Google has been updating and changing Google Business Profile this year, with a couple of important changes effective July 31st. Overall, the changes have been positive and enhanced Google Business Profile’s usefulness as a tool to increase online visibility. Dental practices that do not rely heavily on their Google profile may not notice the difference, but those that do need to know what to expect going forward.
What is Google Business Profile?
Many users still call it by its former name, Google My Business. The name change to Google Business Profile (GBP) took place in late 2021. Essentially, it’s a free tool that helps businesses manage their online presence across all of Google’s apps and functions. Any business — including a dental practice — can take advantage of GBP, improving customers’, in our case patients’, ability to find them through online search and apps like Google Maps. When a dental practice has a complete and accurate profile, patients can learn more than just its location and contact info. For instance, the business profile also shows reviews submitted through Google, which are vital for patients when choosing a dentist.
What’s Changed? The Good and the Not So Good.
Google has announced and implemented several changes to GBP so far this year. Most are positive for businesses and dental practices, expanding GBP’s capabilities. A couple of changes that became effective after July 31st took away functions that some practices had been using. However, this does not diminish the importance of using GBP. It just means practices need to find alternatives for those functions. Let me break it down:
- NEW – Socials Appear on Profile: This is huge! Practices with active social media pages can now list them on GBP, and patients can go to them directly from the profile. Since the practice’s GBP is usually the first thing a patient sees when searching on Google or in Maps, it’s extremely convenient that they no longer have to scroll through the search results or initiate a new search to also find the practice on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. Now, along with the practice’s website, patients will see active links to its social media channels for easier engagement.
- NEW – Emoji Reactions: Practices can now use emojis, like a heart or a smiley face, to react to patient reviews. This may not seem like much, but it could potentially make a real difference. Having the ability to use emoji reactions brings a more social media look and feel to the Google profile. Now, it’s even easier for practices to engage with reviews. If the practice’s marketing manager wants to show appreciation for a great review a patient just posted, they can immediately react with a heart or other symbol of gratitude.
- NEW – Terms and Conditions: As with any major application update, GBP users are required to accept some new terms and conditions. The updated terms have implications for content management, data access, licensing, compliance, service termination, and more. While none of the new conditions is particularly surprising, reading through them before hitting the “I Accept” button is generally a good idea.
- GOING AWAY – Chat: After July 31, 2024, patients can no longer use GBP to initiate a chat with the dental practice. This will impact practices that regularly receive incoming messages directly from GBP. To prevent continuity issues and missed messages, dental practices can switch to another chat function, with many reputable ones to choose from. Additionally, the practice’s chat history is still available to download from Google Takeout.
- GOING AWAY – Call History: Starting August 1, 2024, Google no longer tracks calls as part of its engagement metrics. Call history will no longer be visible with GBP, only downloadable via Google Takeout. This means a practice will have to track that metric manually rather than rely on Google’s analytics. The call feature remains. So, patients can still contact the practice directly from its profile. The difference is that those calls are no longer included in measuring engagement.
Overall, Google Business Profile is an excellent tool for dental practices. The benefits to a practice’s online presence far outweigh any changes in functionality or tracking capability. For practices actively managing their GBP, staying on top of current and future updates is essential to prevent interruptions to patient communications and take advantage of any new features.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With more than a decade of experience in corporate dental laboratory marketing and brand development, Jackie Ulasewich-Cullen decided to take her passion for the dental business and marketing to the next level by founding My Dental Agency.
Since starting her company, she and her team have helped a wide variety of practices all over the nation focus their message, reach their target audience, and increase their sales through effective marketing campaigns.
She can be reached at (800) 689-6434 or via email at jackie@mydentalagency.com.
