The Top 5 Reasons to Use Google My Business

If your healthcare business is not found on Google yet, you might miss out on an opportunity to create a customer journey from awareness to purchasing to retention. Having a Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business or GMB) allows customers in your local area to find and engage with your business.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a free business listing on Google that helps local businesses reach higher visibility on relevant local searches. This tool must contain all the vital information about your healthcare business allowing your patients to book an appointment with you easily. A GMB profile enables your customers to find your contact information, services, products, and photos of your hospital or clinic.

According to Hootsuite’s Digital 2021 Report, Google shares 92% of the search engine market share; it is not surprising that it is the most-visited and dominant site globally. Hubspot also reported that an average of 5.6 billion searches per minute are being done on Google worldwide. These significant numbers show that Google My Business is a practical and free tool for your healthcare marketing strategy that will help potential customers find you.

The Competitive Advantage of Creating a Google My Business Profile

1. Get found on Google and Google Maps

When people use local search terms in their search for a healthcare provider, you achieve higher local SERP or search ranking positions. You have the opportunity to compete with larger healthcare companies, no matter the size. Google My Business makes it easy for you to stand out in the crowd of small and large health providers. It helps in making your products and services accessible to your patients.

Because you are providing your business location on Google My Business, Google Maps automatically recognize it, making your business more discoverable in Google. It shows your business information on the left side of the listing to enable your patients to easily find and contact you. It’s a win-win solution for you and your patients whenever they are looking for a simple and faster way to connect with your healthcare offers.

Verify your business

1. Your first step in your GMB profile is to verify your business address. Once you set up your account, GMB will provide you the instructions on how to get fully verified.  
2. You will receive a five-digit code sent to the email address that you have provided. 
3. After entering the code into the box, a confirmation screen will show up that your business is completely verified.

2. Reduce operation costs

You don’t have to have the technical knowledge to manage your Google My Business listing. This no-brainer tool provides an easy way of updating your business information. As the first point of a customer journey, it doesn’t require expensive maintenance. 

Details your GMB allows you to set up:

• Business name
• Location
• Phone number
• Email address
• Business operating hours
• Website landing page
• Health and safety measures
• Services and products you offer
• Photos of your hospital or clinic

Examples of things you can also include:

• Updates about changes in your operating hours because of a holiday
• Letting your patients know that you are temporarily closed because your clinic is undergoing a renovation
• Promoting hosting community events or sponsoring social work
• New address or expanding your services to other places

Google My Business has you covered with everything you need to share important updates with your patients!

GMB is useful for emergencies when you need to announce major changes. That said, it has been very useful during COVID-19 because many hospitals, large and small, provide the latest updates about their health and safety measures if people need access to healthcare. 

Did you know that Google My Business can do even more? 

Keep reading for more reasons to add it to your healthcare marketing strategy!

3. Build trust through online reviews

Google reviews provide helpful information letting patients know about their experience with your healthcare services. GMB embedded those reviews next to your GMB profile and Google Maps. Reviews offer a convenient and cost-effective way to build trust and authority. Word-of-mouth is excellent and effective marketing. It helps you build brand awareness while focusing your effort on delivering high-quality healthcare services.

A brand reputation can make or break your patient acquisition strategy. Not only is online reputation important for healthcare practices, reviews also help in patient decision-making. In fact, 81% of patients evaluate online reviews before choosing a healthcare provider, according to Repugen Patient Survey 2021. Having strong and positive reviews can alleviate patient stress because they know they found a better health provider. It also sends your potential customers a message that your business is a credible one to whom they can entrust the care they need.

4. Improves SEO strategy

As a healthcare provider, you may have an idea about search engine optimization (SEO). You don’t become a healthcare provider to focus on SEO. Google My Business is an excellent option for businesses that don’t have websites. For example, if your practice is just starting out, or you don’t understand the technicalities of SEO and website design and have little to no marketing budget. In that case, GMB is a perfect go-to source if you still want to stay discoverable to your patients.

Ranking on the first pages of Google search may not happen overnight. That is why it is essential to add proper details about your business. According to Google, “businesses with complete and accurate information are easier to match with the right searches.” Remember, a complete GMB profile can help create your patients’ first impressions. In addition, you have to make sure that you utilize all its features, including adding a clear call-to-action to direct your patients to their next buying journey.

Some of the factors that affect your SEO ranking in Google are:

• The relevant keywords used on your GMB profile and how they match with Google search terms
• The distance of your healthcare business location from the potential customer
• Your brand reputation and prominence which includes online reviews, the number of patients who reviewed your business, and links (can be added to the call to action) 

One great thing about using GMB is it allows you to add it to your content and social media strategy! It is helpful in your content distribution strategy, a crucial strategy in content marketing that helps you to promote your content to various content distribution channels, including Google My Business. It helps expand your reach and drive traffic to your content, eventually turning into conversions and patient acquisition.

Aside from these incredible wonders of GMB, you can also recycle your posts on social media channels such as Facebook and LinkedIn and promote them to GMB. Doing so can save you time planning and crafting posts that deliver helpful health information to your patients. It is worth noting that Google loves new and relevant content – a key to a higher SEO score! Remember that GMB posts expire in seven days, so it is important to keep your posts fresh and updated regularly. 

5. Accessible Google Analytics

Another benefit of using Google My Business is its detailed Analytics! With its easy-to-understand metrics, you can see:

• What part of your marketing strategy is working
• How potential customers are searching for your business. 
• Insights showing how all online activities are happening – starting from a Google search, engagement with your patients, traffic on your website, and many more!

Now that you have discovered the benefits of setting up a Google My Business profile to promote your healthcare business, are you ready to create one? Not only can it lower your marketing budget, but it is also a great platform if you are looking for better ROI. 

Take the first step to increase your business’ online presence. WriteRN can help you implement tried-and-tested content marketing strategies, evaluate your healthcare business marketing needs, and show proven results!