Get Your Website Found: 3 Ways Google Can Help You Attract New Patients
Does your dental practice have a presence online? More importantly, is your online presence working to attract new dental patients? Every day potential patients are judging your practice based on what they find online. Google now processes an average of 40,000 search queries every second, so how can you use the power of Google to bring quality new patients into your practice?
Build A Strong Foundation
Make sure you have a strong online foundation before you dive into the rest of this post. By foundation, I mean a patient-focused website that is ready to be at the center of your online marketing. There’s no point in creating an online marketing plan designed to drive new dental patients to your website if it is outdated and can’t provide information new patients need.
3 Building Blocks Of A Successful Dental Website
- Answer all new dental patient questions. Make sure new patients can easily contact your office through your website. Consider offering a “FAQ” section to address many of the questions your front office staff hears every day.
- Use current photos of you and your staff. This is a simple update you can make on your site that has a big impact. Showcasing current, professional photos of your staff helps new dental patients emotionally connect with your practice and puts them at ease before they walk in the door.
- Post clear calls to action. Make it easy for patients to contact your office using an online form on the first page of your site. Make sure you include “book an appointment today” buttons throughout the site that constantly drive dental patients to schedule new appointments.
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Harness The Power of Google
Your practice’s website is now ready to be the center of attention. Still, just having a patient-focused website isn’t enough. How can you make sure new patients are finding your practice online?
Google has a variety of tools you can use to maximize the online visibility of your dental practice. Start with these 3 and you’ll be on your way to using the power of Google to increase your new dental patient numbers.
Claim Your Practice’s Google Places Listing. This is a free service offered by Google that is very easy to use. Just go to https://www.google.com/business and follow the step-by-step instructions to make sure Google is listing your business information correctly. Added benefits include being able to edit your business listing, showcase your practice’s unique features, and feature positive Google reviews.
Ask Patients To Leave Google Reviews. I can’t stress the importance of online reviews enough. They matter! More than 88% of all consumers trust online reviews as much (or more!) than they do personal recommendations. Nearly 9 out of 10 people will call the dental practice with a 5 star Google review first. New patients want a doctor with this type of online reputation.
The best way to start building a library of positive Google reviews is by asking 1-2 patients each day to leave a review.
3 Tips To Make It Easy To Ask Dental Patients For Reviews
- Make it simple! Use a QR code so patients can scan it with their cell phone when they leave the office and immediately write a review. Make sure your front office staff can help if dental patients have any questions or need troubleshooting.
- Don’t be pushy. If a patient isn’t interested in leaving a review, don’t push it. Just thank them and move on.
- Send a link using email. If your practice follows up patient appointments with an email, just include a link with a simple request to leave a Google review.
Create a Profile on Google Plus. It is easy to focus on other social media networks like Facebook or Twitter, but don’t forget that Google Plus has 300 million active monthly users. This is a huge untapped audience for your dental practice.
According to Hootsuite, Google Plus remains a key part of organic search rankings and visibility. You do need to create a Google “My Business” account before you create a profile for your practice on Google Plus. If you’ve already done this, you’re ready to create a Google Plus profile. For help creating your Google “My Business Account”, just click here and follow the steps.
The bottom line is that patients constantly use Google to search for the best dental options. Make sure your practice is skyrocketing to the top of their search results using Google’s best tools to succeed.