How to Show Up in the Map Section of Google

Google Maps: it’s the online resource many people use to locate restaurants, shopping malls, medical offices and more. But these listings don’t just magically appear in all search results – unless you take steps to rank as high as possible with the Google crawlers. Here are a few tips to improve your practice’s visibility on Google Maps.

1. Fill out a GBP. Google Business Profile (GBP) has also been called Google My Business. Search your practice’s name on Google and then go through the steps to make sure the information is accurate. If your practice makes any internal changes such as an address change, be sure to update your GBP listing as quickly as possible.
2. Ensure NAP consistency. Your name, address and phone number (NAP) must be consistent across the internet. Review your practice’s listings often and make updates when you find errors. This can be done by searching your practice name and seeing what listings pop up. This process can be automated if necessary.
3. Update your GBP often. The more active your listing is, the better. You should try to add at least one post a month with educational blogs, special events, discounts and general news about your practice. Include photos and clickable links to make your posting more enticing.
4. Optimize your website’s local SEO. Your site should be optimized for search engine optimization (SEO) for local keywords, content and links. If your site is structured in a way that makes it easy to navigate and find information, Google will be better equipped to crawl it and move your site to the top of search results.
5. Include backlinks on your website. Where appropriate, add links to reputable websites that support the information on your pages. For example, if you write a blog about the dangers of wearing novelty contacts during Halloween, you may want to link to an American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) page that supports your claims.
6. Promote community involvement. If your practice is an active member in your community, share the events you participate in on your website: in blogs, on your home page, etc. This is another good time to include backlinks to the organizations with which you are supporting.
7. Incorporate local business schema. This standardized, structured data markup code should be added to your website to help Google understand the content of your website. In turn, this helps Google know when to suggest your practice in a Google search.
8. Embed the Google Map on your site. This is an additional step you can take to improve your ranking. The map can be included on your Home page, Contact Us page, Locations page or even included at the bottom of every page in your website.
9. Encourage patient reviews on Google. The more positive patient reviews you have on Google, the better! Allocate someone in your practice to review the reviews daily and respond to each one – especially the negative ones. You want to deal with the negative reviews quickly so hopefully the patient will take it down. Positive review responses can be automated if you don’t have time to do this manually.
10. Check your SERPs often. Search engine results pages (SERPs) are the pages that pop up when you search keywords for your practice. You can do this manually or automate the process to ensure that your practice will be found by searchers. Check for short keywords with local identifiers (such as “LASIK near me”), but don’t forget the long tail keywords that are more targeted to your practice.

Whew! There is a lot more that goes into having a strong Google Map presence than one might think. If your practice doesn’t have the internal staff or SEO knowledge in house to handle these important tasks, contact Fast Track Marketing today. We have a team of SEO experts who can take this burden off your shoulders and, most importantly, improve your ranking on Google Maps. The result? More leads for you!

Contact Brandi Musgrave, our Director of Business Development, today to start the conversation.

Brandi Musgrave
Director of Business Development
22 Years of Ophthalmology Marketing & Consulting Experience

• Call or text: 303-731-2634
• Email: brandi@fast-trackmarketing.com