Put Your Practice on the Map by Prioritizing Local Search Results

It’s easy to understand why the world of social media is so attractive to med-spa owners. For starters, almost everyone is on it. Combine that with how the format makes it easy to share before-and-after photos, post tutorials, and weigh in on the latest trends—and it’s no wonder why it feels like the most important place to build a presence. 

But its biggest benefit is also its biggest drawback: Almost everyone is on it, which means you’re in competition for views with providers from all around the world. So for anyone who doesn’t excel in that kind of content creation, or who lacks the budget to hire someone to help, it’s easy to get overlooked. 

That’s why we’d argue the most effective strategy to boost your business is to start local—particularly with your local search results on Google. This way, you’re no longer competing with the whole internet, but rather the other med spas in your neighborhood. And a study in 2022 revealed that almost half of small businesses don’t employ search engine optimization, so it could give you a distinct advantage. 

The first steps to improve your local presence are free and can be done in a couple hours. Here’s how to begin. 

Start with a five-second audit. Let’s say you own a med spa in Richmond, Virginia. Take a moment to Google “med spas in Richmond.” Does your business appear toward the top of the search results? Does it appear on the map feature? If not, then it means you’re missing out on the chance to engage with a significant number of people who are actively looking for the services you provide.

Check to see if you’ve set up a Google Business Profile, and then use these tips to improve it.    

Don’t be afraid to get a little long-winded. Give your business some personality—and credibility—by going beyond the basic information such as its name, services, hours of operation, website, and phone number. When you describe your services, for example, include an explanation of the outcomes they produce. It will help increase the digital relevance of your business by accommodating for searches with a term like “dermal fillers” as well as those like “treatments to smooth wrinkles.” 

It also helps to weave local references into the information you provide. For instance, you could offer directions to your business from the areas your clients tend to live and work. This would enable you to mention various neighborhoods, highways, and landmarks, which is not only helpful for those who want to visit your med spa, but also reinforces your location in the digital eyes of the search engine. 

But avoid using information in an attempt to “game” the search results. Google’s algorithm and its reviewers will penalize sites that attempt to boost their visibility simply by stuffing their profile with keywords in a way that makes the writing unnatural to a reader. There can also be penalties for those who copy-and-paste information from other sources, so make an effort to provide information that’s specific to your business and in your own voice.   

Keep your essential information consistent. You’ll want to make sure the language in your profile matches the style in which it’s presented on your website. Small variations—such as whether you spell out or use numbers (“Second Avenue” vs “2nd Avenue”), whether you spell “med spa” as two words or one (“medspa”), and even whether you spell out “Street” or use an abbreviation (“St.”)—can all affect the strength of your presence in the eyes of Google. 

Once you feel good about the basics of your Google Business Profile, you can begin to optimize it by building your reviews section and creating further opportunities to interact with people who are interested in your services. We’ll explore those topics in upcoming installments.