Why Google Maps is more important to your dental marketing than Google+

Posted on 8/16/2017 by Wendy Admin

Hand holding a phone with Google+. Learn more about Google My Business and Dental Marketing from WEO Media

Remember when Google+ was the hottest ticket in town? Well, times have changed and with the change, Google is updating how Google+ interacts with their various products.

When Google+ first came out, it was integrated into all of Google's various products. It served as your user account with Google and creating an account with Google automatically created a Google+ profile.

That profile was your Google hub. You could create your business page and listing on Google via Google+. It was also where your business reviews and posts lived. In those days, having a Google+ page with reviews contributed to your overall Google search engine ranking and the reviews as well as your posts could rank higher on the search engine results page. In simple terms, the more integrated and complete your Google+ profile, the more traffic you could expect to see from Google's search engine.

The Wind Down

In September 2015, Google realized Google+ wasn't going to take off in the direction they'd planned so they started removing Google+ from its various services. They changed the Google+ interface, removed personalized Google+ results from search, and showed less and less data from other services in Google+.

The final strike was divorcing Google+ from Google Business.

Now Google+ shows no reviews, no images posted in Google Business or any other information posted there.

Although sometimes Google+ results do still appear in search, they often don't rank well and provide little to no value for patient conversion.

What This Means For Dental Marketing

Because of these changes, we're strongly suggesting our doctors link their G+ icons on their websites to the Google Maps business listing that includes valuable information on the practice such as hours, reviews, and (of course) location.

If you need help with this transition or have questions for our SEO team, please send an email to info@weomedia.com.

As a side note, Google reviews are still very valuable and hard to get unless you're actively working to gather them. WEO Media has a service that makes it easier to get reviews from your patients. Learn more about our Online Review Generation Service.

We Provide Real Results

WEO Media helps dentists across the country acquire new patients, reactivate past patients, and better communicate with existing patients. Our approach is unique in the dental industry. We work with you to understand the specific needs, goals, and budget of your practice and create a proposal that is specific to your unique situation.

+400%

Increase in website traffic.

+500%

Increase in phone calls.

$125

Patient acquisition cost.

20-30

New patients per month from SEO & PPC.

Schedule a consultation that works for you

Are you ready to grow your practice? Talk to one of our Senior Marketing Consultants to see how your online presence stacks up. No strings attached. Just a free consultation from experts in the industry.