How Google Business Profiles Have Improved for Healthcare

Reputation Staff Writer

Google recently announced two ways the company is making search results more useful when people look for healthcare. According to a blog post, the search engine:

These changes are important. According to the latest Reputation Consumer Healthcare Survey, insurance coverage is the most important factor for people looking for care. This information isn’t always easy to find, thanks to the disconnect across various data sources, such as physician directories. And defining languages spoken is more important in an increasingly diverse society. 

What Google Announced

Google’s blog post said:

Google Business Profile insurance type

Google Business Profile language options

It was also noted that, “To help people get connected to the care they need, we’re conducting checks to ensure details of local doctors are up to date, and giving all healthcare providers the ability to update their information by claiming and updating their Business Profile.” 

Showing which health insurance networks the doctor or healthcare provider might accept is especially relevant to the needs of consumers. When Reputation asked U.S. adults which information is important to their choice of a physician, 82% mentioned “insurance accepted,” making this easily the most important factor over other factors such as location.

Making it possible for healthcare professionals to let prospective patients know what languages are spoken at their office reflects a changing U.S. population. According to an analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies, a record 65.5 million U.S. residents over the age of five speak a language other than English at home, with significant increases among speakers of Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and Hindi. Addressing the needs of a multilingual society helps healthcare providers remain relevant. 

Related: Mastering the Marketing Technology Stack for Healthcare

What Healthcare Systems and Physicians Should Do

These developments underline the importance of healthcare systems and providers managing their Business Profiles with accurate and complete information. 

Reputation and YouGov found that 68% of the population went online to find information about a healthcare provider in 2020. It’s no surprise that Google dominates search. As people increasingly rely on digital channels, healthcare facilities and physicians need to ensure that their location data is accurate. 

They should also make sure that listings contain essential information about relevant topics. That’s because Google Business Profiles are the number one factor influencing visibility when people search for a business.

But doing so is not always easy, as recently discussed how healthcare providers can manage insurance data on Google My Business. For instance, a healthcare provider might need to review thousands of insurance plans before updating their Business profiles with accurate information.Then, each profile must be managed carefully as coverage of plans changes. We recommend that healthcare providers and physicians automate this process. 

Effective automation:

Reputation is the first Google Business Profile partner to make it easier for providers and locations to publish this everywhere their information appears across Google. Contact us to learn how we can help you get the most out of your Business Profile.

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