Dental local search strategies for new patient acquisition pretty much start and end with Google. Sure Yahoo Local and the latest incarnation of Bing Places most definitely shore up a foundational dentist local search strategy, but Google is king

The way things are advancing with Google+ Local it’s a seemingly never-ending process of checks & balances.

Your dental practice data, review generation tactics, and listing management techniques best be balanced or Google is going to check your ass!

 

Local Search for Dentists…In the Beginning

Google+ Local for Dentists

It all starts with a verified confirmed dental practice Google+ Local listing which can then metastasize into a social local portal into your practice, but first things first.

Google+ Local used to be called Google Places…and that’s all we’re going to say about that, but you can read more about that piece of history here.

There are at present, 2 ways to manage your Google+ Local Dental Practice Listings:

Google+ Local

Google Places for Business Dashboard

By a show of hands how many dentists out there have noticed duplicate map listings for their practice(s) on Google?

Hands down in our experience well over three-quarters of the new dental practices we bring aboard have some issue with duplicate Google+ Local listings.

 

Dealing with Dental Practice Duplicates on Google+ Local

 

Generally speaking, here is how to solve the problem…

*Generally, because each dental practice Google+ Local duplicate solution has nuances to consider.

Maybe your cutting your teeth fresh outta dental school working out of multiple practices, maybe you own a 25 dentist 125 chair group practice with 13 locations, or maybe your name is still attached the your old office location…

And the glittering generality preface also applies specifically because of Google’s policy about practice & practitioner profiles of multi-dentist practices…a totally different blog post altogether, but you can read the policy verbatim at the bottom of this post.

What if your two dentist partner dental practice has duplicate practitioner listings AND duplicate practice listings?

Confused yet?

OK back to solution mode, if you are noticing duplicate listings for your dental practice on Google+ Local you can take the following KISS DIY action…there are many different tacks you can take, even a couple correct ones that would be considered best practices but after all, you’re a dentist not a dental local search expert.

So if the following DIY methods don’t affect change, we’ll also point out how you can actually talk to someone on the phone over at Google – BUT their phone support is only for listing verification issues…not exactly for cleaning up duplicate listings…but again, you’re just a local dentist, what do you know about local seo??

 

Dental Practice Duplicates on Google+ Local (not practitioner listings):

 

1. Make sure the primary practice listing you want most prominent (or already it) is claimed in a practice Google account and 100% complete.

2. Use the ‘Report a Problem’ option on your duplicate Google+ Local listing – look for this link on the actual Google+ Local page you are on – the dupe listing:

Duplicate Dental Practice local Google+

3. This brings you to the page where you can check the appropriate check box indicating a duplicate listing.

Google+ Local Dental Practice Listings

In simple terms explain your dental practice listing is already claimed and confirmed, and this is a duplicate AND be sure to include a link to that claimed listing (go to your claimed listing and copy the url from the address bar)

That’s it, now you can expect your dental practice dental practice local Google+ listing to be quickly updated, consolidated, merged, & have any negative reviews immediately purged!

Not bloody likely!!

The going route will now have you not so patiently waiting up to 3-4 weeks for Google to do their magic, and if all goes well in a perfect world most likely nothing will happen due to Google no longer deleting or removing practitioner listings.

When that nothing happens, you can then repeat the process ad nauseum, seek the help of a professional…OR use the troubleshooter link to contact Google again with the same info… but in a whole new and not so exciting different way!

1. Click the radio button indicating your duplicate dental local Google+ listing

Google+ Local Dental Listings

2. Indicate that you have in fact used the ‘Report a Problem’ link from the Maps result containing the problem: (READ THAT AGAIN – from the actual dupe listing ‘Report a Problem’ link)

Google+ Local Listings

3. Follow the directions by entering the correct & duplicate local Google+ URLs

Troubleshooting Local Google+ Listings for Dentist

Hurry up and wait!

Stand by to stand by!

Processing nicely sir!

Have that removed!

When all else fails, stubbornness & pride prevent you from reaching out for help even though you seem to have more time than new patients…maybe just play dumb and call Google!

Here’s how…

Essentially Google only wants calls about local Google+ verification issues specifically…but remember you’re a dentist and local business owner, not a dental local search expert…so beg for forgiveness if THEY ever call you out on it…

Here’s how to call them…or more accurately have them call you within 60 seconds or less…

1. Logged in to your account, use that same troubleshooter link but this time indicate an issues with the listing data – the 1st choice:

Google+ Local Dental Practice Listings

2. Then go ahead and indicate again that you have used the ‘Report a Problem’ link from the Maps result containing the problem:

Google+ Local Listings

3. Now comes the fun part…click the “Call Us” hyperlink buried in tiny print at the bottom of the page:

Troubleshoot Google+ Local for Dentists

4. That click to “Call Us” will actually bring you to this page…where you can have Google call you:

Have Google Call Your Dental Practice

5. Enter the info – your name and phone number…and Google will ring you within 60 seconds!

No more difficult to decipher dental local seo sarcasm, Google will actually call – and in our experience it makes you feel all warm & fuzzy getting a verbal confirmation as opposed to an ambiguous stock message.

Be nice, don’t complain, and talk slow in simple terms indicating your problem verifying how to remove a duplicate PRACTICE local Google+ listing….and use those case presentation skills to git r done!

Remember, you’re a dentist and local business owner – play dumb and get answers!

We’ve heard that works wonders!

If you need assistance managing duplicate dental practice local Google+ listings or increasing your ranking factors for existing Google+ Local listings, you can grab our free Google+ Local for Dentists ebook.

or just give us a ring.

Now…by another show of hands, how many dentists out there are experiencing problems with duplicate doctor listings? (as opposed to duplicate practice listings)…

Google’s official policy (more than subject to change) on practice & practicioner profiles is as follows:

Do not create more than one listing for each business location, either in a single account or multiple accounts.

Individual practitioners may be listed individually as long as those practitioners are public-facing within their parent organization. Common examples of such practitioners are doctors, dentists, lawyers, and real estate agents. The practitioner should be directly contactable at the verified location during stated hours. A practitioner should not have multiple listings to cover all of his or her specializations.

Departments within businesses, universities, hospitals, and government buildings may be listed separately. These departments must be publicly distinct as entities or groups within their parent organization, and ideally will have separate phone numbers and/or customer entrances.

That clears things up, right?

 

 

 

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