Does your aesthetics clinic have a verified Google My Business listing? With 3.5 billion searches performed daily via Google’s search engine and the tech behemoth taking up more than 90% of the total online search market share, there is a heck of a lot of SEO potential in claiming your aesthetics clinic’s Google My Business profile.
For those who have a complete search engine optimization (SEO) strategy already in place but are unconvinced of adding yet another platform to the marketing to-do list, consider the following benefits for registering your clinic with a powerful local business directory.
But First, What Are Local Business Directories?
Similar to a physical address book, online directories list and categorize businesses in a user’s area, providing key information such as a phone number, website, location, services offered, or online reviews. Yelp is one example of a powerful local business directory, while Google My Business, or GMB for short, is another. There are plenty of places to start looking to have your aesthetics clinic listed online, but Google’s free business feature offers a convenient first step. This is because many online local business directories also gather information for their listings via Google. Having a verified GMB account enables search engines and local directories to display accurate information for users while improving their search results—and with GMB, all of this information is available directly on the user’s search results page.
The Benefits of a Local Business Listing
Control the Details
By registering and verifying your business, contact information, hours of operation, and even the business description, you can ensure every bit of information is accurate and on brand. With an account, clinic hours can easily be updated for holidays or seasons and this information will filter through to other local business directories. Business owners can also upload select images to better control and highlight features that set your aesthetics clinic apart, such as a modern clinic, featured aesthetic devices, or staff.
Make a Bigger Imprint
A GMB account ensures your business will pop up in Google Maps listings in your area, as well as other local business directories, as we mentioned earlier. The main benefit of appearing in all of these places is a larger online footprint. Having a verified account and listings on authoritative pages like Yelp or RealSelf.com offers invaluable backlinks that improve your clinic’s SEO, meaning you’re more likely to pop up first in local search results.
Easy Website Setup
GMB offers up a basic website that’s simple to set up. (You can opt out of this, though, and link your current website instead.) GMB’s website feature aggregates all the information in your verified business listing and merge it into the selected template for a professional-looking website. Information can be tweaked as much or as little as you’d like, and customization options, including a custom URL, are available to help create a site that better suits your clinic’s brand. This can also be a quick solution to ensure an active site is accessible online while working on a website makeover. GMB’s websites are mobile-friendly (aka “responsive”)—a major must-have for those clinics targeted millennial clientele—but it’s worth it to double-check on a mobile device rather than setting it and forgetting it.
Marketing Campaign Support
Not all prospective patients will look to social media to check out promotions or blog posts. One way to boost the impact these posts have online is built into the GMB platform, simply called Posts, this feature allows businesses to add images and direct links under their business listing. Posts stay live for seven days or can be set with an expiry date. This feature is a useful way to better drive traffic from search results to the pages and promotions you want to highlight most, such as email list sign-ups, online consultation bookings, or a blog post educating patients on the newest treatments available at your clinic.
Direct Bookings
Keep clicks to a minimum for online users to improve your consultation bookings with a built-in online appointment scheduler. GMB offers the ability to schedule a consultation appointment directly on its search page. Offering this option where users are prevents the likelihood of issues arising while loading additional pages or users simply being averse to having to search for your booking page. One caveat is that your aesthetics clinic must be using scheduling software compatible with Google, but you can enroll with a provider during the setup process.
More Data
For those able to set up direct scheduling, data on appointments booked and total revenue from these appointments (if a consultation fee is applicable to your clinic) are available via GMB, alongside deeper data in the Insights feature. This option offers an overview on how users are most often interacting with your listing, including popular pages, views, and actions, alongside maps to see where users are located. All of this data can be invaluable in determining where to focus your marketing efforts for a greater return.
Online Reviews in One Prominent Place
Online reviews have a major impact on consumers’ buying decisions. While review sites like Yelp and RealSelf.com are go-tos for prospective patients seeking aesthetics clinics, Google is also a major player in this area. With a GMB account, it’s possible to engage with reviewers and better encourage patients to leave a review. Google has guidelines when it comes to requesting reviews from clients, so be aware of these rules when launching your in-office or email campaign encouraging clients to post online.
In Conclusion…
Google My Business and local business directories can be a powerful tool for improving marketing funnels and expanding your SEO campaign with fairly little work. After creating a GMB account, next steps in this area may be to list with Apple Maps, Facebook, Yelp, or RealSelf.com, and build out a marketing strategy that doesn’t eat up too much time for too little return.
Need a little help? Contact a Venus Concept expert today to discover how a partnership with us can provide the marketing and practice enhancement support your aesthetics clinic needs.
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