Updating Your Google My Business Listing
Once you have claimed and verified your business, it’s time to make sure Google has the most accurate information. Please note if you manage 10 or more locations of the same company, you can upload and edit your data in bulk.
Here are the types of business information that you can update within your Google My Business listing:
Business Name
Match your name to how it appears on your signage, branding and stationery. Any name change will need to be verified again.
Category
Choose a primary category for your business. If you enter several categories the first one is considered the primary one. Google doesn’t allow you to create your own category.
Address
Enter the complete address for your practice location. If you change your physical address, you’ll need to complete the verification process again.
Hours
Apart from adding your normal customer facing hours you can set hours for holiday and special one-off times when you have unusual hours.
Phone
You can enter up to 2 more phone numbers in addition to your primary business number.
Website
Add your correct website address.
Photos
Post a profile photo, cover photos and additional photos to highlight all aspects of your dental business.
Post the photos on your website to your Google My Business listing. Google is keen for you to display images that represent the reality of your business. They like well lit and focused photos. Avoid excessive use of filters.
As a business with photos, you are likely to receive 42% more requests for driving directions to your dental practice from users on Google. Compared to a listing with no photos your one with photos will receive 35% more clicks through to your website.
Photos should be JPG or PNG and at least 720 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall.
Videos
Upload videos up to 30 seconds in duration. They should be less than 100MB and the resolution should be 720p or higher.
Reviews
Take the time to respond to all customer reviews. This shows others that you value their business. Having more 5 star reviews than your competitors is an excellent way to gain trust and enhance your local reputation.
A Brief Description Of Your Business
You have 750 characters to write about your business, how you help your customers and the services you offer. Avoid focusing on promotions and pricing.
Free Website
Google gives you a free website. You can easily edit it from your computer or mobile.
Attributes
Tell your potential and existing customers more about your business by adding attributes to your listing. For example for a dentist, these could be Patient Parking, Same Day Treatment and 0% Finance.
Google My Business Posts
Think of Google My Business posts as mini ads or social media posts, displayed in Google search in the Knowledge Panel and on Google Maps. You generally see posts more in mobile search.
Use the posts to give people a reason to take note of your practice. For example share your latest news, specials and offers, so they know what’s happening.
You can include website links, call to actions and images in your posts.
Here are some of the types of posts for example a dental business could make:
Hosting a dental seminar? This can be set up as an event post with a date and time with a link to a registration page.
Selling dental products? This can be set up a sale event post.
Have a new dental service you want to promote? Highlight this with an image and a link to where they can sign up for a free consultation.
Writing blog posts and want more readers? You can promote all blog posts with a description and a link.
Google sends you a reminder to add a new post.