing services for veterinary clinics to help attract new patients. Call 480-516-1819 today to discuss getting started.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (3/24/2022). Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash