Well More Than Half of You Say It's Important to Manage Your Google My Business Page

Yes: 58%

• Important, especially with the next two generations. Google is a very respected platform. — Heather Harrington, Elevated Eyecare, Denver, CO
• To have the proper information available. — Sonja Franklin, OD, Modern Eyes, Austin, TX
• Very important, living in a college town most referrals are via Google searches. — Dave Schultz, OD, Urban Optics, San Luis Obispo, CA
• It’s not on my list of things I can’t live without. — Kevin Count, Prentice Lab, Glenview, IL
• Not too much, we have a website that draws more. — Dave Goodrich, Goodrich Optical, Lansing, MI
• Important as I am a new business. — Dorothy Reynolds, Optical Alternatives, Milford, CT
• Important. Especially to keep hours and contact info updated. When I personally want to know hours of a business, I Google it. If that information is up to date for holidays and etc., I really appreciate it! — Jenna Gilbertson, McCulley Optix Gallery, Fargo, ND
• Very important, equal to word of mouth lately. — Marc Ullman, OD, Academy Vision, Pine Beach, NJ
• Social media is where it’s at baby! — Mark Perry, OD, Vision Health Institute, Orlando, FL
• This has been a relatively new thing that we’ve been paying attention to, primarily since we’ve relocated. The amount of people who depend on Google maps (even existing patients who’ve been to our office multiple times) as a navigation tool to get to our office was surprising. We learned very quickly that we needed to have that updated with correct information, and since then, we’ve been paying more attention to it and adding photos, info and other updates to the listing. — Christine Howard, Attleboro Vision Care, Attleboro, MA
• We wouldn’t have much online presence without it. It moved us closer to the top of the listings. You know the saying, “the best place to hide a dead body is the second page of Google?” I think you can hide one beyond the top four listings! — Nytarsha Thomas, OD, Visionelle Eyecare, Zionsville, IN
• Very Important. We live in a time where your online reputation is everything. — Michelle Wright, DePoe Eye Center, Stockbridge, GA
• It’s not a big deal. I consider it part of marketing in general. — Paula Hornbeck, Eye Candy & Eye Candy Kids, Delafield, WI
• Very, the lead report shows how many people search us daily. — Tina Smrkovski, Reed Optical, Claremont, NH
• I think it’s very important because it’s basically the new Yellow Pages. — Elizabeth Knaus, A to Z Eye Care, Arcata, CA
• It is somewhat important similar to other social media platforms. — Cynthia Sayers, OD, EyeShop Optical Center, Lewis Center, OH
• Extremely important! Making sure all fields are filled out can impact a potential customers decision to click on your listing rather than someone else’s. When your listing is filled out in full it stands out above the others. Having your correct address, hours, holiday hours, even news posts is a convenience to your customers and saves staff the time from getting a phone call. The more active you are on your profile, the more it’s seen and this can lead to more reviews! — Carissa Dunphy, Monroe Vision Clinic, Monroe, WA
• Hugely important. We update it constantly with photos, updates, announcements and events. It’s crucial to our online marketing blitz. — Harris Decker, Eye Designs of Westchester, Scarsdale, NY
• It’s very important. Most people use Google search engine for search inquiries. Reviews and information need to be accessible from first glance. — Tim Gray, Visual Eyes, Huntingdon Valley, PA
• I believe most internet uses access it thru their mobile and almost everyone uses google to look up business, directions and reviews. — Vlad Cordero, Focus Eye Care, Hackensack, NJ
• Ratings is what most look at. Before it was word of mouth from friends and family and some of that still exists. — Robert M Easton Jr., OD, FAAO, Oakland Park, FL
• INSANELY important. Google is the Antichrist and is slowly taking over everything — one $25 Google home mini at a time. — Kirk Lee, Eye Care Associates, Ellisville, MS
• Google is becoming much more popular with the younger generations, so I think it’s very important to keep it updated. Potentially we will try more Google Ads in the next year to see how many views we get. — Heather Harrington, Elevated Eyecare, Denver, CO
• It’s not important. — Nancy Revis, Uber Optics, Petaluma, CA
• It’s Google so YES very important to us. We get a lot of business from our google reviews. — Gayle Bergthold, Bee Cave Vision Center, Bee Cave, TX
• Moderately important. Our top source of new patient referrals is word-of-mouth, but internet searches are probably our second source. And Google is a pretty commonly used search engine in our area. — Jen Heller, Pend Oreille Vision Care, Sandpoint, ID
• It is everything. — Steve Nelson, Eye Candy Optical, Westlake, OH
• Online presence is EVERYTHING. — Elizabeth Atkinson, OD, Atkinson Eye Care, Algonquin, IL
• It has become a key component to our growth. — Selena Jachens, Urban Eyecare & Eyewear, West Des Moines, IA
• I get about 25 percent of my patient directly from Google. — Adam Ramsey, OD, Socialite Vision, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
• I think Google My Business is underrated. The more up to date your listing is and the more activity you show with your posts the more it’s going to help with your ranking. — Travis LeFevre, Krystal Vision, Logan, UT
• New patients will check reviews. — Pam Housley, Texas State Optical of Nederland, Port Arthur, TX
• It is important to give your customers and potential customers the information they are looking for: hours, location, reviews. I could probably be better at monitoring but everything is pretty up to date. — Bret Hunter, Sports Optical, Denver, CO
• Google will continue to be an important role in getting and retaining patients. — Kimberly Theis, Powell Vision Center, Powell, OH
• We ask new patients how they were referred to our office or how they found us. Many say online; even if they have insurance, they check reviews. — Pam Peters, Midwest Eye, Downers Grove, IL
• I don’t think it makes much impact in our rural area. — Nichole Montavon, Oskaloosa Vision Center, Oskaloosa, LA
• Majorly important. — Minh Ta, Specs Appeal, Decatur, GA
• Extremely important, all of your SEO starts here. — Selina McGee, OD, Precision Vision, Edmond, OK
• It is important but in our areas not as important as in a larger metro. We should spend more time enhancing it but do not at this time. — Zachary Dirks, OD, St. Peter and Belle Plaine Eyecare Centers, Saint Peter, MN
• I believe people search for everything on the web, Google is one of the top search engines if not the top. — Ron Catterson, Clear View Optix, The Villages, FL
• It is very important, and it takes a lot of hard work making sure one bad apple doesn’t ruin your good reviews on Google. — Nicole Leonard, Custom Eye Care, San Antonio, TX
• Medium importance. — Genia Durham, Eyear Optical, Chattanooga, TN
• It really is important. People go to Google to search for everything. If your presence isn’t there, you’re not getting a new customer. — Frances Ann Layton, Eye Associates of South GA, Valdosta, GA
• Very important. We had an issue where we hired a third party to help with our marketing page and now the behind the scenes is all messed up making it look like I don’t respond to the reviews, even though I respond to every single one! — Tiffany Firer, Lifetime Eyecare, Jenison, MI
• Very important. — Bethany Cassar, Complete Eye Health, Holland, MI

No: 42%

• Not at all. Practicing in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. — Jeremy Goldman, OD, Owings Mills, MD
• I have outsourced this. — Michael Davis, OD, Opti-Care, Eldersburg, MD
• The owner has someone else doing all media related stuff. — Pablo E. Mercado, Optima Eye Care, Alpharetta, GA
• My patients seemingly, after trying many approaches, are word-of-mouth or professional referrals. — Ken Weiner, OD, Livingston, NJ
• Ad agency does it. — Bob McBeath, Edina Eye, Edina, MN
• It just aggravates me. We do well with minimal management as patients always tell us how good our online reviews are. — Fred Sirotkin, Eagle Eye Care, Columbia, MD