Google Business Profile step-by-step basics for healthcare practices

Patients quickly look at other local providers and practices when they see an incomplete or ineffective Google business listing. This Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) for doctors guide has been created to ensure you improve your Google presence.

According to Invoca research, 60% of patients look online regularly to seek information about doctors or medical care. For the majority of searchers, Google is the search engine of choice. 

Google Business Profiles have high visibility in local search rankings. Thus, your Google Business Profile can introduce your business to potential patients in your area.

More than bringing attention to your website, having an optimized profile can help drive website traffic and new patient appointments. According to Repugen, 60% of patients click on a website with a local Google Business Profile listing. 

Keep reading to better understand what Google Business Profile is, why it’s an important acquisition tool for your practice, and how to optimize your profile. 

Google Business Profile can help drive awareness of your practice in your local area. Online searchers easily have access to quick information about your practice, such as an address, phone number, and business hours. Even if you don’t think you need a Google Business Profile page, chances are that you already have one. 

If you don’t take ownership of your Google Business Profile, you risk confusing potential customers with misinformation. Additionally, if your practice has multiple locations, you will need a Google  Business Profile page for each one. 

Not having a (or claiming your) Google Business Profile also affects your online reputation. Online reviews are extremely important to potential customers. In fact, Tech Target’s survey found that 72% of patients said they were most likely to read online reviews on Google when choosing a provider. 

Having a presence on Google also helps you keep a pulse on the scores of patient satisfaction surveys for your office.

A discovery search is when a consumer searches for a category, product, or service. In contrast, a direct search is when potential patients search directly for your practice name.

In healthcare, potential patients may use discovery search terms, such as the ones listed below, to find a specialty or specialist: 

 Or, they will run a discovery search for a particular service in their area:

Patients seek the care you offer. Therefore, to appear in local search rankings and attract patients in your area, your practice needs an online presence that is clear, descriptive, and highly visible. 

Google and other search engines connect an online searcher with the company or companies that best meet their inquiry and needs.

With that in mind, the details you provide online about your practice are critical. A correct office address and phone number are as important as a description of the services your practice offers.

Without a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, it’s impossible to rank well in search results and be found online by interested patients. An SEO strategy is about more than just adding the right words and phrases to your website; it must also include optimization of the dozens of existing web profiles for your practice.

Any business or healthcare listing website (such as Facebook, Yelp, or WebMD) can include a profile of your practice and providers. Finding, claiming, and refining your information on each of those sites ensures patients can find and connect with your practice.

Just as important, by doing this, you’re also sharing consistent, accurate information with search engines, telling them your practice details are correct and ready for inquiring patients.

If your listing profiles include incorrect information, you’re unintentionally pushing new patients away. For instance, if a patient calls an outdated phone number and does not receive the expected response, you’ve lost them for good.

If Google finds inconsistent or conflicting information about your practice, it won’t work on your behalf to assume which profile is correct. It simply won’t provide any results.

Of all the websites that include business listings, Google is the most visible and most important to your practice.

You have to focus on Google to get yourself, your practice, and your providers into the local search rankings. Why? Because they’re the most dominant search force, by far.

Google has roughly 85% of the search engine market in the US, according to HubSpot. More impressive than that, it garners 95% of all mobile traffic. Google’s volume is unparalleled. According to Internet Live Stats, Google processes approximately  1.2 trillion search queries each year.

Google Business Profile is a set of tools that helps local businesses showcase who they are and what they do. This benefits businesses like yours and helps Google select the correct results for the right people in the specific geographic location.

The more details Google has about your practice, the better your chance they’ll match you with patients who are: 

Just like other business and healthcare listing sites, Google will often share information about your practice even if you haven’t provided or confirmed it. You have to claim your Google business listing as yours to control what's displayed.

Three reasons you need to claim your Google business listing are to:

This leads to our step-by-step walk-through of claiming, populating, and optimizing your Google business listing using Google Business Profile.

If you’re setting up a Google business listing, simply follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to google.com/business. Choose “Manage now” to get started.

Step 2: Remember these 4 guidelines as you go through the process: 

Step 3: The next screen urges you to “Provide a business name” or “Find and manage your business.” Enter your practice name here. 

Keep your practice name consistent everywhere it is found. It should be the same one used in phone listings and elsewhere across the web. 

Step 4: The next screen is “Choose your business type.” You will have 3 choices. Once you click “next,” you will now provide your primary business category. Begin by typing your specialty, which will produce a dropdown of options to choose from. The more specific your choice, the better. Don’t worry: Google knows that an orthopedic surgeon is also a doctor.

Step 5: On the “Add your services” screen, select the services that you provide at your practice, especially those unique to your market. It’s typical to enter about 5 to 7 services; however, you can choose to market just 1 or 2 services to align with your practice strategy.

Keep in mind this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list of everything you offer. Focus on services or items you most want patients to find and be interested in. If you have a secondary revenue stream — if you’re a podiatrist with a medspa or a family doctor who sells supplements — include those in your services. 

Step 6: Google asks, “Where do you serve your customers?” Although this is an optional field, it is in your best interest to complete it so people find you in local searches. 

This is where you add your address. It will show up on Google Maps when customers are looking for your business. If you run a practice with multiple locations, creating a profile for each location is essential.

Step 7: The next screen asks, “Do you also serve customers outside this location?” If you’re a mobile physician or provider who makes house calls, you may want to choose “Yes” as your answer.

Step 8: Google then asks for contact details. Although Google says this information is optional, you should consider it mandatory to maximize every possible connection point for patients to reach you. Enter a phone number, and share your practice website URL.

You’re just about done with the basics! Before moving on to some advanced optimizations, you’ll need to verify the business you just listed as yours.

There are a few ways you can do this. If you have a brand-new practice with a new phone number, that verification will probably come from Google by way of a postcard. If you’ve never verified your business but have an existing listing you’re now trying to claim, you may get an option to verify by phone.

If you’ve had your own practice website for a while and have verified that site via the Google Search Console, you may not need to provide additional verification. As a partner with Google, Tebra has a mechanism to make this more seamless and easier for practices.

After you have a verified Google business profile, you’re ready to optimize it. Remember to log in to Google using the same email account you claimed your business listing.

We recommend you take advantage of several key features. Here’s a summary of those features: 

Take a closer look: Unlock provider profiles to manage your online reputation

Whether patients are seeking care via a discovery search or entering your name into a search query, you must establish and maintain an excellent first impression on Google. It’s a critical component of any medical marketing strategy.

By starting with the basics — claiming your Google Business Profile and filling out consistent details — and then adding flavor and specificity, you’ll position your practice to look great in local search rankings.