{"id":1420,"date":"2016-10-25T21:52:03","date_gmt":"2016-10-26T01:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.inboundmd.com\/?p=1420"},"modified":"2016-10-25T21:52:03","modified_gmt":"2016-10-26T01:52:03","slug":"dont-want-claim-online-presence-insider-tells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inboundmd.com\/dont-want-claim-online-presence-insider-tells\/","title":{"rendered":"Why you don’t want to claim your online presence. An insider tells all."},"content":{"rendered":"

Google is in the business of providing information, which attracts an audience, and provides businesses with opportunity to be in front of that audience. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I won\u2019t get into the gory details, but suffice to say when a searcher (perhaps a potential patient) types something (an injury) into a search engine, the results that they receive are based on a complex algorithm. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The data the algorithm collects, models, and displays is based on a variety of factors, and among other things some mind blowing math. <\/span><\/p>\n

Online citations are one factor, which we’ll\u00a0talk about here today. <\/span><\/p>\n

What is an Online Citation?<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"political_citation\"<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re not talking about the citations required for a scientific journal or research paper. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re not talking about traffic tickets. <\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re not talking politics, where presidential candidates whimsically make arguments without being able to provide a reliable citation for their remarks. \ud83d\ude1b<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking about Online Citations<\/strong>! <\/span>Citations are any profile of you and your clinic that contains your <\/span><\/i>N<\/i><\/b>ame, <\/span><\/i>A<\/i><\/b>ddress and <\/span><\/i>P<\/i><\/b>hone number <\/span><\/i>(NAP)<\/i><\/b>. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Citations can take the shape of social profiles, like Facebook, health directories like Healthgrades or obscure sites like Kudzu, that you may have never even heard of before. <\/span><\/p>\n

Managing, monitoring, claiming and verifying online citations are a significant component of a sound digital marketing campaign. It\u2019s also a PITA! (Keep reading to learn more below!).<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Should I care? <\/b><\/h2>\n

Claiming online citations requires a lot of effort. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the rules for getting in Google\u2019s good graces are written and some unwritten, this requires a lot of effort, Google rewards you for your work and understanding by favoring your business in the search rankings. <\/span><\/p>\n

Google\u2019s search algorithm assumes that deliberate efforts to get a searcher’s attention is something only a credible and capable business is likely to do, which is in lock step with what Google wants to provide with their search results.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other than the rankings, and ensuring your practice is held in the same high-esteem online as it is offline, <\/span>citations are where patients <\/b>end<\/b> their search to find information about your practice!<\/b><\/p>\n

According to the <\/span>PewResearchCenter 2013 study<\/span><\/a>, 72% of searchers looked for health information online. This trend has grown rapidly in the past 3 years, with more and more people connected to the internet, better search engines, and better websites, all of which provide more information than ever before.<\/span><\/p>\n