By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Health Check Diagnosis Medical Condition Analysis Concept
    6 Health Woes With Online Remedies
    January 19, 2022
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    April 24, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Does Insurance Cover the Cost of Therapy?
    June 14, 2022
    mental health loss loved one
    Covering Your Own Medical Issues After Losing a Loved One
    July 21, 2024
    healthcare SaaS
    Venture Capital Trends for Healthcare SaaS Platforms
    May 24, 2024
    Latest News
    Cigarette Makers Sue the FDA Over New Labeling Rules
    July 8, 2025
    End-Use Verification: Simple but Potentially Powerful
    July 8, 2025
    How Much do Financial Incentives Matter to Physicians?
    July 8, 2025
    NanoViricides Reports Positive Anti-viral Effect of HIV Drug
    July 8, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Google’s Upcoming Changes: How it Will Hurt the Growth of Private Practices
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Google’s Upcoming Changes: How it Will Hurt the Growth of Private Practices
BusinessNews

Google’s Upcoming Changes: How it Will Hurt the Growth of Private Practices

T. Schneider
T. Schneider
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

When consumers are looking for a local business—whether that is a doctor’s office, an auto shop, or a restaurant—they usually turn to an online search engine. In fact, 92 percent of Internet users searched online for local businesses in 2014, and between 2011 and 2015, Google searches including the phrase “near me” increased by a factor of 34.

Contents
What does this mean for private practices?What can private practices do to avoid negative consequences of the change

Additionally, 77 percent of patients use a search engine to find a physician before they schedule an appointment. As any business’s website falls lower on Google’s results page, however, the amount of traffic the receive goes down drastically. The website in the first position receives a third (32.5 percent) of the traffic, followed by 17.6 percent for the second website and 11.4 percent for the third. What all of this demonstrates for private practices, then, is just how important it is for them to rank high on that results page.

Fortunately for private practices and other local businesses, Google has presented a “local pack” at the top of their results since early 2009. At that time, the local pack consisted of 10 results in the user’s geographic area. That number dropped to seven in October of the same year, then to just three in August 2015.

Since April, Google started rolling out a testing program to decrease that number again, from three local results to just two, replacing the third entry with a paid advertisement.

More Read

Cost Spotlight: A 443% Markup on Prescription Drugs
What Every Healthcare Marketing Plan Needs
9 Effective Ways To Keep Your Joints Healthy And Thriving
5 Excellent Qualities Of A Good Healthcare Leader
Are Medical Company Taglines Becoming Redundant?

What does this mean for private practices?

One of the most important goals for private practices that are trying to grow is simply getting their names out to the public. Not only do they have to compete with large, multi-office clinics that are better able to afford paid advertisements and dedicated SEO efforts, but they have to compete with each other. After this change, that competition will be even more fierce as they vie for one of two slots rather than one of three.

What can private practices do to avoid negative consequences of the change

Fortunately, private practices can work to maximize their site’s ranking. PatientPop lists several steps they can take to optimize their sites and rank at the top:

1. Keep business listings tidy and accurate

Google’s algorithm, Pigeon, is very particular about its business listings. Multiple listings for a single business, misleading URLs, and keyword stuffing— loading the listing with popular but unrelated keywords in order to drive traffic—all send up red flags for the algorithm, which could cause the listing to be pulled.

2. Make sure the company’s website is optimized for mobile access

Google sets sites apart for being “mobile friendly,” which can increase its results. Considering the fact that Google announced in 2015 that more searches are now done on mobile devices than computers, this is a large demographic that clinics should take advantage of. A few simple changes practices can make to optimize their websites for mobile devices include resizing website text and images to simplify the process of viewing them on a mobile device without an inordinate amount of scrolling or zooming.

3. Make sure local profiles are up to date Google prioritizes review sites like Yelp and HealthGrades, so private practices should keep their pages on such sites updated. Links, contact information, and business information should all be accurate. Not only does this help to drive traffic, but it builds confidence in the practice. If a clinic’s information on these pages is clearly out of date, it can lead patients to believe the clinic is no longer operational or simply does not pay attention to detail. Meanwhile, accurate links and other information can drive traffic to the main site.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Health Care Buzz Today
Business
July 8, 2025
As We Mature (age), Things Change…
Orthopaedics
July 8, 2025
FDA Approves Roche (Genentech) Skin Cancer Drug–Zelboraf
Business
July 8, 2025
Smart Money on Pfizer?
Business
July 8, 2025

You Might also Like

The Coming Changes in Health Care Delivery

August 3, 2012

Talking Healthcare with Don Berwick, Candidate for Governor of Massachusetts

March 8, 2014

ACOs: Good News for Skeptics

February 15, 2012

The Importance of Targeted Care in Specialty Pharmacy

December 6, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?