We all know that Google matters (A LOT) in being found and acquiring new clients to your veterinary clinic. But did you know that Google My Business, referred to, in short, as GMB is really a key part of your overall ranking strategy? In fact, research indicates that for new potential clients who conduct a local search, i.e. “Veterinarian near me”,  call within a day? Having your clinic appear in the “3-pack” increases the chances that your clients will find YOU.

Here’s how to set up your GMB Page:

1. Make sure you have a Google Account. We suggest this is done by an owner of the clinic, or set up a new Gmail account that can solely be devoted to this purpose. 
2. Visit google.com/business
3. Select “Manage Now”
4. Sign in to your Google Account
5. Enter your clinic’s name
6. Enter your clinic’s address (If you are a mobile veterinary service only, you can “hide” your address. You’ll have the opportunity to specify your service area next.)
7. List the areas that you serve or specify distance around your clinic location that you offer veterinary services. Set your service area as a region, city or ZIP code.
8. Choose your business category.
9. Add your phone number and website address
10. Verify your business. 

Now that you’ve got that completed, it’s time to make the most of your listing! We find many clinics that we work with benefit from the following:

• Add your logo
• Take time to respond to read and respond to reviews. This shows you care about the services you provide to your pet parents.
• Add photos, and even videos, to your listing. Make sure to include not only photos of your clinic for visual recognition, but photos of your staff interacting with pets.
• Add your clinic hours
• Create ads to get more calls & visits
• Add additional users to help support you in managing the above

Once you’ve done these things, keep in mind that this isn’t really a “set it and forget it” tool. Leverage your visits to your GMB console to stay on top of key insights such as number of visits to your website or how many people have called you, based off of your GMB page.

We hope you’ve found this info helpful!

Do you have additional questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out-we’d be happy to help!