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One of the most important foundations for a successful SEO project<\/a> is ensuring that the Google assets associated with your business and website are in place and set up correctly and consistently. By “assets” I mean your Google “My Business” data, a Search Console account (formerly Webmaster Tools) and Analytics. With these elements in place, you can then embark on a comprehensive SEO programme to help move your site up the search rankings.<\/p>\nThis process should be relatively straightforward but one element in particular can be decidedly trickier than you might imagine. This is the “My Business” data which is configured within your main Google account and which drives your “map” result in searches results and also influences how you will appear in the local ‘3 pack’ search results which show on page one of Google.<\/p>\n
Getting your “My Business” data wrong or duplicating elements of it can be problematic and result in your website failing to appear in searches correctly.<\/p>\n
Duplicate entries<\/h3>\n
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One of the biggest problems we encounter when embarking on new SEO projects for clients is erroneous Google business data; in particular duplicate business pages in the client’s Google account. Often we see 3, 4 or even more pages representing a single location which can have a significant negative effect, particularly with local ranking results.<\/p>\n
Duplicate entries can occur due to operator inexperience, e.g. where the dentist or practice manager tried and failed to configure the data, abandoned and then tried again later; perhaps under another Google login. Alternatively it can happen when Google prompted to set up an account when signing for another service e.g. opening a YouTube account, and the user didn’t realise that one already existed. Frankly, the architecture in the Google account admin. area is quite confusing and it’s easy to see how the inexperienced can make mistakes.<\/p>\n
Where duplicate accounts have been created, the first thing we need to do is un-bundle them and delete any other than the primary version. Whilst this sounds simple, it can be quite complex; for example where a G+ account is associated with one account but the all-important practice reviews are associated with another. In circumstances like this, consolidating and tidying-up can be quite tricky and time consuming!<\/p>\n
Name, address and ‘phone number consistency<\/h3>\n
One of the key areas to consider when setting up you Google business data is ‘NAP’ consistency. This is all about making sure that your name, address and telephone number are correct and match exactly what is published on your website. Remember that Google uses algorithms to determine who you are, what you do and where you should appear in the search ranking index. If you start throwing confused data into the mix, even Google can get it wrong and cast you into a black hole. So it really does pay to take a little time to make sure that your ‘NAP’ data is spot on across all of your websites, blogs and within your Google business data.<\/p>\n
Embellishing your Google ‘My Business’ data<\/h3>\n
Now that your basic Google business data has been input and you’ve ensured your ‘NAP’ is consistent, you can add a few more elements to your account to make sure it is complete and stands out prominently when it is displayed in the ranking results. You can add internal and external photographs as well as team shots and your logo. You should also add a brief description of your business, select the correct service categories and add your opening times. Again it is well worth taking a little time to make sure that this is done accurately and professionally.<\/p>\n
Summary<\/h3>\n
To help provide a firm foundation for your practice marketing on the web, it is important to make sure that the your Google “My Business” data is set up accurately and consistently. Duplicating accounts is far more common than you might expect but is bad practice and should be avoided. Your Google business data underpins how you will appear in local (“map”) results and also what your users see when they leave reviews for you – consequently it pays to take a little time to get it right and to review it periodically if your details or services change.<\/p>\n
If you would like help with setting up your dental business data in Google or perhaps need help to audit what is currently there, please ask the Dental Media digital marketing team<\/a> on 01332 672548<\/strong> for free advice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NAP consistency and avoiding duplication One of the most important foundations for a successful SEO project is ensuring that the Google assets associated with your business and website are in place and set up correctly and consistently. By “assets” I …<\/p>\n