Google is the most popular search engine today used worldwide, holding 91% of the market share.1 Google handles 3.8 million searches per minute on average across the globe. That makes out to around 228 million searches per hour, 5.6 billion searches per day, or 2 trillion searches per year.2
With so many people using google searches every day to learn and make decisions about what products and services they will choose, we want to ask every practice owner the question: when was the last time you googled your own business?
While it’s important to not be consistently googling your business repeatedly as it will negatively affect your ranking and quality score, it’s absolutely crucial to be confident in what others are finding online when they search for your business!
Why You Should Google Your Own Business Today:
Ensure Your Business Information is Accurate and Easy to Find
It’s crucial to do a thorough search of yourself to make sure your online information is current and reflects who you are and shows off a complete profile. If your business hours, location, and contact information are not listed and up to date you can’t expect to be acquiring new customers online.
While this might seem like a no-brainer, there are a shocking number of great, well-established businesses on google whose listings are not fully set up or are missing critical information! Other times we find google search results that show businesses left unclaimed, linked to old websites, missing links to websites, or feature an outdated phone number, address, etc.
If someone googles your business and sees that it’s listed as open at a certain time and then takes the time and makes the effort to arrive at your business during that time only to find it closed, their overall rate of your business is ruined. 50% of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit the physical store within a day, with 34% of those using computers or tablets doing the same.3
A great tool for managing your business information listed online is Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business.) Google Business Profile is one of the best free tools that can be used to promote and personalize your business information. Check out our blog post “The Top 5 Review Websites and Why You Need to be Listed on Them” to learn more!
To Check In on the User Experience
If a random internet user came across your profile, would they be able to easily navigate to your website and social media profiles? Once they reach your site, is it visually appealing? Is the information presented relevant and useful? Does your brand have a consistent message and feel across different platforms? Is your site compatible with mobile users?
Another important consideration is providing a way to quickly gather leads and answer questions outside of business hours. Is there a simple form to fill out for interested visitors to request more information?
Taking the full user journey from start to finish can provide great insight. You want to view your business through the eyes of a customer. Imagine what you would want to see or find that would convince you to select one new business over another.
To Check Your Search Ranking
Again, googling your business every day or even multiple times in a row is a bad idea. The Google algorithm does not respond positively to this. However, there is great value in monitoring where your business ranks in terms of audiology or hearing aid searches.
Your hearing aid prospects are searching online, make sure you are found! If your business is listed below all of your competitors, chances are they will receive all the traffic and leads instead of you. When it comes to search rankings, the reality is that you need to be found or you will be forgotten!
Consider using a professional SEO/SEM management service like Beeman offers to see increased traffic to your online platforms such as your website, social media, etc.
