When you set up your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) you would think something as simple as entering your business name would be straightforward, right? Google Business Profile (GBP) names do have to comply with certain guidelines. This guide will help you verify (or, if needed, modify) how your business name appears according to Google directory listing rules.
Aligning Your Business Name with Legal Requirements
As for the legal aspect of Google Business Profile name guidelines, they can’t be misleading or violate any local, state, or federal laws. Generally speaking, your business name should match your “real world” name that you would feature on your “collateral” materials.
While you can tack on descriptors to your business name such as “Pediatrics,” or “Family Medicine,” you would leave off technical legal extensions like LLC or Inc. For example, a medical practice named “ABC LLC” on a license would instead be entered into Google Business Profiles as “ABC Pediatrics.”
Representing Your Business Accurately
As mentioned before, the aim is to use a name in your Google Business Profile that accurately represents your healthcare business and is not misleading–implying affiliations, qualities, or services that do not align with your actual practice. Names that misidentify a business can be confusing to the public yet are also in violation of Google’s standards.
On that note, the category selected for a business should be as close a match as possible. This helps your business be found in the most relevant Google Search and Google Maps results so that you more precisely reach your target audience. For example, if you’re a dental clinic specializing in orthodontics, choosing the “Orthodontist” category would be more accurate than the more general “Dentist.”
Listings For Multi-Location Practices
If your medical practice has multiple locations, departments, or individually named providers, it’s best to distinguish these through Google Business Profile names. Tips for carefully formatting multiple business location names to avoid duplicates include:
Avoid names for locations using different name variations. Your healthcare brand name should be consistent among listings to avoid confusion.
To indicate separate departments or locations, name the medical practice brand name first, then a descriptive extension. For example, “ABC Regional Clinic: Downtown” or “ABC Regional Clinic: Urgent Care.”
If a provider in your practice has an individual Google Business Profile, you can claim that profile and modify it by preceding the name with the brand name. For example, “Dr. Julie Jones” would change to “ABC Pediatrics: Dr. Julie Jones.”
If there is a business of the same name in your area, you can use descriptors to differentiate your medical practice. For example, if there’s a preschool named ABC, a medical practice of the same name would distinguish its listing by using the name “ABC Pediatrics.”
Optimizing Your Business Name for Local SEO
As mentioned before, descriptors for specialty and location add specificity to your business name, and such Google Business Profile name enhancements can also help your search engine optimization (SEO). For example, if you run a pediatric clinic in Austin, and you find that people often search for “pediatrician in Austin,” structuring your name as “ABC Pediatrics of Austin” could yield better results.
While SEO strategy is usually all about trying different keywords phrases that consumers often search for– such as long-tail keywords–GBP names optimized for SEO are best kept short and static. In other words, the name is not where to put detailed phrases, but instead simple descriptors intended to represent the business permanently.
Keeping Your Profile Up to Date
As a best practice, healthcare businesses should keep their Google Business Profile names updated for accuracy. Google may flag for name issues it suspects to be misleading or inconsistent. This risks an account suspension. Updating your Google Business Profile name may trigger a reverification with Google.
Because the public relies on Google directory listings for accurate information, it is good practice to update your business information such as address, telephone number, website URL, regular business hours, temporary hours. Consumers take for granted that everything published in Google’s directory is accurate, but the responsibility falls on the business owner to keep their profile(s) updated and accurate.
To help local businesses optimize and maintain their GBP listings, Google provides a range of support resources. These include detailed help articles, community forums, and direct support from Google advisors. Such resources can guide you in effectively managing your GBP, ensuring that your medical practice is accurately represented and easily discoverable online.
Summary: Google Business Profile Name Tips for Medical Practices
When filling in the details for directory listings, healthcare business owners will eventually have to complete the field for Google Business Profile names. Does your legal business name go there, or the name on the door? The profile for Google business directories should display the “real world” name – the same one that is used on collateral you use to market to patients. This means excluding legal name suffixes like LLC.
But what if your medical operations need more than one Google Business Profile? Sometimes healthcare businesses have multiple locations, specialties, and individual providers with existing listings. For these, it is standard practice to list the brand name first then after a colon, provide the location, specialty, or provider name. Examples include:
- ABC Regional Clinic: Downtown
- ABC Regional Clinic: Urgent Care
- ABC Regional Clinic: Dr. Julie Jones
It is best practice to keep all details of your listing accurate in business profile manager to avoid being flagged and to prevent confusion among the public. To edit a profile on Google, sign into your Google account, navigate to their GBP, and click ‘save’ after making any changes. Some changes, like a Google business profile name change, may require re-verification of ownership before they are published.
Keeping names updated and distinct from other local listings can also help strengthen your search engine optimization (SEO). This means remaining consistent with business information online (such as your website), plus having descriptors affixed to the brand name helps your search visibility in Google. For example, if you are a pediatric clinic in Austin, the name ABC Regional Clinic: Pediatrics could boost your search ranking for terms like “pediatrician in Austin.”
iHealthSpot: Your Partner for Successful Google Business Profile SEO Enhancement
Being easily found in search results is integral to attracting new patients leads, but with all that a busy healthcare business entails, tasks like keeping a Google Business Profile updated and optimized can easily fall by the wayside. Instead, you can leave routine directory maintenance in the hands of your expert digital marketing services. iHealthSpot’s healthcare marketing solutions are designed to harness the power of local SEO techniques, optimize Google Business Profiles, and nurture your online reputation. Reach out to learn more.
