When people need to find a practice and schedule an appointment, they don’t only search in Google. They also use online directories and listings. And there’s dozens of public directories. Read on to learn the basics of how online directory listings can help or hurt your practice.
SEND MORE TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE
You’ve likely used an online directory listing to find a local business before, even if you didn’t realize it. Google My Business and Yelp are two of the most common ones, but there are also directories that specialize in dental practices, like WebMD.
Whether a patient is searching for practices in their area or your practice specifically, they are equally as likely to land on one of your practice listings as on your website.
LISTINGS AFFECT SEO (SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION) RESULTS
Filling out your directory listing completely and keeping them consistent may feel time-consuming, but it’s worth it in the end because it can boost your SEO results. This signals to search engines that you have a higher level of credibility than a practice that has not maintained its listings.
This can result in improved rankings since search engine algorithms use accuracy and consistency as a search ranking factor.
ACCURACY AFFECTS MOBILE SEARCHES
Updated, content-rich practice listings can make all the difference between you and your competitors ranking on voice search for one reason: user intent.
Voice and mobile users are usually looking for specific information like address, phone number, and hours of operation. When people do a local search, they often contact or visit that business within one hour of finding practice information online.
LISTINGS MANAGEMENT MAKES THINGS EASIER
Inaccurate or duplicate listings are a common problem with online listings. Even if you’re careful, many listing errors can be caused by “bots” that search the web and create or replace information automatically without your knowledge.
Needless to say, these bots don’t have the intuition of a human and often get data wrong. If someone searches for your practice and gets outdated or inaccurate information, you’ve lost the opportunity.
Take the 5-minute Practice Marketing Assessment to find out if your practice is listed accurately on over 50 maps, apps, and online directories that patients use most.
