How Optometrists Can Attract More Local Patients with the Google Local Map Pack
- With 98% of people using the internet to research local businesses—and 88% visiting within a week—local SEO is essential for optometry practices looking to increase visibility and attract new patients.
- Optimizing your Google Business Profile, earning positive patient reviews, and using local keywords like “eye exams near [City]” can improve your chances of appearing in Google’s Local Map Pack.
- Platforms like Surefire Local help streamline these efforts by managing your listings, online reviews, content, and marketing in one place—saving time while growing your optometry practice.
According to one recent study, about 90% of all online users took to the Internet to find out information about local businesses on a daily basis… in 2019.
By 2022, that number had climbed to 98% – a trend that shows absolutely no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
If someone is looking for more information about a local business, its products, or its services, they’re likely going to turn to the Internet to find it. That will probably take them to Google. According to research conducted by SOCi, Google Search and Google Maps are the most frequently used tool for local search in that more than 50% of consumers use them to look up information on a daily basis.
Why does any of this matter to a local optometrist that is just trying to grow their practice and reach a new audience of potential patients? We’re getting to that.
Another study conducted by Google itself indicated that 88% of individuals who use a smartphone for local search visit that related business within just a week. Not only that, but at this point it’s estimated that about 46% of the billions of searches that happen every day have some type of local intent.
Almost more than any other type of business, healthcare services organizations depend on reaching a local audience. If your optometry practice is in Washington D.C., it doesn’t matter if people in Baltimore are aware of you – they’re not going to become patients. You need to reach the people who live and work in the same area that you do. The people in your community who are looking for optometry services like only you can provide.
That means strengthening your local SEO strategy in any way that you can, and these days, the Google Local Map Pack is one of the absolute best ways to do it.
What is the Google Local Map Pack?
The Google Local Pack, also sometimes referred to as just the Map Pack or the Local Map Pack, is the feature in Google that displays a map of relevant businesses whenever someone conducts a search with local intent.
If they’re looking for optometrists in a particular area and search on Google, the Map Pack will display results for the top three entries with their business name, address, phone number, customer rating, and more. This allows people to find the information they need, all without leaving Google – creating the fastest and most efficient experience possible.
Why does this matter? Because “open now near me” searches have skyrocketed nearly 400% in the past few years alone. The types of people you’re trying to reach are looking for healthcare services professionals like you in this way. They’re probably going to go with the top one or two results to find the help they need. With the right approach to healthcare services SEO, you can make sure that the next time they pick up the phone to schedule an appointment, the number they call is yours.
Leverage That Google Business Profile
The foundation of your Local Map Pack visibility is your Google Business Profile, also sometimes referred to as your GBP for short. Think of this as your optometry practice’s digital storefront on Google. If you haven’t already claimed your profile, start there. Don’t worry – it won’t take more than a few quick minutes of your time.
Everything on your profile should be accurate and consistent – especially your practice’s name, address, and phone number (commonly referred to as NAP). Even small discrepancies between your website and directory listings can hurt your credibility with Google.
Be sure to choose the most specific business category available. “Optometrist” is typically best, but if you offer specialty services like pediatric eye care or contact lens fittings, those can be added as additional categories or services.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Patient Reviews
Online reviews are essential, especially in healthcare. Prospective patients rely on the experiences of others to make decisions. If they don’t already have someone in their life who is a past patient of yours that they can ask, you’d better believe that they will turn to Google to find that same social proof that they’re looking for. Thankfully, this is something that you can easily get ahead of with the right approach.
Encourage satisfied patients to leave reviews, ideally shortly after their appointments while their experience is still top of mind. You don’t need to pressure them – sometimes, a simple reminder via email or a sign at the checkout desk can be enough.
Equally important is your response strategy. Make it a habit to reply to every review, whether it’s glowing praise or a critique. Responses show that you care about patient feedback and are actively engaged with your community. A thoughtful reply to a less-than-perfect review can actually strengthen your reputation, especially when handled with professionalism and empathy.
Local SEO, and Lots Of It
Another one of the major steps that you can take to get featured on the Google Local Map Pack for optometrists involves strengthening your website with local SEO in any and all ways that you can.
One of the easiest things you can do is incorporate locally relevant keywords. Phrases like “comprehensive eye exams in [City]” or “contact lens fittings near [Neighborhood]” help search engines understand your geographic relevance.
If you have multiple locations, consider creating individual landing pages for each clinic. Each should include location-specific content, such as directions, nearby landmarks, or even testimonials from local patients.
Be Proactive
Equally important is your ability to understand that leveraging the Google Local Map Pack – or healthcare services local SEO in general – is not something that you will “do once and forget about.” Once you get to a good place, you’ll need to take certain steps to help make sure you stay there for as long as possible.
To put it another way, a static profile that never changes doesn’t perform as well as one that’s consistently updated. This is where you’ll need to rely a bit on your creativity to capitalize on any opportunity to update that you can find.
Use Google Posts to share timely updates like seasonal promotions, new equipment, or special events. For example, if you’re running a back-to-school eye exam special in August, post it. If you’ve added retinal imaging or are starting Saturday hours, share the news.
These posts not only inform potential patients but also tell Google that your business is active, engaged, and relevant. Those are all qualities the algorithm favors when determining who makes it into the Map Pack.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
In the end, never let yourself forget that getting prominent placement on Google’s Local Map Pack isn’t just about being seen – it’s about being chosen. You’re not just trying to raise awareness. You’re getting someone to put their faith in you as opposed to a competitor.
In a field where trust and accessibility matter deeply, showing up at the top of local search results sends the message that your clinic is reputable, convenient, and ready to help.
At Surefire Local, we pride ourselves on being more than just another marketing platform. We’re the number one marketing platform for local businesses, allowing you to handle the nine most important online marketing activities for your optometrist practice in one convenient place.
This includes but is not limited to not only text message marketing, but also location-based marketing, content marketing, competitor and keyword analysis, and so much more.
In addition to allowing you to handle your Google Business Profile and all the other best practices outlined above, Surefire Local can improve your business listings as well. You can easily improve your search visibility by listing your optometry practice across more than 70 different directories. Manage and update all those listings on a single platform so that you don’t have to worry about a thing.
Surefire Local can even handle lead generation, too. Manage your optometry practice’s entire lead pipeline in one place. You can track how many new patients your activities are generating, where they are in the patient lifecycle, who you need to be following up with, and so much more.
But regardless of how you choose to use Surefire Local, know that it is a platform built with your needs in mind. It is designed from the ground up to save as much of the most valuable resource of all: time.
Yes, content marketing, managing the Google Local Map Pack, and other efforts are hugely important to your current and future success. But they can also quickly become a full-time job if you allow them to be. Surefire Local is your opportunity to rest easy knowing that these things are handled, all while freeing up as much of your valuable time as possible for you to focus on actually seeing patients. This in and of itself is the most important benefit of all.
If you’d like to find out more information about how to harness the full power of Google’s Local Map Pack to your advantage as an optometrist, or if you have any additional questions that you’d like to go over in terms of healthcare services SEO in a bit more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. You can also click here to attend a Surefire Local demo, letting you experience exactly how much time such an innovative platform can help you save – time that you could certainly put to better use elsewhere.