Posts

rank higher on google maps for pharmacies

7 key steps to rank higher in Google Maps for pharmacies

Google Maps is a common way people search for local services when they don’t know where to go. Let’s look at 7 ways to improve your pharmacy’s ranking on Google Maps for pharmacies.

1. Register & Optimise your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)

The first way for pharmacies to rank higher on Google Maps is simple.

Bizarrely, Google prefers showcasing businesses who’ve registered in their directory.

So registering your pharmacy’s Google Business Profile is a pretty good first step in ranking higher on their recommendations.

You won’t rank well on Google Maps if you haven’t claimed your own business profile. If you haven’t done this already, do it immediately. If you don’t know how to, contact us now.

Once, you’ve verified the business as yours, there’s a profile completion guide which walks you through all the steps for optimising your profile. Google majorly prefers recommending fully completed profiles.

2. Regularly Update Your Profile

Whatever the primary reason for visiting your pharmacy is on any given week, there’s your weekly update. (We find once per week is plenty for this.)

Sun skincare, flu vaccines, Travel Vaccines, hayfever relief; whatever the hot topic is, publicise it on your Google Business Profile.

Including photos, videos, special offers,  and links to your relevant blog posts/web pages etc., enhances the experience for Google’s users. (Google likes that!)

3. Optimise Your Website for Local SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Ranking well on Google Maps isn’t just about your Google Business Profile. Google wants relevance if it’s recommending websites to its users. Optimising your website’s content, and reflecting your local services in a way Google understands, let’s the search engine know that recommending your site isn’t a mistake.

Google prioritises speed, convenience and relevance.

Is your website poorly laid out, hard to navigate, and scant on information? Don’t expect glowing recommendations from Google.

Not sure if your website is properly optimised?

Get a free pharmacy SEO audit from Pharmacy Mentor and find out how Google views your website.

4. Embed Google Maps on your Contact Us Page

You won’t find this in your guidebooks, but it’s almost certainly a factor. A smooth transition with visual consistency from the Google Maps app to a Google Map embedded onto your website is another element of an intuitive user experience. Which, as discussed, Google loves.

5. I’ll take the Google Reviews, with a side of Google reviews, please

Google Reviews would be number 1 on this list if it made any chronological sense, as it’s possibly the most influential factor (you can control) in determining your rank on Google Maps.

Remember, Google is in the business of recommendations.

Hundreds of people recommending you through Google’s own reviews & recommendations section? Google recommending you highly too is a no brainer.

Remember, bad reviews come with the territory. Check out the video above for a guide on responding to negative reviews online.

The biggest way of attracting new Google reviews is to…ask! Whenever patients experience great service in your pharmacy, ask them if they’ll leave you a Google Review! Make it easy for them with a handy QR code. Check out our Get More Google Reviews section of our shop.

6. Make Directories Your Directive

The most important pieces of information on your Google Business Profile, website, and across the web are your Name, Address and Phone Number. (NAP)

It’s important that potential visitors have consistent and accurate information on you across all of these sources.

Not sure if your NAP are up-to-date across the Internet?

Simply search your business name and note all of the places your business details are. If they’re not all up-to-date, reach out to the directory owner and update them. Or get us to do it for you.

7. Engage with your community

Google also rewards your efforts to support other businesses in your community.

Build active partnerships with other small businesses around your community.

Build on existing partnerships like your GP surgery. Promoting each other’s businesses through your Google Business Profile, by linking to each other’s website and services are great ways of boosting each other’s business.

Be sure to also activate the messaging feature on your Google Business profile so that people can reach out to you directly. This is becoming more and more popular and we’re seeing an increasing number of messages come through to our pharmacies every week.

Does all of this sound like a lot of work?

We get that. Running a business is a full-time job. Marketing is another.

We love helping pharmacies rank higher on Google Maps. Hit that button below to get in touch.

Help!

Enjoyed this article? Sign up for our Newsletter for more Pharmacy Growth Hacks and get notified every time we release a new article.

/by
pharmacy google maps ads

Pharmacy Google Maps Ads: Get seen first on Maps

So many people use Google Maps to get to where they’re going…and a lot of them use Google Maps to find somewhere to go, too. If you’re amongst the first places to show up on Maps, you can be sure you’ll get the lion’s share of people travelling to your pharmacy.

But how do you get your pharmacy to appear first in those results?

There are many factors contributing to a high maps ranking, similar to many factors determining how highly a website ranks on Google.

You can work on these, and organically climb the Google Maps rankings.  Check out our 9 Key Steps to Ranking Higher on Google Maps for a DIY guide to boosting your Google Maps ranking organically.

But there’s a NEW, guaranteed way of appearing first.

Get your pharmacy ranking first on Google Maps with Google Maps Ads

One of the biggest determiners for high rankings on Google Maps is the volume of people who visit the stores. This skews massively to bigger chains, like we see in the image below. Tesco are almost exclusively in the top rankings, because Google tracks people’s mobile phone locations. As people walk around Tesco, Google registers this as a visitor for Tesco Pharmacy. Pharmacies in Shopping Centres also benefit from this.

Google Maps Ads bypasses this, guaranteeing smaller independent pharmacies top the rankings ahead of the big chains.

This is an incredible opportunity for capturing new patients, as people searching for pharmacies on Google Maps clearly don’t have an affiliation or a regular pharmacy. Not only that, but people searching on Google Maps have intent. They’re clearly visiting a pharmacy.

But whilst Google Maps Ads puts you in that position, maximising the appeal of your listing is important.

Let’s run through three quick steps to making your pharmacy look like the best option.

1. Get Google Reviews, as many as you can

As shown in the example, whilst Irwin Mitchell appear top, their overall rating is 3.8 out of 5. Just two positions below them, their competition has 4.4 stars, with more reviews, and because it’s an organic listing, the reviews are displayed.

With more reviews and a higher rating than your competition, it’s more likely that more people will click on your listing.

Of course, being top with a lower rating is better than being 7th with a lower rating, but let’s shoot for the stars.

Want help increasing your Google Reviews? Check out the Google Review section of our shop.

2. Wow with a welcoming Google Business Profile image

When someone clicks on your Google Business listing, it expands into a larger profile. The featured image on this profile is your first impression.

Making a good first impression all but seals the deal. Your shop front makes the most sense, so they can recognise your business from the street. But if you have a run-down shop front, put your best foot forwards. A photo of your interior or your team works, whichever represents your business best. Take a look at what Saam says when he goes through this step-by-step.

3. Keep your Google Business Profile Updated

Special offers, opening hours, and current services are amongst the next things people will see on your Google Business profile.

Make sure they’re updated.

Nothing turns people off a visit to a business more than uncertainty. If you haven’t manually added your opening times into your Google Business Profile, it comes up with estimated opening times for you.

No one’s driving somewhere that might be open when there’s somewhere else that’s definitely open.

Too much for you to keep up with?

We get that. Running a pharmacy is a full-time job. Marketing is another.

We love helping pharmacies rank higher on Google Maps. Hit that button below to get in touch. Whether it’s Google Maps Ads, or helping you rank organically, we can help. Click here to contact us today.

Click me

Enjoyed this article? Sign up for our Newsletter for more Pharmacy Growth Hacks and get notified every time we release a new article.

/by
Google My Business Pharmacy Marketing Kit

Google My Business – New Free Marketing Kit

Google My Business have released a new Marketing Kit for small businesses with some nice goodies in the bag. Watch Saam, our CEO, explain a little bit about it and be sure to download your window sticker!

You can access the marketing materials here.

If you need help setting up or validating your Google profile or would like to drive targeted Ad campaigns through it, then please get in touch!

 

 

trustpilot reviews for pharmacy mentor

 

 

 

 

/by
Google My Business for Community Pharmacy
,

Google My Business – A must-have Tool for Community Pharmacy

LEARN THROUGH VIDEO

LEARN THROUGH READING

Google My Business for Community Pharmacy

Are you aware of how many people find your pharmacy on Google? Are you sure the information Google has about your pharmacy is correct? Wouldn’t you like to be able to control the information that Google has for your pharmacy and begin actively promoting your products and services?

The answers to these questions come down to one application – and that’s Google My Business. You may not have even heard of it. That’s fine and (relatively) normal! But rest assured, it’s one of the most important Social Media marketing tools you’ll come across for your pharmacy. In my opinion, its use should be mandatory for every bricks and mortar business that exists.

In this lecture, we’re going to learn more about what Google My Business is and why it’s important for you as a local pharmacy business.

Help customers and patients find and connect with you

In the words of Google:

“Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. By verifying and editing your business information, you can both help customers find you and tell them the story of your business.”

This description alone should alert you as to why Google my Business is imperative to you as a local pharmacy. Essentially, it’s a platform that houses various different Google applications to create a powerful business marketing tool. The platform includes your Google plus social media profile, Google Maps, Google Reviews, Google Analytics, Google Insights and other applications, all designed to help you stand out in the best way possible on the most popular search engine in the world.

 

The Google My Business Homepage

Google My Business – An excellent tool for Comunity Pharmacy

 

The easiest way to understand the importance of Google my Business is to look at some real-life pharmacies that are out there.

Let’s head over to Stoke-on-Trent in the UK. This is what Lloyds Pharmacy in the Shelton area looks like on Google. If you clicked the previous link, you’ll be able to see the whole listing when you scroll down.

 

Lloyds Pharmacy in Shelton

 

As you can imagine, being a well-known brand, they are registered on Google my Business, and this is what having a good Google My Business profile looks like. They have photos so you can see exactly what the pharmacy looks like and where it is. They have 16 reviews which have produced an overall rating of 4.2 stars out of 5, and Google really nicely displays the stars. This instantly builds trust for the viewer. You can find more details underneath like the address, phone number and very importantly, their opening hours, which is what customers and patients are likely to be searching for. Underneath, you can find other reviews from around the web, and Google have nicely integrated their NHS Choices reviews too. Sometimes you’ll find Facebook reviews or reviews from another platform, like Yelp or Pharmacy Flu Jabs next to this too.

You can also see how Google My Business cleverly display how busy the pharmacy is at various times. This really helps inform the customer better about when to go, for example, if someone’s short of time, they’ll use this information to plan their day better. And how good is this…Google says people typically spend 10 minutes here. I’m not really sure how they know this, but for a pharmacy, that is really great for a customer or patient to understand. It signifies a quick turnover of prescriptions and entices people to use their services.

 

Google My Business waiting times

Could represent prescription waiting times?

 

And below this, you can see actual reviews left by real customers. We all know how important reviews and social proofing are for pharmacy because again, it instantly instils trust in the customer.

Now, compare this profile with Sh***on Pharmacy who are literally down the road from Lloyds and who have not validated their pharmacy on Google My Business.

 

Google My Business Shelton Pharmacy

A pharmacy who hasn’t validated and optimised their business on GMB

 

I know this hasn’t been owned because of the question I can see in the image “Own this business?”. Hopefully, you can see a difference between the two listings straight away. Even if you haven’t validated your pharmacy as a listing, if you’re an established local business that’s been around for some time, Google will automatically create a  profile for you – like you can see here for this pharmacy. However, it’s seriously lacking compared to the profile of Lloyds we saw just earlier. We can’t see any reviews for this pharmacy, the business hours are missing, it’s not linked to their own website or NHS Choices and no photos have been uploaded. In a world where we would like to find out information about a place and contact them as quick as possible, Sh***on pharmacy are making it unnecessarily more difficult for their consumers.

Google Maps is increasingly being used as a search engine today

And when it comes down to a consumer deciding which pharmacy to use after a search on Google Maps, those who have poor or incomplete profiles are likely to lose out. Take a look at this. People regularly use Google maps as a search engine these days to find a place where they need to go. If I type “Pharmacy in stoke”, Sh***on pharmacy doesn’t exist in the sidebar here. And if I get more specific and type “pharmacy in Shelton” although we can see Sh***on Pharmacy here, we have 4 other pharmacies in the vicinity which all have reviews and more information about the business in general. If a consumer was choosing a pharmacy based on this search, it’s unlikely they’d choose Sh***on Pharmacy.

 

Pharmacies as seen on Google Maps

Pharmacies as seen on Google Maps

 

It’s imperative that you validate your pharmacy on Google My Business

So you see, Google My Business optimises your presence on Google Search, Maps and across other platforms it’s associated with, and from the two examples we’ve covered in this module, you can clearly see the benefits of it.

However, you’ve just seen the surface of what the tool can do for you. It has many other features that can help expose you online and rank you higher in search results, and some important features are the insights and analytics you’re able to examine on there. Google My Business helps you understand how your customers find you online and what they do when they get there, and you’re able to actively market through the platform. 

If you’d like to optimise your pharmacy on Google My Business, then I’ve made it very easy for you. The course Drive Pharmacy Footfall with Google is a step-by-step video course that guides you through the setup and validation procedure and helps you optimise your listing to 100%. Furthermore, you’ll learn how to actively market your products and services through the application and implement a very time-efficient strategy that anyone can manage in your pharmacy team. Click here for more information.

Thanks for visiting and see you in the next learning module! For more modules, please click here.

Saam

 

/0 Comments/by