Name Address Phone NAP For Dentists

[Czubmeister]

I've been working with dentists for a about 6 months but there is something that I feel I need to nail down.

When looking at directory listings and trying to standardize a dental practice NAP, many dentists have their company name in many different formats. Here is what I have seen so far.

Advanced Dental Care of Chicago
Advanced Dental Care of Chicago - Angela Davidson DDS
Advanced Dental Care of Chicago Drs Davidson, Richardson & Smith
Angela Davidson DDS
Davidson, Richardson & Smith - Advanced Dental Care of Chicago

What happens here is that with dentistry, the doctors name is as important as the practice name. Many people hear about a doctor and Google by the doctors name. Others Google the practice name.

It almost makes sense to put both the practice name and the doctors name in the Business name but as you can see, the practice name can get real long especially if they have 5 other doctors working there.

On top of that, some doctors don't stick around the practice that long so you end up with business listings containing old dental partners.

Trying to come to a consensus on the best way to list a dental practice.

[Mark_Jay_Apsey_Jr.]

Bob-

Good question.  We have been working with several dentists and have had good luck with the following structure of listings: (I have used 2 of your samples)

Advanced Dental Care of Chicago - Angela Davidson DDS

Davidson, Richardson & Smith - Advanced Dental Care of Chicago

But remember with directory listings you want to make sure you are focused both on the user experience (what makes the most sense to the consumer) and the SEO value. In that case,  more importantly than what other people are doing, it really should relate back to the search results for that localized market and what your overall goals are. If your overall goals are to have someone search for Angela davidson, then there is a high likelihood they are going to be able to find that Doctor.  In that situation, spending time and effort on the SEO related to Angela Davidson isnt generating huge value. If there are 30 Angela Davidsons in the market that come up in search listings, then it is more important to spend time on the SEO for her name.

If people are searching for "Doctor Davidson" more than "Angela Davidson", then including "Doctor" in the directory listing is more important for your SEO.

If people are searching for Davidson and Richardson, then you should focus on that keyword.

Hope this helps.

Mark

[stevefidelity]

Well isn't this a nice coincidence... Andrew Shotland just published this article on search engine land that talks about this exact issue...

http://searchengineland.com/the-smb-guide-to-changing-business-names-seo-128939

[Gyi]

You may also want to take a look at this recent post (and especially comments) at Mike Blumenthal's blog:

http://blumenthals.com/blog/2012/06/20/why-googles-new-policy-on-professional-practices-practitioners-makes-sense/

[MiriamEllis]

Woo hoo! You guys are on the ball. The two articles referenced here by Fidelityim and Gyi are exactly what I would have pointed to. I would also highly recommend that you follow Linda Buquet on this issue of medical practices with multiple practitioners. Check this out: http://marketing-blog.catalystemarketing.com/google-places-duplicate-listing-dentists-doctors.html Nobody knows the ins and outs of Local SEO in the dental industry better than Linda, in my opinion. Hope this helps!