Google Business Profile is perhaps one of the best resources available for physical therapists who want to be found by local clients. It’s a free service provided by Google. There are no hoops to jump through, but what you end up with is a tool that will help you build your brand, be found in the search engines, and drive highly targeted leads to your website. That’s a lot of benefits for a free tool.
Google Business Profile SEO strategies for physical therapists can help your business to thrive. It allows you to become a recognized business within the local community, and when you optimize your listing, you can be found very easily by those who need your services.
To help you do that, consider these specific Google Business Profile SEO strategies for physical therapists and how you can incorporate them into your marketing plan.
Claim and verify your profile
Your first step is to claim ownership of your Google Business Profile. You can do that at Google.com/Business. You will work through a series of questions to help you prove that you are the business owner.
Once you do this, you’ll have a verified profile. That means two things:
- People looking for your physical therapy services will find you in Google search results when they are close to your location.
- They will see you are a verified business owner, which gives them confidence in contacting you.
There are numerous benefits to having a verified profile. Not only can people find you who are close to you, but they get everything they need in that listing – right there at the top of the search engine results page. They learn of your service, see your reviews, get information about your hours, and can call you with a simple click. There is no more efficient way to get a lead.
Even if they want more information, your listing positions you right at the top of the search engine listing results page. That makes it easy for someone to click on your website over anyone else advertising through paid methods or those trying to rank for organic traffic.
Complete and accurate business information
To get the attention of local patients, you need to ensure your information is accurate and listed the same across all platforms. That means the name, address, and phone of your business (called your NAP) must be the same on your website, blog, social media, and Google Business Profile. That consistency is critical in helping Google to correlate who you are and what your business offers.
Make sure this information is the same. You are using NAP tools to help you find variations that may be inaccurate on services like business directories. Correcting this information is key because any deviation – even the suite number or the area code – can make it hard for Google to rank your site.
When someone within the local area searches for a physical therapist near them, Google will pull up all of the Google Business Profiles that are located within a short radius of where that person is. It uses their specific location and the information you’ve plugged into the profile to determine where you should be listed.
Engaging business description
Your Google Business Profile is also packed with ways you can get a bit of a local SEO boost. By filling it out completely and with accurate details, you’ll make it easy for the search engines to find you. There are several steps to that:
- Start with an engaging, compelling description of your business. Include the specific types of physical therapy services you use, any type of specialized equipment you offer, or the types of patients you help (children, seniors, car accident victims, and so on).
- Incorporate keywords into it. This includes local keywords such as the areas you service (which could include more than just the city you are in but also surrounding communities where your patients may live). Incorporate doctor and hospital relationships as well.
- Keep it concise. You don’t want to put so much information here that it becomes distracting. There’s no need to put any type of sales or promotional information there. Instead, make sure it is keyword-heavy with geographical modifiers.
Make sure you keep it updated, too. If your services change, come back to update your description to ensure it is accurate.
Utilize high-quality visual content
People respond to images and graphics far faster than written text. For that reason, you’ll need to incorporate some visual aspects into your content that help to draw their attention, give them reassurance, or educate them on what you can do for them. Here are some strategies that can help you as a physical therapist:
- Incorporate photos of the physical therapists that work for you. Make your practice human and real.
- Create a video of the location to help visitors become familiar with how to find you. Your iPhone can even do this for you by compiling photos and creating a video with music.
- Incorporate photos of the waiting room and patient resources.
- Consider a welcome video message discussing what you offer.
- Be creative but clear about what you are sharing.
Make sure you meet all of the Google Business Profile photo requirements, including:
- It must be a JPG or PNG format
- Size between 10 KB and 5 MB
- Minimum resolution must be between 250 px tall and 250 px wide
- Recommended resolution between 250 px tall and 720 px wide
- No excessive use of filters
- Clear images that are well-lit
Make your visuals count by incorporating real photos of your location, your physical therapists, and your staff. Include photos of the equipment you use and graphics of the tools you use.
Managing and responding to customer reviews
Your Google Business Profile will allow for patients to leave reviews. These can help to encourage others to contact you. Your first step is to get those reviews. To do that, you’ll need to ask your patients to leave them for you. Consider sending them a text message or email after an appointment that goes well directly to your profile.
Positive reviews significantly enhance your physical therapy business. They help others to get to know what you do, how you do it, and what results you create. They help to establish your local reputation, which is something nearly all prospective patients will consider when it comes to choosing who to book an appointment with for the care they need.
When you create a request for your patients to leave a review, ask them to include any details they would like to, such as the name of the services they received, the location of the treatment center, or any details that can help to showcase that the review is both local and real.
Implementing local SEO strategies
Use your Google Business Profile to drive local clients to you – since most of your patients are likely to be within your geographical area, you’ll want to incorporate local SEO into your efforts.
- Use local keywords, including city name and service areas in the business description
- Incorporate keywords related to the hospitals or services that you partner with or have helped in the past
- Incorporate any type of local lingo or content that helps that can help to pinpoint your local on Google Maps
All of these steps will help you to get in front of patients looking for you within a local radius of their location.
Utilizing Google Posts for updates
Google Posts are like a mini blog tool that allows you to give your readers and searchers the ability to stay up to date with you. Use them!
Google Posts can incorporate details that can help your patients in real-world situations:
- Incorporate seasonal information about coming in for care
- List out any promotions that you are offering
- Incorporate any information about local events you are participating in
- Create timely content that resonates within your community
- Keep the information updated so that no matter when someone sees it, they feel as if it was just updated for them.
Implementing attributes and services
Specialization of your Google Business Profile can also help you. Use attributes as a way to highlight the unique features you offer. Does your location offer specialized care for specific types of injury or recovery? Do you offer specialized equipment or unique strategies that others do not?
By listing this type of detailed information, you’re helping your physical therapy service stand out from others. Make sure you detail the services you offer and when you offer them. Include the types of patients you work with as well.
Engaging customer interaction
Now that you have your Google Business Profile created don’t forget about it. You’ll likely receive some questions from prospective clients on the profile. Answer those questions since others need to know the information as well. Interact with customer reviews and leave messages about your current service updates.
Build a Stronger Google Business Profile with Some Help
With the Surefire Local platform, you can handle nearly all of these tasks within one tool to help you keep your Google Business Profile fully up to date:
- Post updates
- Manage your business information
- Upload photos and videos
- Request new reviews from your patients
- Respond to reviews when they come in
- Post questions and answers
- Monitor engagement and customer interactions with your profile
At Surefire Local, you can create meaningful relationships with your patients and establish your brand. Learn more about what we do by requesting a demo now.