Google My Business for Dentists - The Step by Step Guide
Are you a dentist with a website but no Google Business (previously known as Google My Business) Profile? If so, you are losing out on a valuable opportunity to attract new patients and grow your practice.
Google owns almost 92% of the global search market. That means most of your potential patients use Google to search for dentists in their area.
Google Business Profile (Google My Business or GMB) is an important way for patients to find and interact with you online. With a GMB listing, your dental practice can become more visible in local search results, which means more potential patients can find you.
Your Google Business Profile is a one-stop solution for managing your online presence, including your location, business description, clinic hours, and patient reviews.
This guide will explain the importance of creating a Google Business profile for your dental practice, setting it up and optimizing it for the best results.
So without further ado, let’s begin.
What is Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business or GMB)?
Google Business Profile is a free tool that helps businesses manage their online presence across different Google platforms such as Google Maps, Google Search, and other services.
When someone searches for your practice or related terms on Google, your GMB listing will appear on Google and its other products.
The Importance of Google Business Profile for Dentists
Having a Google My Business profile is essential for your dental practice. It enables you to reach more people in your area and promote your practice.
It also helps build trust among potential patients, as they can get more information about your practice and read reviews from other patients. advantages
Following are some of the advantages of having a GMB profile for dentists:
- Increased visibility in local search results
- More opportunities to reach potential patients
- Ability to showcase services and products
- Improved online reputation through customer reviews
- Opportunity to provide more information about your practice
How To Create Google Business Profile For Your Dental Clinic?
Step 1: Creating your Google Business profile
Creating a Google Business account is simple. Just follow the steps below:
- Login to your personal Gmail account to access Google Business Profile.
Visit Google Business Profile and click on “Manage Now”.
Enter the name of your business. Before selecting your business category, you should research your competitors to find the most accurate category for your business. You should pick the category that is most relevant for your clinic.
Choose your business type and category.
Provide other information, such as an address, phone number, website URL and hours of operation.
- Finish setting up your profile by adding images and a business description.
Step 2: Verifying Your Google Business Profile
Once your profile is completed, you need to verify it. Otherwise, your Google Business profile will not be visible online. There are different methods to verify your profile, such as phone, email, or postcard. 
However, the most common method of verification is the postcard by mail. After you select your method, you will receive a verification code within five days.
Step 3: Customizing Your Google Business Profile
Once verified, start customizing your profile by adding additional information, such as services and products. You can also add visuals to showcase your business. 
Always keep your Google Business Profile up-to-date with accurate information about your practice, including hours of operation, phone numbers and website links.
Additionally, you can create posts to share important updates about your dental practice, such as special offers or new services.
How to Optimize Your Dental Office’s Google Business Profile?
Once your Google Business Profile is set up and verified, you should optimize it to get the most out of it. Optimizing your listing will increase the chances that people searching for dental services in your area will find your clinic.
Here are some effective ways to optimize your Google Business Profile for dentists:
Claim and Verify Your Listing
If you still need to do so, verify and claim your listing by following the above steps. Verifying your Google Business dentist listing is important because it allows you to control the information that appears online.
It also helps build trust with potential patients, as they can be sure your clinic is legitimate and trustworthy.
Ensure all relevant information is complete, accurate and up-to-date. possibilities
The more complete your business profile is, the more chances you have of being found by local patients. Make sure to fill out all fields in the “about” section, including services and products provided by your clinic.
Keep your Google Business profile accurate and up-to-date on Google and any other web listing you have. A major key to business profile management is consistency.
Check your NAP (name, address, phone) listings for consistency. Your NAP information must be exactly the same in each web listing. For example, if you write “Group” in one listing, do the same for all the listings on the web.
Select relevant categories
Google allows you to select one primary category for your practice and up to nine secondary categories. Keep your primary category as broad as possible. For example, most dental practices should choose ‘Dentist’ or ‘Dental Clinic’.
However, choose categories that accurately depict your practice. Some of the dental categories you can choose from are:
Most dental practices offer more than one type of service, such as cosmetic dentistry, teeth whitening, and pediatric dentistry. Use these specialities as your secondary categories.
For example, suppose your practice performs cosmetic procedures and dental emergency treatments. In that case, you should choose “Cosmetic Dentist” and “Emergency Dental Service” as secondary categories for your practice.
Add relevant keywords to craft a perfect business description.
Make sure to add relevant keywords to your business description. This will help you rank high on Google search results. 
Think of words and phrases related to your clinic services, such as “dental implants” or “teeth whitening service”.
Nowadays, people use long-tail keywords to search for local services, so it’s best to focus on those. Use all 750 characters in your business description to give potential patients key reasons why they should choose your practice.
For example, if your clinic offers a range of treatments and services, you could mention them in your description. You can also add information about your team and why you’re the best choice for local patients.
Add and Optimize Images and Videos
People search for images and click on them around 1 billion times daily. That equals around 11.5k clicks per second. So, you can’t ignore Google image searches.
Your Google profile should be a mix of both written and visual content. Add authentic and original images of your practice and staff that are clear and visually pleasing. Don’t use stock images. Add photos that reflect your practice to make you stand out from your competition.
You can also use videos to boost engagement with potential customers. Videos are the most engaging content you can post on Google Business, as they can help you better explain the services and procedures offered by your clinic.
By adding good quality, original images and videos, you’re giving Google more information about your practice and making it easier for potential patients to connect with you.
Seeing your office and staff in person will help create a connection that may not have otherwise been possible. This increases the likelihood of potential patients trusting you and inquiring about your services.
Create Google Posts Regularly
Google Posts are an effective way to keep potential patients up-to-date with your dental practice. It’s an amazing feature of Google My Business (GMB) that allows you to create timely, engaging content for your business profile.
Google posts help you stand out and attract new patients to your practice. It’s also a great way to inform patients about any changes or updates in your clinic.
You can share announcements, special offers, free consultations, stories, events, or promotions. Post engaging and informative content regularly to rank higher on Google.
Include all social media and web links
Social Media and website links on your Google Business Profile will drive more traffic to your website and other digital platforms.
Make sure to add all relevant links, such as your dental website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels. This will help potential patients quickly navigate through different pages of your online presence.
Patients can see reviews and content posted on these different platforms, which can go a long way in building and promoting your practice.
Include an Online Scheduling Link
In recent years, online booking softwares have become increasingly popular among dentists. If you have an online scheduling system in place, double down on its efficiency by adding its link to your Google Business Profile. 
With this newfound accessibility, patients can schedule appointments on your website directly from Google. Use this link to send web users straight to your website’s contact page, where they can easily call or schedule an appointment with you by filling out the form.
You can easily manage your appointments using an online scheduling provider integrated with Google. This way, you can get web and app services that seamlessly connect with your patient’s Google Account. Your patients also benefit from automatic appointment reminders and built-in integration with Google products like Calendar.
You can see all appointments made through Reserve with Google in the Bookings tab in your Google Business Profile. If you don’t have an online scheduling provider, you can select one of select one of Google’s supported scheduling providers to manage your patient appointments.
Encourage Reviews & Ratings
Google reviews are key to success in the world of local SEO. They help build trust with potential patients who may be on the fence about choosing you as their dental care provider.
Moreover, reviews are critical in determining your Google ranking. So, it’s important to encourage patients to leave reviews after their appointments.
70% of consumers will write a review for a business when asked. So, it’s worth reaching out and asking patients to leave a review.
You can also create a Google Review link to share with your patients via text, email or social media. This review link can also be connected with the QR code and then used on business cards, websites, email signatures and social media.
Respond to All Reviews
Don’t forget to respond to any reviews left on your Google Business profile. Replying to them will show prospective patients that you care about their opinion.
Be sure to use best practices when responding to reviews to avoid issues. Be polite and professional in your responses, and thank everyone for leaving reviews, regardless of sentiment. 
45% of consumers say they’re likelier to visit a business that responds to their negative reviews. Even if you can’t change the situation that led to the negative review, you can build a rapport with the patients and turn them into satisfied patients.
For a positive review, thank the patient for their kind words and let them know you appreciate their input. 7 out of 10 customers changed their opinion about a business after the business responded to the review.
A well-crafted response can help turn a negative review into an opportunity to showcase your customer service skills.
Latest Updates in Google My Business
As of November 2021, Google My Business (GMB) is now called Google Business Profile. Updated Google Business Profile has added several new features:
Claim and Verify Business Profile straight from Google Search and Google Maps
You can now easily claim and verify your Business Profile directly from Google products you already use. As per Google:
“Just search for the name of your business on Google or go to your profile directly in the Google Maps app, and you’ll see an option to verify the profile or resolve other issues, like profile suspension. You can also search for “my business” on Google Search to get to your Business Profile.”
You can also clearly see whether your profile is publicly visible and what to do to get it seen by your customers.
Ability to track data on Calls That Come from Google Business Profile
Whenever you receive a call from your Google Business Profile, you will receive a message specifying the call’s origin. You can also review your call history, enabling you to respond to missed calls.
Patients Can Message Your Practice Directly from Google Search
Now patients can message you directly from your profile on Google Search. You just need to turn on the chat option in your Google Business Profile.
Then, you can connect with patients in real-time to answer any questions about your services and engage with those who are most likely to turn into paying patients.
Manage Patients’ Reviews and Answer Questions
With a Google Business Profile, you can monitor your reviews, respond to them, and even request the removal of any review that goes against Google’s policies. You can also answer questions directly from your profile page.
Control Read Receipts in Google Search and Maps
You can now see when your message has been read in Google Search. Keep up with patients easily by tracking all your conversations via chat and staying in touch with them.
Ready to optimize your GMB dental listing and grow your practice?
Google Business is a powerful tool for any dental practice. An effective GMB strategy can create more visibility and boost conversions for your dental business.
Keep up with the latest updates in Google Business to stay ahead of the competition, increase visibility, and grow your practice.
Take the first step towards optimizing your Google Business dental listing today with DemandHub and grow your practice tenfold!
DemandHub is a customer experience and satisfaction platform that helps dental practices build an effective online presence and generate more leads with their Google Business profile.
DemandHub helps dentists manage their Google Business profile, monitor reviews, get more positive reviews, respond to patients’ feedback, and track the performance of your dental practice.
Book your free demo now!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Google Business Profile for Dentists
What is Google Business Profile for Dentists?
Google Business is a free tool that allows dentists to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. It helps dentists to promote their services, showcase their office hours, collect and respond to reviews, and provide potential patients with photos or virtual tours. It’s an essential part of local SEO strategy, helping practices to attract and engage with patients in their local area.
How can Google Business help my dental practice?
Google Business can increase your practice’s online visibility, help attract new patients, and engage with existing ones. It lets you display important information about your practice, like your address, hours, and services. It also enables patients to leave reviews, boosting your reputation and reliability.
How do I set up a Google Business Profile for my dental practice?
To set up Google Business Profile, you must create a Google listing, verify your business, and complete your profile with accurate and detailed information. This includes your business name, address, phone number, operating hours, and services.
How can I optimize my Google Business Profile for my dental practice?
To optimize your listing, ensure all information is accurate and complete. Upload high-quality photos of your practice, encourage patients to leave reviews, and respond to patient reviews. Regularly updating your listing with new information, posts, and events can also help.
How do I brand myself as a dentist?
To brand yourself as a dentist, you must define your unique value proposition (USP). Think about what sets you apart from other dentists. Communicate that consistently across all your marketing materials or channels. Your USP could be your expertise, your approach to patient care, your unique offerings or services, or your office culture.
Be consistent in your visual branding (like logos and colors), tone, and messaging across your website, social media, and offline materials.
How do I advertise my dental services?
Advertising your dental services involves a mix of online and offline strategies. For online, your website, social media platforms, email marketing, and digital advertising like pay-per-click (PPC) ads will be your ally. For offline, you can use direct mail, print ads, or community events.
How do I manage my dental business?
Running a dental business involves several key responsibilities. You must provide excellent patient care and manage your team effectively. It’s also vital to maintain your practice’s financial health and use effective marketing strategies to attract and retain patients. To ensure success, regularly update your business plan, stay informed about dental industry trends, and use dental practice management software.
What is a dental business?
A dental business, or dental practice, is a healthcare facility that provides dental care services to patients. These services can include preventive care, diagnosis, and treatment of issues related to oral health. This can encompass a range of procedures, from routine cleanings and check-ups to more complex procedures like root canals, orthodontics, and oral surgeries.
A dental business is typically run by one or more dentists, possibly with a team of dental hygienists, dental assistants, and administrative staff. It also involves aspects of business management such as marketing, finance, and customer service.
