Here’s a recurring case that requires some clarification: Professionals in direct contact with patients or customers, such as doctors, lawyers, dentists, real estate agents, etc., can have a separate list from that of their main establishment.
If you’re wondering whether an individual can be included on a list of practitioners, check whether he or she meets the following criteria:
- Has a direct link with customers, who specifically request this person (for example, a hairdresser).
- Has time slots that may differ from the standard hours of the company he works for.
- Has a business category in Google My Business (GMB) that accurately reflects its activity.
- Sets its own rates.
- Can work in different locations.
Summary and contents of the page
What types of companies can be included on practitioner lists?
The following companies are generally eligible for inclusion on practitioner lists:
- Lawyers
- Doctors: all types of doctors, including dentists, chiropractors, therapists, etc.
- Hairdressers (especially those working from home)
- Insurance agents or brokers
- Mortgage brokers
- Music teachers
- Personal trainers
- Real estate agents
- Practitioners of alternative medicine, such as massage therapists, dental hygienists, registered nurses, etc.
- Tattoo artists
- Tutors
Differences between single and multiple practitioners
Individual practitioners
Google recommends that solo practitioners combine their company name with their own name in a single listing. For example, “Allstate Assurance: John Smith”. Nevertheless, if a practitioner wishes to have a listing for his or her practice and a listing for himself or herself, this does not contravene Google’s guidelines. In some cases, it may be useful to have two listings if several business categories apply.
Multiple practitioners
In a company with several practitioners, it is important to keep individual records active for as long as each practitioner works in the company. It is not possible to merge or delete them without affecting their visibility.
Do you have to create lists of practitioners?
It can be useful to create lists of practitioners when several GMB categories apply to a company. Each practitioner can then have his or her own category and stand out more clearly. Rather than focusing solely on the main listing, it’s sometimes strategic to maximize listings for various keywords, especially if practitioners specialize in different fields. Since the landing page impacts ranking, this can be used to your advantage.
For example, if a chiropractic practice also employs a massage therapist, the massage therapist’s listing may link to a well-positioned page for massage therapy, while the chiropractor’s listing links to a well-performing chiropractic page. This makes the pages more visible, rather than competing with each other.
Similarly, in a law firm, the main listing may focus on generic keywords such as “law firm”, while a lawyer specializing in personal injury and another in criminal law may each benefit from a separate listing to better position themselves in their specialties.
Bear in mind, however, that trying to rank several of your listings for the same keyword and monopolize the first page of Google is unrealistic. Google uses filters to limit repeated appearances of the same site in the results, making this strategy hardly viable unless you’re in a niche market.
What to do if a practitioner leaves?
If a practitioner is no longer part of your team, the management of his or her file depends on the person who controls it.
If the company controls the listing, it can request that it be removed from Google. However, this procedure is not always straightforward, and the Google My Business support team may not respond immediately. If you encounter difficulties, don’t hesitate to ask for help from the Google My Business support community.
If the practitioner controls the file: he can update it with information from his new establishment. That’s why it’s so important to claim the practitioner’s file for optimal control of your visibility. When auditing small and medium-sized businesses, it’s not uncommon to find practitioner files that are inactive or unknown to the company.
If the practitioner retires: he can offer to merge his file with the firm, so that the firm can take over the notices. Or he can resell his file in a package to a third party who has bought his clientele.
For further advice, please do not hesitate to contact me!
