Are you looking for help getting your clinic listed in the local Google Map Pack? If so, we would like to share with you some of our most recommended Google Map Pack strategies for physical therapists. This information will help you better understand the Google Map Pack and what it takes to get your practice listed there.
What Is the Google Map Pack?
The Google Map Pack is the set of three businesses shown at the top of the results page on Google Maps. The Google Map Pack is what shows up when someone performs a search for a local business. These are highly coveted listings because of their prominent location on a search results page.
Where Do You Find the Google Map Pack?
You can find the Google Map Pack in a box at the top of a search results page underneath the sponsored listings (advertisements). Google’s algorithm ranks what they determine to be the most relevant and highest quality information available, then ranks that content accordingly inside the Google Map Pack box.
What Does the Google Map Pack Look Like?
The Google Map Pack is a group of the top three businesses for any given local search location. They are shown inside a box at the top of a local search results page. This box gives online searchers a quick glance at the businesses inside the map pack box.
What Information Does the Google Map Pack Contain?
The Google Map Pack displays a summary of information about the businesses that are in it. That information includes the name, address, and phone number (NAP), a visual map, reviews, ratings, industry-specific information, how long the business has been open, hours of operation, photos, and more.
How Do You Improve Your Rankings in Google’s Map Pack?
If you want to improve your rankings in Google’s Map Pack, there are certain steps you should take to get there. Take some time to learn all you can about how to improve your local ranking on Google. It’s worth the time and effort needed to get into the most coveted spot. But keep reading to learn about the most effective strategies you can use to get into the map pack.
Google Map Pack Strategies for Physical Therapists
Here are some of the best strategies for getting your clinic into the Google Map Pack.
Tip #1: Optimize Your Google Business Profile
You will need to optimize your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business). You can do this by fully populating your profile. Don’t leave any blank fields. Provide a detailed business description that includes related business keywords and local information like naming your city. Your description should also include things like the products and services you offer. The more detailed and specific information you include, the better.
Always keep your hours and contact information updated. And make sure that information is consistent across all your digital pages. It’s also important to select the right business categories for your profile.
Another best practice is to select all applicable attributes that describe your business. Don’t fill your business title with keywords, use the attributes feature instead. Google Business Profile lets you choose attributes to identify specific searchable details in your profile. Using business-specific attributes will help you showcase the characteristics of your business. For example, a “veteran-owned” or “women-led” business.
And lastly, verify your business location. You will need to do this through the Google Business Profile verification process.
Tip #2: Get More Google Reviews
People depend on online reviews to determine whether a business is honest, reputable, and offers quality products and services. That’s why when it comes to page rankings, Google places great emphasis on patient reviews. Therefore, your practice needs both recent and high-quality reviews on your Google Business Profile. The factors that Google deems important on a review are the review’s star rating, the description of the review, any attributes added, the photos that were uploaded, and how many reviews that person has linked to in their Google profile (the more, the better). So you can see why the more positive reviews you have on Google and the other review websites, the more likely your practice is to be featured in the Google Map Pack. This versus a practice that has no or fewer patient reviews.
Tip #3: Claim Your Business Directories
The more citations (business directory listings) you have, the stronger your online presence will be. Business directory listings make it easier for your patients to find you. This is because business directory listings will increase your practice’s visibility. It will also strengthen your practice’s performance on the search engines.
Additionally, it will help showcase your practice to people who might not have otherwise seen or taken the time to hear about your reputation and what you have to offer. The more business directories you post to, the better, because the more you post, the more people will see you. Additionally, posting to more directories than your competitors will give you an advantage.
Tip #4: Optimize Your Website with Local SEO Strategies
Creating local citations for your Google Business Profile will help you boost the local SEO for your website as well, which means you will show up in more search results. Business directory listings also provide your website with high-quality backlinks.
It is considered best practice to use local keywords such as “physical therapist in Tampa, FL.” This shows what you do and where you are, which is what someone searching for a local physical therapist will be searching for and why Google might rank you higher in the search engine rankings. But don’t just use the keyword physical therapist. You should also include your location city and state as well.
Testing and improving the load speeds of your web pages is another important factor in SEO. If your web pages don’t load quickly, searchers will look somewhere else to get the information they need. Ideally, your web pages should load within two seconds.
There are multitudes of things you can do to enhance the SEO of your website. But including and improving these factors will make the most difference.
Tip #5: Maintain Community Engagement
The more people who engage with your business, whether that be on your website, on your Google Business Profile, business directory listings, review sites, forums, social media pages, or anywhere else online for that matter, the more Google will take notice. When Google sees people talking about you, it shows its algorithm that you are popular and in turn will rank your pages higher because of it.
There are several ways to get people to talk about you online. One of the best ways is to encourage your patients to ask questions on your Google Business Profile, ask them to upload photos of their experiences with you, and ask them to write reviews about their experiences with you, etc.
You should also be monitoring your practice’s online reputation by engaging with people who visit your pages. If they leave a comment, respond appropriately. If they ask a question, answer it, and offer your services. If they post something negative, pause, think about what you want to say, then respond appropriately. Whatever you do, stay positive and handle the situation professionally. Remember, other people will be judging you on the way you respond to negative feedback. And this could determine whether or not they decide to contact you about your services.
One last thing to note when it comes to responding to patient feedback online. You must be mindful of adhering to HIPPA privacy laws. Never call someone a patient online. This is telling the world that the person you are responding to is a patient of yours and this would violate HIPPA privacy laws. So think about how you respond to your patients’ questions and comments online and word things in a way that won’t violate any laws.
Using these Google Map Pack strategies for physical therapists is a great way to optimize your brand’s presence for the Google Map Pack search results. It’s also one of the most effective ways to attract potential patients in your local area.
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We hope you enjoyed this article about Google Map Pack Strategies for Physical Therapists. We look forward to hearing from you!