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In case you don’t know, the Google 3 Pack for dentists is pretty much the "Holy Grail" when it comes to acquiring high-quality new patients…
Done right, it gets the lion’s share of all the clicks on Google for local search results… So, it's sought after by every savvy dentist.
There are two types of buyers searching on Google for dentists:
- Buyers that have insurance and you are on the PPO’s list, and
- Buyers that don’t have insurance
Google My Business (GMB) works seamlessly with both populations.
It’s common knowledge that PPOs are taking over a large segment of the market to get new patients…
But you only need to follow the buying trail to understand the role that GMB plays in the buying process.
Once a person sees your practice accepts their insurance plan, the next step is to check you out on Google and compare you against the other dentists they are considering.
This is what they see when they type your practice name into Google:
The only place to click on your website is through your GMB listing. Your website is no longer listed as a blue link, such as your Facebook Page. (red arrow)
Your reviews and your “star rating” are front and center. (gold arrow)
Finally, your phone number is easy to find so they can call you without ever going to your website. (green arrow)
You are about to discover that…
Google is getting greedy with it’s local traffic.
They don’t want to send people to your website if they don’t have to.
Google has systematically been de-prioritizing it’s search results to drive more traffic to it’s ads and to what is known as “No Click Searches”.
No Click Searches: Times where consumers are searching on Google, and the search results are displayed in a way that they ONLY get the information they need without having to visit any website.
This may not seem like a big deal at first, but the growth of No Click search is affecting local businesses.
Just The Facts
Let’s take a look at the stats for the last month:
- Listings on organic search: 895
- Listings on Maps: 902
- People who clicked (took an action): 241
- Visited Website: 91
- Calls: 117
Several years ago, 241 people would have gone to this website. Today, 91 people went to the website (38%).
No Click Searches Accounted For 62% of Spring Lake Family Dentistry search volume.
You will notice in the following graphic that people who searched for you by name (people who know you or found the practice in a PPO list) accounted for 61 out of 1797 searches or 3.4%.
If 61 out of 1797 searches came from people who know the name of your practice, where did the rest of the search volume go to?
This brings us to our next group of consumers… buyers who don’t have insurance.
Your GMB listing in the 3 pack is like having a $10,000 billboard on the busiest highway in town!
Google now displays ads, MAPs, and the 3 pack above the fold, and they get 88.79% of all the leads. That leaves 11.71% for everyone else.
Here is what I get when I do a local search for “dentist near me” in Spring Lake, MI, on July 20, 2020.
You will note that my client (my son and his partner) are in the #1 position in the three-pack.
Just to make a point, I am in the #2 position (I didn’t want to take over my client’s position, but I’m not a dentist. By the way, I’ve been there for over a year.
I just want to show that getting into the Google 3 pack is a RECIPE. Just like baking a cake, if you follow the recipe, you will get the results you want.
You will notice that above the Google 3 pack listing is the Google MAP listing.
Here are the results in the Google Map listing:
You will note that even though the search query was done in Spring Lake, not all the Spring Lake dentists show on the GMB on the left.
Dentists from the surrounding area show up because the closer dentists have not “search engine optimized” their GMB listing. They are probably wondering WHY aren’t are getting any calls.
Returning To Our “NO CLICK” Analysis
There had been 1797 searches, 895 organic searches, and 902 via Google Maps.
- 210 went on to dig deeper into the Google search results.
- 61 went directly to “spring lake family dentistry”
- 1526 went to either the Google 3-pack, ads, or Google maps
This is why GMB should be at the heart of every dentist’s marketing plan.
1797 people saw your GMB listing if you are in the Google 3-pack, and only 210 went deeper into the search results.
Leads From GMB Listings Are Higher-Quality Leads Than From Advertising
According to a recent study by Google,
“Credibility gained from Google is enough to sway people to be 29% more likely to call and schedule an appointment. GMB reviews help build trust. Research by Think finds that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.” May 25, 2020
Another recent analysis showed that leads from Google My Business are worth 245% more than regular search traffic.
Now you’re probably wondering:
How “exactly” can I take advantage of my GMB listing?
I already have my listing claimed – so am I okay?
When focusing on getting your practice into the Google 3 Pack, the word of the day is OPTIMIZATION.
My agency belongs to a very select group of GMB experts that have put together the RECIPE to get into the Google 3 Pack.
We have the staff and the know-how to get you there, but we don’t take on everyone.
If we feel that we can’t get you into the Google 3 Pack either because we already have a client listed in your area, or a dentist has already hired an agency in our select group who has done an excellent job… we will tell you.
We will not take on a dental practice that we can’t help.
So if you want to explore working with my agency to rank you in the Google 3 Pack, click the link below to fill out a brief questionnaire and my office will call your to schedule a call with the doctor.
Comment below if this was helpful and share what you think about Google controlling the local market for leads.
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