Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is an excellent place to promote your business and provide information to potential patients. Not only that, but it can help your business get found on Google and in local searches.
But you do need to set up your GBP properly and optimize it to get the best results.
Read on for Surefire Local’s best Google Business Profile tips for dermatologists:
What is a Google Business Profile?
Your Google Business Profile is an online business listing, like a business directory. You can complete a lot of information about your business and provide potential patients with a quick and easy way to find out about you without having to visit your website or search for you on social media.
Your GBP is an extremely important part of building your online presence. In fact, it’s so important that if you’re limited for time, managing your Google Business Profile and keeping it updated is the one best thing you can do for your online presence.
If you have a completed and fully optimized GBP, your business could be listed in the local pack on Google Maps. When searching on Google Maps, you’ll have noticed business listings right next to the Google Map on the left of the page. That’s what your GBP can do for you. If your site is well-optimized and one of the most relevant listings for a customer’s search, you could appear right there at the top of Google Maps. Just think about what that can do for your visibility.
Benefits of having a Google Business Profile
Add screenshot of google search results for “dermatologists near me” here
Where do we start? What you’re looking at here is a whole page, provided by the biggest search engine in the world, that’s dedicated solely to your business. If you haven’t claimed your profile yet, what are you waiting for?
1) Increased visibility and better rankings in local search results
A fully optimized GBP really will increase your visibility. You might appear higher in the search engine results, even on other search engines than Google. And it adds greatly to your online presence and your credibility.
You have to claim your GBP and, once you do, no one else can add to it and alter your listing. You are fully in control of what goes on your profile. That’s reassuring for searchers when they are looking for a genuine, trustworthy business they can be sure is a real business. And, of course, the more you build trust with potential patients, the more likely they are to call you or even to book.
With a complete and optimized GBP, you are far more likely to appear in the local pack at the top of Google Maps.
Google will even use what you write to create your search engine listing over creating its own listing about your business, so you get to tell Google how you want your business to appear in the search results.
We can’t stress enough how important this listing is in giving your business greater visibility.
2) Makes it easier to get more reviews
Your GBP is designed with space for patients to post their reviews of your dermatology business. It’s easy for patients to write a review quickly, which makes it more likely that they will do it.
Don’t forget your GBP when managing your reviews. Encourage as many people as you can to post on your profile.
You can also respond to your reviews right on your profile as they come in. It’s extremely important for new patients to see you responding to reviews and interacting with people on your profile. They want to see you say “thank you” to their own reviews. They want to feel seen and appreciated. And they also want to see what others have had to say about you and how you’ve responded even to poor reviews. This is especially important, of course, if they’ve never been to your practice before.
Don’t neglect this aspect of your GBP. You can more easily be consistent in collecting reviews here and in responding to them to create another excellent impression of your business.
3) Free and easy to use
You might have to pay for Google ads and for help in optimizing your site and social for SEO, but you really don’t have to pay a single cent for your Google Business Profile.
There is nowhere else online where you can get the kind of visibility this page gives you for absolutely no dollars at all and it’s important that you take every advantage of it.
How to set up a Google Business Profile
To claim your GBP, go to Google Maps and type in your company name. Select your business from the list, and click “Claim This Business/Manage Now.”
You can then choose an option to verify your business. You can do this by phone, email, video, or text. In some cases, you may need more than one verification, but it’s quite straightforward to do.
Google may then need up to seven days to verify your business and they will send you a notification when they are ready.
You should then be able to go to your profile and start filling it in, though bear in mind, it can take a few weeks before your new information starts to show up in the search results.
To find your profile and start adding information, go to Google Maps and search for your business and your city.
In the top right of the screen, you’ll see your profile initial at first, until you add an image. Click on this and you’ll be taken to your profile.
Optimizing your Google Business Profile to attract more patients
We can’t stress this enough either – complete your entire Google Business Profile! Every part of it. Even the Q&As and the services section. The more optimized and complete your GBP is the more of a chance you have of appearing not just at the top of Google Maps, but in the number one spot, too. That is an extremely powerful position to be in and it adds another layer of credibility and trust for your patients.
Really don’t skimp on your profile.
You need to add your full contact details, including your name, address, phone number, location, attributes, and more. Bear in mind here that your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) must be consistent on your GBP just as much as it is anywhere else on the internet.
It’s also important to include your opening hours, because, if you’re open at the time, your dermatology business will show up when potential patients search for “dermatologist open now.” Take every possible advantage and opportunity from your GBP.
Write your business name the same way and add your address and phone number in the same way everywhere you do it. Even something as small as writing “Ave” in one place and “Avenue” in another can cause confusion and doubt which are the last things you want for your customers or for Google itself.
Next, think about how best to present your dermatology business. Write a compelling and authentic business description, including your main and local keywords here, just as you would on your website and blog. Take every opportunity you can to add to your SEO efforts and include your keywords throughout your GBP.
Next, upload quality images and videos of your dermatology practice. These images must be of excellent quality because they add to the impression you are trying to create for your business. Make sure the images are well-framed, sharp, clear, and compelling.
Make sure that your subject matter for images and videos is highly relevant and helpful for any visitors to your profile. You want to grab attention and keep it.
We’ve talked about reviews earlier, but we’re adding it here too, because it really is important to respond to any reviews you get, even with a simple “thank you.” It really does make all the difference.
Unfortunately, you do also have to respond to negative reviews too, but you may find you can resolve the issue there and then and turn the negative review into a positive one. If not, then do your best to get the reviewer to call you or email rather than continue to discuss it for all to see.
Another powerful part of your GBP is the Questions & Answers section. People can leave questions here for you to answer. Of course, you should do that, in detail and include your keywords, but take the time to look at what people are asking, as you might also find inspiration for blog posts, social posts, and other content.
Think about what your audience wants to know about and be detailed about your practice, what services you offer, how you can help, talk about your team and more. It’s important to provide educational information, just as you would on your blog and on social media. And you can introduce special offers and discounts on your GBP to attract attention.
Finally, remember to list accepted insurances and services and products your practice provides. That can be extremely helpful for searchers as they don’t even need to visit your website to get what they need or to book.
Think of your Google Business Profile as your second home page on the internet and treat it as well as you do your actual website. You really will benefit from spending time on it and interacting with your patients.
Attend a Surefire Local Marketing Platform demo
You can easily manage your Google Business Profile with Surefire Local’s all-in-one marketing software. Post updates, manage and respond to your reviews, add quality images, and more, all without leaving the Surefire Local Marketing Platform.
Not only that, but you can also manage every aspect of your marketing within our professional platform, including email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, paid ads, and more. You can also update over 80 business directories at once, saving hours of time updating them all individually.
With our straightforward marketing platform, you only need to learn one piece of software, shortening your learning curve considerably. And you save time by logging into one platform that does everything rather than trying to make multiple pieces of software work together.
Gain clear and informative reports and analytics to show where your marketing spend is going and what’s moving the needle, saving your budget for what works and not for what isn’t adding to your bottom line. Why not book a demo with our team and see how we can help?