Dentaltown June 2023 - 10

HOWARD SPEAKS
DR. HOWARD
FIG. 1
FARRAN, DDS, MBA
Founder and CEO
Mapping the Results
I
n this issue of Dentaltown, one of our editorial
advisory board members, Dr. David A. Wank,
shares a CE course designed to help readers
understand the changes they might need to
make to their websites before Google turns off
its current analytics system July 1 and transitions
to a new system, Google Analytics 4. If you
haven't heard about this yet, the gist is: Without
some changes, your website will still function
but you won't have access to back-end tools that
let you see analytics through Google-and that
information is essential if you're trying to determine
return on investment for promotions, social
media and ad campaigns.
All this discussion about Google and practice
websites made me think about how many
dentists still haven't updated or curated their
practice profi le and information on Google My
Business, which is a huge mistake. If someone
moves to your neighborhood and searches " dentists
near me, " you need your practice to show
up on the map of search results, and you want
the information associated with that result to be
clear, accurate and inviting to whoever's searching
for you.
Look at it a different way
For a long time, dentists have thought about
where their practice appears in search results
in list context only; entire SEO campaigns have
been waged to ensure a business ends up " on the
fi rst page of results. " But nowadays, more people
are performing their searches on mobile devices
such as smartphones and tablets, and opting to
search by location on a map. You've probably done
something similar when looking for a restaurant
to try in a particular neighborhood, and patients
are doing it to fi nd practices close to their houses,
their offi ces or their children's schools.
Fig. 1 shows the current profi le that shows up
if someone clicks on Today's Dental on Google
Maps. Remember, this isn't someone who
searched " Today's Dental " and clicked through
to the website-this is someone who searched
an intersection on Google Maps, clicked on the
icon for a business they saw and was greeted by a
sidebar fi lled with information.
Zero cost, huge payoff
If you searched your practice right now, what
would come up? Do the opening hours refl ect your
current schedule? What sort of photos show up? If
you specialize in family dentistry or are known for
a particularly minimally invasive approach, does
that information appear in the Overview section?
If the practice is owned by a woman, a Black person
and/or a veteran, or is LGBTQ+ friendly, that
information can appear on the business profi le so
readers can learn more about your business.
Th ere is no charge to add these details to your
business profi le-it's literally free marketing
for your practice! Take charge of your business
page and take control of what's presented there
to ensure your practice is portrayed in the best
possible light. And then, once you've set up the
back end properly too, you'll be able to track the
visitors who found your practice through search
results (and other campaigns). DT
JUNE 2023 | 10 | DENTALTOWN.COM
http://www.DENTALTOWN.COM
Dentaltown June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown June 2023
