When people are searching on Google for a specific type of business in their area, whether it be a coffee shop or a healthcare provider, it can be helpful to get quick snapshots of their options. That’s essentially what a Google Business Profile allows you to provide.
A Google Business Profile, previously referred to as Google My Business, is how your business, such as a medical practice, is listed and managed on the search engine. It not only helps patients to learn about your practice, but it also increases your visibility, engagement and credibility as a healthcare provider.
With the right Google Business Profile, or GBP, optimization tips, you can increase your site’s traffic and patient acquisition.
Key adjustments to maximize your GBP listing
The importance of optimizing your Google Business Profile shouldn’t be underestimated. Along with boosting your visibility on Google searches and Maps, it can also help your local SEO performance. It showcases your relevance and authority to the search engine, making the algorithm more likely to list you high on search engine results pages for local patients.
Here are five Google Business Profile adjustments that can help bring you more patients:
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Complete your Google Business Profile
According to Google, approximately 70% of customers are more likely to visit businesses with a complete profile. If there are gaps in the available information, your practice can look less credible. After you claim and verify your profile, the listing should feature:
- Services/treatments available
- High-quality internal and external photos
- Business hours
- Phone number
- Attributes, such as appointments or masks required
Be sure to keep the profile as updated as possible to keep a sense of trust with potential patients.
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Optimize your business description
Potential patients want to have a solid understanding about who you are and how you can help them before they decide to book an appointment with you. Your business description on your Google Business Profile is the first impression that you provide to a person looking for help on their health journey. It can also boost your local SEO by providing the algorithm with a thorough understanding of your relevance and value to a potential patient.
Create an engaging business description that includes targeted keywords relevant to your demographics. For example, if you’re a physical therapist, your description may include treatment for chronic pain for an improved quality of life. You can also gain a competitive edge by mentioning your specialized treatments.
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Encourage and manage patient reviews
Reviews can play a role in the reputation of all businesses, especially healthcare brands. Potential patients want to hear about the opinions of current or past patients because they can relate to them. By hearing about the experiences of people just like them, they’re able to get a real-world perspective of your treatment beyond your marketing and website.
Try to encourage your patients to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile. Mention it at the end of each appointment and say how their review can help other people get the care they need. You should also respond to each review to break down the barrier between provider and patient to boost a sense of trust and show your priority for patient experience.
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Utilize GBP posts to engage patients
Engagement and conversions can stem from keeping your patients updated on what’s new with your practice. By keeping them up to date, you’re strengthening the provider-patient relationship while also improving your SEO performance through relevancy. GBP allows you to create posts to relay information to users, such as exciting changes in your practice and upcoming events.
You can create Google Business Profile posts for a variety of instances, including:
- Community events that you’re participating in
- Changes in business hours
- New treatments being offered
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Set up messaging for immediate patient queries
When someone is trying to seek healthcare, it can be extremely frustrating for them to wait on information from the provider before they can continue on with their patient journey. That’s why it can be helpful to enable the messaging feature on your practice’s Google Business Profile.
By giving potential patients a place to send their queries for quick responses, you’re speeding up the conversion process while boosting your engagement. Queries can be about anything from insurance coverage to conditions you treat.
BURG+CO. can transform your GBP listing into a patient magnet with Google Business Profile optimization
People can’t use your healthcare services if they can’t find you in the first place. By optimizing your Google Business Profile, you’re increasing the visibility and traffic for your listing for lead generation. At BURG+CO., we provide GBP management services to help polish up your listing and get the results you’re looking for.
Our team has years of experience in helping healthcare brands improve their digital presence to attract new patients and retain existing ones. If you’re looking to perform better in search engine results and attract more potential patients to your site, we’re ready to talk to you to see how we can help.
Contact our team today for more information about digital marketing or to schedule a complimentary consultation.
