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Transcript

What Really Matters for Your Google Business Profile (And What Doesn't) · The Clinic Marketing Podcast | Local SEO & Healthcare Online Marketing Tips for Clinic Owners & Wellness Providers

• 0:26
  Welcome back to the Clinic Marketing Podcast.
• 0:28
  I'm your host, Darcy Sullivan from Propel Marketing and Design, where we help healthcare clinics get found online through local SEO, website strategy, and now increasingly helping clinics show up in AI-powered search.
• 0:45
  Today, we're going to talk about one of the most important marketing assets your clinic has: your Google Business Profile listing.
• 0:54
  Now, if you've ever logged in to your Google Business Profile listing and thought,"Why have my reviews disappeared?
• 1:00
  Why won't Google approve this edit?
• 1:02
  Why did my ranking suddenly change?
• 1:05
  Why is another clinic showing up ahead of me?" You're not alone.
• 1:08
  Your Google Business Profile can feel incredibly frustrating because it doesn't always behave the way you expect it to.
• 1:17
  A lot of clinic owners assume that there is a checklist, and there is a checklist.
• 1:21
  You fill out every field, you get enough reviews, you upload photos, you pick a category, and then Google rewards you.
• 1:28
  And while in theory, yes, there is a checklist, there are certain things you have to do to make sure that you even show up, over the years, Google's local search system has become much more sophisticated.
• 1:40
  So it's no longer looking at just one thing.
• 1:43
  It looks at hundreds of signals and asks a much bigger question: Can I trust this business enough to recommend it to a patient?
• 1:53
  That shift changes everything.
• 1:56
  So today, I want to walk you through some things I think every clinic owner should understand about their Google Business Profile listing.
• 2:04
  These aren't necessarily hacks, they're principles that continue to matter even as Google changes.
• 2:11
  So let's jump in.
• 2:12
  Let's start with one of the biggest misconceptions I see.
• 2:17
  Clinic owners spend a lot of time asking the wrong questions like,"How many photos should I upload?
• 2:24
  How often should I post?
• 2:26
  How many reviews do I need?" Those are great questions, but they're not the first question you should ask.
• 2:31
  The first question you should ask is,"Does Google trust my clinic?" Think about how you choose a healthcare provider.
• 2:40
  You don't make the decision based on one thing.
• 2:42
  You look at reviews.
• 2:43
  You look at a website.
• 2:45
  You see if the office looks clean and professional.
• 2:48
  You look at the services they have offered.
• 2:50
  You read some information about them.
• 2:53
  Maybe you check to see if they accept your insurance.
• 2:55
  You check their hours.
• 2:58
  Maybe you look at a doctor's bio.
• 3:01
  Google is doing a very similar thing.
• 3:04
  Instead of checking one box after another, Google is building confidence that your clinic is legitimate, active, and likely to provide a good experience.
• 3:16
  On top of that, it must meet what someone is searching for.
• 3:20
  That means every part of your online presence contributes to these factors: your website, your Google Business profile, your reviews, your photos, your services, your business description, your consistency across the web, even how patients interact with your listing.
• 3:37
  This is why two clinics can appear to have very similar Google Business profiles, yet one consistently outranks another.
• 3:46
  One profile gives Google more reasons to trust it.
• 3:50
  Whenever you make a change to your Google Business profile, stop asking,"Will this improve my rankings?" And instead ask,"Will this make my clinic more trustworthy and more helpful to a patient?" That is a much better long-term strategy.
• 4:10
  One of the biggest things I see that clinics do as a mistake is trying to do everything at once.
• 4:16
  Maybe they remember they haven't touched their business profile in six months, so they spend one Saturday afternoon uploading forty photos, adding every single service, changing the description, asking every single patient for a review, creating Google posts, updating the business hours, and then they don't touch it again until the next year.
• 4:39
  That's not how a healthy business behaves.
• 4:43
  Think about your actual clinic.
• 4:46
  Patients don't all arrive one Saturday morning.
• 4:49
  Your office doesn't suddenly become active once every six months.
• 4:54
  Your business is alive every day of the week, so your Google Business profile should reflect that.
• 5:01
  I'd much rather see you upload one to three new photos per month than a hundred and fifty twice a year.
• 5:08
  I'd rather see you collect five new amazing reviews every single month rather than sixty reviews in a weekend.
• 5:19
  I'd rather see one thoughtful update every few weeks than twenty-five updates in one afternoon.
• 5:27
  Consistency sends a signal that your business is active.
• 5:31
  It also creates a better experience for patients because there's always something current to see We also need to keep in mind that your website and your Google Business profile should tell the same story.
• 5:45
  One of the biggest missed opportunities I see is when a clinic treats its website and its Google Business profile as two completely separate marketing tools.
• 5:56
  They are not.
• 5:57
  Google connects them consistently.
• 6:01
  Imagine your Google Business profile says you specialize in sports injuries, and your website barely mentions sports injuries.
• 6:10
  Instead, it talks mostly about family chiropractic care.
• 6:14
  Now Google has conflicting information.
• 6:17
  Or maybe your website has fantastic pages about shockwave and spinal decompression and dry needling, but none of those services are listed on your Google Business profile.
• 6:30
  Again, you're making Google work harder to understand your clinic.
• 6:36
  The easier you make it for Google to connect the dots, the more confidence Google has in what your clinic offers.
• 6:45
  This is becoming even more important because AI search doesn't rely solely on one source.
• 6:54
  It compares information from your website, and your website really has to have that amazing information on it, your Google Business profile, trusted directories, reviews.
• 7:07
  And we've done tons of episodes dedicated specifically to websites and reviews.
• 7:13
  I'll link those in the show notes.
• 7:15
  But also on top of that, other sources before gathering recommendations.
• 7:21
  If those sources all reinforce one another, you have a much better chance to be recommended.
• 7:27
  So one of the easiest things you can do this week is to compare your website to your Google Business profile.
• 7:33
  Do a side-by-side comparison.
• 7:36
  Are they telling the same story?
• 7:38
  Would a patient describe your clinic the same way after reading either one?
• 7:44
  If not, that's probably a great place to start Now, let's talk about something I don't think enough clinic owners understand.
• 7:52
  Every change you make to your Google Business Profile sends Google new information about your business.
• 7:59
  Some of those changes help, some of those changes just don't make any difference, and sometimes making too many changes too quickly can actually create confusion.
• 8:12
  I've seen clinic owners consistently changing their business subscription because they read a blog post that says that they need to add more keywords, or they're changing or adding new categories just for the sake of adding them, and then next week they're changing their services, and then they rewrite their description again, and they're chasing optimization instead of building confidence.
• 8:35
  Think about it this way.
• 8:37
  Imagine you ne- meet someone new.
• 8:40
  The first time they tell you they're an accountant.
• 8:42
  Next week, they tell you they're a financial advisor.
• 8:45
  Then they tell you they're a business consultant.
• 8:48
  A week later, they call themselves an entrepreneur.
• 8:51
  Eventually, you're wondering,"So what exactly is it that they do?" Google isn't that different.
• 8:58
  It wants consistency.
• 9:00
  That doesn't mean you should never make updates.
• 9:03
  You should.
• 9:05
  You absolutely should update your profile.
• 9:08
  If you add a new service, update it.
• 9:10
  If you've never added services, include them.
• 9:13
  If your hours change, update them.
• 9:16
  If you hire another provider, update your profile if it should be included in the information your Google Business Profile showcases.
• 9:25
  If you remodel your office, add a new photo.
• 9:28
  Those are all meaningful updates.
• 9:31
  But don't feel like you need to reinvent your profile every month because someone online promised a ranking boost.
• 9:40
  Instead, think about keeping your profile accurate.
• 9:44
  Google loves fresh information.
• 9:47
  Patients love accurate information.
• 9:49
  Those two goals happen to align very well.
• 9:53
  In the show notes for this episode, I will include information about what to do when Google suggests an edit to your profile.
• 10:03
  That can happen very regularly, and if you're not keeping an eye on your Google Business Profile, Google might even actually make some changes on your behalf.
• 10:13
  So we've got to babysit those Google-- your Google Business Profile listing Whenever I talk to a client or a potential client, or I'm talking at a conference, I always get a similar question.
• 10:25
  People ask,"How many reviews do I really need?" And honestly, there isn't a magic number.
• 10:31
  Would I rather see a clinic with three hundred great reviews than thirty?
• 10:36
  Of course.
• 10:37
  But what matters even more is the pattern behind those reviews.
• 10:42
  Are they coming in consistently?
• 10:45
  Are they recent?
• 10:46
  Do they mention real patient experiences?
• 10:50
  Do you respond to them?
• 10:52
  Google is looking for authentic engagement, and one thing we've learned over the past few years is that reviews aren't just about reputation anymore.
• 11:02
  They're another way that Google learns about your clinic.
• 11:06
  Think about the words patients naturally use.
• 11:10
  "I found relief from my migraines.
• 11:12
  They helped me with sciatica.
• 11:14
  The staff was wonderful.
• 11:16
  I got an appointment so quickly.
• 11:18
  They explained everything.
• 11:20
  I went in for a specific kind of treatment." Those reviews are teaching Google what your clinic is known for.
• 11:27
  They're also teaching AI.
• 11:29
  That's why I encourage clinics not to script reviews.
• 11:34
  Don't hand patients a card that tells them exactly what to write.
• 11:38
  Instead, ask an open-ended question:"Would you mind leaving a review talking about what brought you in today, and how was your experience?" When you word asking reviews in that manner, people are more likely to use the right keywords.
• 11:56
  If they're saying,"I came in for a chiropractic adjustment because I had back pain, and it's been three days, and I already feel better," Google's identifying the word chiropractor or chiropractic, back pain, and feeling better with your clinic.
• 12:11
  Something like that is going to help your business a lot more than blank five-star reviews or five stars reviews where they just said,"This company's great." Right?
• 12:22
  Very different messaging there.
• 12:24
  I also see the mistake of clinics asking for reviews Four weeks, or they go on a sprint where they send out a mass email asking every party for a review all at once.
• 12:35
  Instead, you want to pace the rate at which you ask for reviews so that you have a nice cadence in the way that you're collecting reviews and the way that they are gonna display associated with your listing.
• 12:49
  One or two amazing reviews every week is much healthier than 50 lackluster reviews all at once.
• 12:58
  Photos also matter more than most clinics realize.
• 13:01
  Let's talk about one of the most underused parts of your Google Business Profile listing: photos.
• 13:07
  When we conduct Google Business Profile audits, this is one problem we see a lot.
• 13:13
  Many clinics uploaded pictures when they opened, and that was it.
• 13:19
  Some still have photos from 2018.
• 13:22
  Some even still have some photos that say something about COVID, for crying out loud.
• 13:28
  We've gotta make sure that all of the information on your Google Business Profile and the images associated with it are clearly associated with your business in the current state that it is.
• 13:41
  Patients want to know what your office looks like today.
• 13:44
  Google wants to see that your business is still active today.
• 13:48
  So go look at those photos.
• 13:49
  If you still have photos on there that are showcasing masks from back in the COVID days, please get rid of them.
• 13:55
  They're not friendly, and they're not welcoming.
• 13:58
  You wanna make sure that the photos that are associated with your business, again, reflect what your business is like today Every few weeks, you can pull out your phone, take a picture, take a picture of the front desk, take a picture of the treatment rooms, take a picture of your provider, take a picture of new equipment, community events, et cetera.
• 14:15
  Just make sure if you're including patients in those photos that they have given you permission to use their photo.
• 14:23
  Remember, people often decide whether a clinic feels trustworthy before they even read a single word, and having quality photos helps build that trust.
• 14:33
  It reduces uncertainty, and uncertainty is what keeps people from scheduling.
• 14:38
  Now, let's connect this back to the AI searches.
• 14:42
  I think this is where things are headed.
• 14:44
  When people ask ChatGPT,"Who's the best chiropractor near me?" Or they use Google AI Overviews or any other search tool that's AI-driven, those systems need trusted information.
• 14:56
  Where do they find it?
• 14:57
  Your website, your Google Business Profile listing, your reviews, your trusted listings on business directories.
• 15:04
  Those sources all work together.
• 15:06
  This is why I'm encouraging clinics to stop thinking about your Google Business Profile as just something that helps you rank on Google Maps, and please stop thinking about your Google Business Profile as just another form of social media.
• 15:19
  It's much bigger than that.
• 15:21
  It becomes one of the core sources AI uses to understand your practice.
• 15:27
  Think about everything your profile contains: your services, your hours, your website, your reviews, your photos, your business description, accessibility information, appointment links.
• 15:37
  Those are exactly what kinds of facts AI systems want when recommending a business.
• 15:45
  So every time you improve your profile, you're not just helping today's Google search, you're preparing your clinic for the future of search.
• 15:54
  And stop cha- chasing these hacks.
• 15:57
  If you've listened to this podcast for any length of time, you probably heard me say this before.
• 16:02
  Marketing gets a lot easier when you stop chasing these shortcuts.
• 16:07
  Every few months, there's another video out there about do this one thing and you'll rank number one, or Google's newest trick.
• 16:14
  Those videos get a lot of views, but they rarely help clinic owners build a strong business.
• 16:20
  Instead, ask yourself,"Would this make my clinic more useful?
• 16:25
  Would this information help my patient?
• 16:28
  Would this make my information more accurate?
• 16:31
  Would this increase trust?" If the answer is yes, it's probably worth doing.
• 16:35
  If the answer is,"I don't know, but someone on Facebook said it'll work," then I would be a bit more skeptical.
• 16:43
  The clinics we see succeed year after year aren't consistently looking for loopholes.
• 16:48
  They're improving the patient experience.
• 16:52
  They're making their websites better.
• 16:54
  They're adding helpful content.
• 16:56
  They're earning reviews naturally.
• 16:58
  They're keeping their information accurate.
• 17:01
  They're staying active, and because of that, they continue to perform well, even as Google changes.
• 17:08
  Before we wrap up this episode, I wanna leave you with a quick Google Business Profile exercise.
• 17:14
  After this episode, open up your Google Business Profile And look at it with fresh eyes.
• 17:20
  Ask yourself,"If I knew nothing about this clinic, would I trust it?
• 17:24
  Would I understand exactly what they specialize in?
• 17:28
  Do the photos look current?
• 17:29
  Are the reviews recent?
• 17:31
  Do the services match my website?
• 17:35
  Are my hours accurate?
• 17:37
  Does the business description clearly explain who we help and where we're located?
• 17:44
  Would I choose this clinic over the one down the street?" If you answer no to any of those questions, don't panic.
• 17:52
  You don't have to fix everything today.
• 17:55
  Pick one thing this week.
• 17:56
  Maybe it's your photos, maybe it's adding a new service you missed, maybe it's responding to reviews, maybe it's reviewing your business description.
• 18:06
  Small improvements made consistently almost always outperform massive overhauls once every few years.
• 18:17
  Your Google Business profile is not just another marketing task on your to-do list anymore.
• 18:23
  For many prospective patients, it's their first impression of your clinic, and increasingly it is becoming one of the primary sou- sources for Google and AI search systems to use to understand your business.
• 18:37
  Keep it current, keep it active, keep it helpful.
• 18:41
  If you want assistance doing this, please be sure to visit propelyourcompany.com.
• 18:46
  You can book a discovery call, or you can book a Google Business Profile audit.
• 18:52
  We'll review what's working, identify opportunities for improvement, and prioritize the changes that are most likely to help your clinic get found online.
• 19:02
  Thanks so much for listening to the"Clinic Marketing Podcast." If you found today's episode helpful, I'd really appreciate it if you'd subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with another clinic owner.