At ProspectaMarketing, we endeavor to stay on the forefront of marketing research. This way, we can provide the most up-to-date analysis and advertising tools to the practices we represent. We believe that the Internet is still young and always changing. Due to this, it takes an active, dynamic advertising strategy to really take advantage of its web of chameleon-like opportunities.

As a dental practice, your team probably doesn’t have the expertise, time, and training to research marketing efforts and care for your patients. This is where we come in; by relying on cutting-edge materials, we use this blog and our other digital avenues to educate our clients and any practices that might be thinking about joining up. This way, you can focus on simply bringing high quality dental care to your patients, while we handle the rest!

One of our key sources of digital advertising and marketing news is BrightLocal, a hub and platform that has been an industry leader in SEO research for several years now. As recently as two days ago, they proved why so many marketing agencies trust their opinion. During the 2022 edition of Google’s “Search On” event, they compiled and shared several incoming search updates that have the potential to completely change the SEO landscape. Our team has picked the four that are most relevant to our dental practices and broken them down for you below. We’ve also included an explanation of how it affects you and your patients. Check it out!

Four Key Updates

  1. Multi-Search – Near Me: Multi-search itself is an update to Google that has been around for a while now. It allows users to capture images and video as search inputs, as opposed to simply words. But with this next update, your camera has officially become your keyboard. The option will now include ‘near me’ terminology. But, what does this mean for you? It means that your potential patients will be able to use photos and images to search for a product or service, find the option they’re looking for, and search providers nearby that offer the service or product. By confirming the rollout of this new update across the U.S., Google is fully accepting that visual media is king; and so should you! Make sure to always have clear, crisp visual media on all your digital fronts, including an updated Google products page that potential patients can match to services or products they might photograph in the wild.
  2. Google Maps – Neighborhood Vibe: Another exciting update is one to Google Maps. Popular spots on Google Maps will burst with vibrancy and life as users explore the area. This affects your practice directly, as patients that browse Google Maps will be able to see user-uploaded photos and videos of the area, to get a real ‘vibe’ of your practice. In an obvious nod to the rise of social search that is prevalent across social media, Google has given your practice a reason to maintain a curated atmosphere that is pleasant to patients: their uploaded media has become your de facto supplemental marketing strategy! Just know that, as with everything, this can work for or against you. If the uploaded patient media is focused on your practice’s negatives, this will also be the first thing users see when they check the “Neighborhood Vibe” option.
  3. Google Maps – Live View: Another new addition to the expanding Google Maps toolbox, users can now explore nearby places by using a live view. They simply have to lift their phones to search and Maps will show them a digital overlay of businesses and practices around them, along with associated details like business hours and reviews. If your practice needed another incentive to ensure the information on your website and Google listings is accurate, the folks at BrightLocal have just given you one!
  4. Google Reviews – They Don’t Tell You Everything: It seems that Google is trending farther and farther away from written reviews. While reviews are still crucial for a lot of patients, the upcoming rollouts make it clear that other sources of site authority and consumer trust will start playing a larger role in the process. These changes include AI that will discern helpful insights from other sources, such as user-uploaded images, to help a patient evaluate a practice and make a decision. What This Means: your customer feedback is bound to come in through multiple avenues. Just like we have recommended publicizing reviews – with the author’s permission, of course – we would encourage using this new, visual feedback (i.e. user-uploaded images) as another route through which you can broaden your practice’s reach and visibility. What This Doesn’t Mean: Stop responding to reviews. Absolutely do not do this. Written reviews are still a great indicator of a practice’s online health. Just because they are not playing as large a role in search engine rankings as they used to, does not mean they don’t serve the greater purposes of showcasing your practice’s success stories and mitigating any complaints against it.

Keeping up with researchers like BrightLocal is just one of the many ways ProspectaMarketing stays at the vanguard of changing online trends. If you are a dental practice looking for an experienced firm specializing in dentistry and the tools of Internet marketing, look no further! We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.