Consumer behavior shaped by mobile technology can have a “tunnel vision” effect on users. With this phenomenon, a business that does not appear in search results, does not exist to a consumer.
Imagine a patron who has passed by a business dozens of times but will instead choose a similar business they found on Google Maps. To prevent your medical practice from getting lost in the tunnel vision effect, this article will give a complete answer to, “How to get my business on Google Maps?”
Starting With the Basics: Getting Your Medical Practice Listed on Google Maps
Compared to the online version of the classic Yellow Pages, Google Business Profiles (formerly known as Google My Business), Google is more “hands off” with digital directory management. In other words, the responsibility falls on the local business owners to claim, optimize, and improve the visibility of their business profiles on Google.
Because Google Business Profiles (GBP) are free to claim and manage, there is not a financial barrier compared to other forms of local digital reach. Learning how to get your business on Google Maps begins by setting up a GBP that integrates with Google Maps. Here are the steps to set up your GBP:
1: Check for Existing Profiles
There’s a chance that a profile may already exist for your medical practice. As duplicate profiles are prone to be flagged for suspension, business owners will need to claim any existing profiles instead of generating new ones. Simply search for your business on Google and choose “Own this business?” or “Claim this business” to get started with the claim process.
2: Set Up a New Profile
If no profiles exist, you are free to create a new profile. Log into the Google Business Profile platform using a Google account. Fill in your practice’s details, including its name, specific type, and location.
3: Provide Accurate Information
Consumers have come to rely on the accuracy of the Google Business Profile directory and the GBP owners have a major role in maintaining these standards. Each aspect of your business information must be correct and current to meet Google’s quality standards including:
A. Name of the medical practice: Businesses should use a public-facing name versus how the business is registered as legally.
B. Phone number: The phone number should match exactly the number on the business website. One main phone number will need to be chosen as the contact number to avoid confusing Google’s algorithms.
C. Address: For GBP business information, address details are very important. Formatting conventions, matching suite numbers, etc. must be consistent with other business information online, especially the business’s website.
D. Website domain address: Including website URLs make GBPs more interactive and provide patients who are actively seeking services a way to further engage with providers.
E. Email address: GBPs give the public multiple ways to contact local businesses, and by including an email address, potential patients can tap it to begin drafting an email to a medical practice.
F. Business type: There are thousands of business categories to choose from when setting up a GBP, and this selection covers many medical specialties. To improve the chances of appearing for a specific target audience, it is best to take some time to ensure that the most appropriate business type is chosen for your healthcare Google Business Profile.
4: Verification Process
To maintain the reliability and integrity of the GBP directory, Google has a verification process in place. This prevents fraudulent or fictitious profiles from being created. Businesses can verify GBPs through a phone call, an email, “snail mail” or sometimes a video. In the verification process, business owners will be prompted to provide supporting documentation about the legitimacy of the business.
Those who manage more than 10 profiles would opt for bulk verification. The verification process can take as little as 14 days (about two weeks), but the more responsive business owners are to Google during this process, the sooner they can finalize ownership of the listing.
5: Optimize Your Profile
Optimizing a GBP impacts local search visibility and encourages more engagement from potential patients. Naturally, a patient is more likely to interact with a well-maintained profile versus a detailed description of services offered, high-quality facility photos for a virtual tour, accurate operating hours, and highlighting unique features.
6: Continued GBP Maintenance Including Curating More Reviews:
Make updates as soon as changes happen. For example, your clinic moves to a temporary reduction of operating hours under special circumstances. Encourage patients to leave a Google review through signs, text messages, emails, and verbal communications. This helps your GPB rank better in local search results.
The Importance of Optimizing Your Google Business Profile
Getting a business on Google Maps also involves optimization. While Google Business Profiles (GBPs) seamlessly integrate by location and relevance into Google Maps, competing for top placement and outshining the other options depends on how Google perceives the quality of that business, an optimized profile being one of the key factors.
Google is designed to feature the “best” and “most relevant” businesses first, and profiles that are optimized are perceived to be higher quality. An optimized medical practice GBP can also boost your overall search visibility including organic search known as search engine optimization (SEO). Most importantly, optimized profiles encourage engagement and can help a medical practice outshine the local competition.
Understanding The Relationship Between Google Maps and Google Business Profile
When a business updates its profile with descriptive details such as address, hours, and services, this information transfers to the interactive Google Maps, making it easier for potential customers to find and engage with the business. Again, how to get your business on Google Maps centers around complete and accurate listings.
Google’s business directory works in tandem with Google Maps to help users easily browse their local options. This seamless integration provides up-to-date and relevant information, fostering trust and increasing conversions (new patient acquisition).
How Google Maps Displays Business Profiles
When someone searches for medical services in their area, Google Maps highlights the top three relevant Google Business Profile listings, referred to as the “local pack.” These prime listings appear at the top of the search results and feature essential information from the Business Profiles, including reviews, photos, and recent updates.
Having an optimized profile contributes to the success of ranking well in Google’s local search and Google Maps, maybe even securing one of the coveted local pack slots. Gaining this placement gives a local healthcare business the competitive advantage in attracting new patients and building brand awareness.
Summary: How to Get My Business on Google Maps
With Google processing so many searches for local healthcare services, medical practices are asking, “How to get my business on Google Maps?” How visible a local healthcare provider is on Google Maps depends on how well the Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is optimized and maintained.
To work toward maximum visibility in local search, business managers should:
Claim and verify the Google Business Profile: To appear on Google Maps, there must be a GBP to link to. Set up your GBP(s) by:
- Checking to see if any profiles are already created: An existing profile must be claimed or a new one created, and not both as creating duplicate profiles is discouraged.
- Verify a claimed or new listing: The claiming process will be completed by verification steps to help confirm the legitimacy of your business.
Optimize your profile: As GBPs are seamlessly integrated into Google Maps, each much be optimized to function well in the Google Maps environment. This includes:
- Complete and accurate business information: Name, Address, Phone number (NAP), website, current hours of operation, parking information, details about services, are all part of a complete GBP. The more complete the information, the better the experience for potential patients.
- Gallery of optimized photos: Photos should be properly sized and present the brand in a professional and attractive way. This includes high quality graphics, photos that show your facilities, friendly faces of staff, and ones that do not contain any faces or information about patients.
- Accurate classification: There are hundreds of business types to choose from, so spend some time going through all possible matches to choose the one that fits best.
Build up your ratings and reviews: One thing you may notice when you see the “local pack” in Google search results is that those businesses tend to have a high star rating and featured reviews. Business owners tend to have a passive approach to online reviews, depending on the whims of consumers, but there are ways to be proactive to build up a star rating:
- Automated requests: In addition to sending out patient surveys, providers can also ask patients to write and post a Google review about the practice.
- Patient feedback wall: While being careful not to divulge any personal information about a patient, medical practice managers can print copies of cards, letters, electronic messages, and reviews that highlight what patients love about your healthcare business. Included in this board should be a reminder to leave a Google review, even a QR code that links directly to the reviews window.
- Reminders in high visibility areas: Hallways, restrooms, clipboards, check out desk, and the front door are all potential areas that patients are most likely to see during a visit. In these areas, you can post signs that encourage patients to leave a Google review.
Gain Greater Visibility in Local Search Results by Leveraging Google Tools
Many healthcare services businesses sleep on the opportunity to perform better in local search results, never venturing into, “How to get my business on Google Maps?” Your medical practice doesn’t have to be one of them. Our patient acquisition strategists have vetted through the techniques and tools for gaining visibility in local search to help medical practices better compete for local market share. To learn more about how to perfect landing on the virtual map, contact us today.
