Let them know you’re open for business
Managing your reputation on Google Search
Many members of the OralEye Network have been asking how to build a good online reputation and how to promote their practices on the web. To answer your queries, the Network Team have produced a six-part guide with simple steps you can take to ensure that the good work you do in the office is reflected online.
Get in touch with us if you would like to share your experience of promoting your work online and let us know any other questions you’d like answered in the series. As always, comment away and keep the conversation going!
In the first of a six part series, Michael talks about plucking the low-hanging fruit of improving your reputation online — your listing on Google’s front page.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you’ve probably heard of Google — the gateway to the internet and first port of call for anybody online with a question to answer.
Consumers in the digital age have come to expect more from service providers. Medical professionals are no exception. As patients put more effort into online research it is important to take ownership over what they’re reading when they google your name or the name of your practice.
While there is a huge market for optimising search results and getting your name to the number one spot on Google’s results page, there is a simple and — importantly — free way to get your name more prominently featured: signing up for Google My Business.
This is a free service from Google that allows you to determine what appears on the right hand side of search result when a patient googles your business name. You can write a small profile, include your address and place on a map, phone number, business hours, website and more. The richer in detail this listing is, the more confident a new patient will feel about making the move to your practice. Check it out now and see how easy it is to get set up.
If you google your name and find a listing already exists, this may be because an individual has checked in here before, or searched for your business on Google Maps. To take ownership over the listing, simply click “Own this business?” to submit your claim and begin editing your practice information.
This listing is your base for providing your basic business details on the internet. Before a patient reaches your website or your Facebook page, they are likely to see this. What’s more, this profile will be displayed when a patient tries to find a dentist in your area using Google Maps or Android voice search. Controlling this listing means you are the number one choice for someone looking for a dentist, so be sure it reflects your reputation.
A hugely valuable element of this is your Google rating. To cultivate a positive rating encourage your patients to rate you on Google Reviews. Remember, it is within the terms of fair use for you to convince your patients to give you a review but not to encourage them specifically to give you a good review — so be careful with your recommendations.
Your Google Reviews are aggregated to a bright orange star-rating on your listing. This catches the eye of any curious patient. Snippets from patient reviews display at the bottom of your listing. The more effort you put into curating your Google listing, the more these will be positive testimonials.
Did you find this piece useful? What more would you like to know? Let us know in the comments how your experience has been with Google listings and get in touch with us if you need any more advice.
COMING UP Get social: Building your presence on social media
