As a dermatologist, building your practice takes getting out into the community, but it is also critically important to have a strong online presence. Most people who need a dermatologist will talk to friends and perhaps their doctor, but they nearly always head online to search for reviews before they make an appointment. Your Google Business Profile can help you capture those potential clients.
Google Business Profile SEO strategies for dermatologists are tailored to meet your very specific clients. These strategies can help ensure Google ranks your business in the Map Pack, the three listings that show up when someone seeks out a service provider near them. Being in that set of three listings positions you in numerous ways. Not only does it enable a person to call you right away, but it also provides reviews, service information, and photos to gain their trust.
But just having a Google Business Profile is not enough. You need to optimize it with these tips and strategies to help your business to rank.
Claim and Verify Your Profile
Google Business Profiles are a free service provided by Google itself. You have to go through a few simple steps to claim your profile. It is not automatically given to you. Instead, you’ll fill out the requested information and then allow Google to verify your profile by sending you an automated message that provides a verification code. There are other options for verifying your business as well. The bottom line is that you need to be verified.
This helps to ensure that your business is recognized by Google and that your potential clients know they can trust your practice as a verifiable location for the care they need. It also helps your office rank in local search rankings, which is exactly what you need.
Complete and Accurate Business Information
Once you claim your profile, spend the time to fully set it up. This means filling it in completely, and getting the specific details right ensures Google can rank your business. Your name, address, and phone number (NAP) should be exactly the same on your profile as they are on your website, social media, and licensing information.
When these elements all match across all of your touchpoints online, the search engine can link all of those pages to each other, helping to boost your presence online. Be sure the information is accurate. If not, that may limit how effective your local search ranking is.
Engaging Business Description
When a person Googles a dermatologist in your area, they will see the name of your practice listed and some basic information. When they click on your profile, they will read your business’s description.
The description must be accurate and detailed. However, don’t make the mistake of filling it with keywords or random phrases. Instead, build out an effective, compelling business description. Your description should include keywords that include your local city or practice area name. If you offer a specific type of skin care service, be sure to include that information.
Keep the overall business description concise. Avoid sales language here. Instead, help your practice to seem professional by creating comprehensive, valuable information. What is the person searching for a dermatologist in your area likely looking for? Make sure that’s included along with the solutions you provide.
For example, if your office treats acne in teens, be sure that you include that information, such as with a statement like “Our Austin office offers teen acne support…” Then, be sure to include the names of specific treatment methods that people could be looking for online. This helps to create a very specific result for your target searcher.
Utilize High-Quality Visual Content
Depending on the type of care you offer, it’s critical to offer visual insight. For example, a photo of the exterior of your medical practice office helps people in the community and nearby find you and also recognize that you are local to them. Incorporate photos of those providers they are most likely to work with when they schedule a call. Those photos help to build trust and give the individual reassurance that you have a friendly, modern location to visit.
Your Google Business Profile can be a very visual experience for a person. In just a moment’s time, they find your profile, see that you are close to them, instantly see that you have a modern, clean office, and can book. Showcase your business, team, products, and services in a positive light. Professional photos here are excellent.
Managing and Responding to Customer Reviews
One of the ways Google Business Profiles help to support your local ranking and generate leads is by including an area for reviews. As a person is scrolling through their search results, those star ratings really make an impact. Most people want to seek out a provider that’s easily recognized for providing exceptional service. No matter what you tell a customer about what you do, what other customers and patients say is nearly always more impactful.
As you begin to get reviews on your profile, respond to them. Thank those who offer positive reviews. If there is a less-than-desirable review, avoid any type of negative reaction or admitting fault. Simply encourage the party to contact you directly for guidance.
As your customers come in for appointments, be sure to provide them with information about your Google Business Profile. You can send a link through a text message or email, too. That’s going to help build your reputation online.
Implementing Local SEO Strategies
To pop up on the MAP pack, your profile needs to be optimized for the local area you serve. That means you need to include words that help to showcase your location. There are numerous ways to do this:
- Incorporate the area you serve in the profile description
- Add in where your office is, using street directions or landmarks (We’re a block from the middle school…)
- Ensure that your services incorporate local geographical aspects as well, just don’t overdo it with too much keyword stuffing
By utilizing geo targets in your description, you help Google to recognize that your practice should be listed when someone close to you is looking for your services. That’s critical in beating out the competition.
Utilizing Google Posts for Updates
One of the ways you can build your website is by having a blog. The same concept applies to your Google Business Profile. Like with your website, Google likes to see fresh information on the profile. By adding in some details, offering updates on the services you are offering, or providing other detailed information on a consistent basis, you help the search engine to recognize the value of your business.
Consider a few tips for creating content that is interesting:
- Consider content that gets people to engage with your posts. Answer questions that people ask, for example. If one person needs to know, others do as well.
- Incorporate local news and community events. If your office is sponsoring a community group, provide an update through a post about that service.
- Let people know about service specials or other information they need about your business, such as announcements about the new procedures you offer or the new insurance policies you take.
Create content for these posts that is short and to the point. However, they should also be relevant to both your local community and to your dermatologist office. By utilizing these Google Business Profile SEO strategies for dermatologists, you gain ranking in the search engine and build your online presence. Aim to consistently update your posts, too. That helps keep your clients and patients informed and engaged.
Implementing Attributes and Services
Attributes are another component to add to your Google Business Profile. They help you to show up in the Map Pack and rank in the local search engine results pages. Attributes help to explain what your service offers and what your clients can expect when they visit.
For a dermatologist, this may include specific treatments or procedures you offer. You may also want to add in information about how accessible your business is as well as what type of booking system you offer. If you are available on weekends when others are not, list that. It can also be beneficial to include the insurance company information you take or provide insight into what affiliations your office has with others in the region.
Encourage Customer Interaction
With your Google Business Profile in place, it is possible to begin encouraging people to visit it. Not only should you ask for reviews, but also encourage those who are reading your profile to ask questions. Questions are one of the most important ways to connect with people who are considering your services. Not only do they actually provide helpful information to that party, but they also help others to gain a sense of your business.
A polite, accurate, and timely response helps to show your dermatologist office in a positive light. Work to answer those questions on a consistent basis.
Choose to Build Your Profile with Our Help
Surefire Local offers the platform you need to manage all of this with ease and less time. You can complete all of your online marketing in one place for your Google Business Profile on the platform. That lets you to minimize frustration and stay on top of the process.
Check out a Surefire Local demo now to see how it works.