Have you noticed the new changes with Google Places? If you viewed your Google Places page, you probably noticed a very different appearance. Last week, the most trusted search engine in the world rolled out new changes to Google Places overnight. These changes—not announced in advance—startled many of our friends in the dental community who utilize social networks and SEO to expand their practices. To help clear the air, we decided to dig a little deeper into these changes and discuss their potential benefits.
Google Places is now Called Google + Local
Although Google delivers search results to web users throughout the world, the most recent focus has shifted from a global perspective to emphasizing local organizations and businesses. Google Places was originally launched in 2005 to provide an interactive version of phonebook listings where members of a community could view maps of specific locations and leave reviews about local businesses and organizations. Now, to place even more emphasis on community, Google Places will now be called Google + Local and will be linked with Google + accounts. Think of this change as an integration of Google Places with your dental practice’s Google + page. Patients will still find important information about your practice such as hours, location, and office numbers. Web users will still be able to leave reviews and dentists will still have the ability to add photos and patient testimonials.
Google + Local Benefits for Dentists
It seems as though Google + Local may present some SEO benefits for dentists with this new integration. Additionally, by linking Google Places with Google +, dentists can conveniently manage their web presence through one linked account. Feel free to subscribe to Dental Junkie for the most current updates on SEO for dentists and dental marketing.
