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Why Animal Hospitals Shouldn’t Google Their Own Business

When it comes to managing an animal hospital, understanding how your business appears online is crucial. The temptation to Google yourself can be powerful. After all, who doesn’t want to see their hard work come to life on the world’s most popular search engine? However, searching for your own business on Google can lead to misunderstandings and misguided decisions about your online presence. Let’s explore why this seemingly harmless action can be problematic and what you should do instead.

The Problem with Googling Your Business

Skewed Search Results

When you Google your business from your own computer or device, the results you see can be skewed. Google personalizes search results based on your search history, location, and other data it has collected about you. This means the search results you see may not accurately reflect what a potential customer will see when they search for your business. Consequently, you might get a false sense of your business’s online visibility and ranking.

False Sense of Security

Seeing your business appear at the top of the search results page can provide a false sense of security. You might think that your online presence is strong and that customers can easily find you. However, because your search results are personalized, this might not be the case for someone searching from a different location, using different keywords, or who hasn’t visited your site before. Relying on these skewed results can lead to complacency and missed opportunities for improvement.

Click-Through Rate Manipulation

Every time you click on your own business link in the search results, you inadvertently affect your click-through rate (CTR). While this might seem beneficial, it can actually distort the analytics that are crucial for SEO strategies. Inflated CTRs can lead to inaccurate data, making it difficult to assess the true performance of your SEO efforts and online presence. Plus, with every click on your own ad in Google, you’re wasting your advertising budget on yourself.

Potential Negative Impact on SEO

Repeatedly searching for and clicking on your own business could signal to Google that your business is more relevant to you than to other users. This might lead to the search engine mistakenly associating your business with queries from your specific location or browsing habits, rather than focusing on its broader relevance. Such actions can potentially harm your SEO strategy by misguiding the algorithms that determine your business’s search ranking. The same goes for when searching for your competitors. Often clicking on their sites to see “what’s new” will lead Google to think their sites are more important to you and appear to rank higher than your hospital.

What to Do Instead

Use Incognito Mode

If you must check how your business appears on Google, use Incognito Mode or a private browsing window. This will give you a more objective view of your search results, as it won’t take your search history or cookies into account. However, even Incognito Mode isn’t perfect, as it still considers your location.

Utilize SEO Tools

There are several SEO tools available that provide unbiased insights into your online presence. Tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and BrightLocal can help you track your search rankings, analyze keywords, and monitor your website’s performance. These tools offer more accurate and actionable data than simply Googling your business.

Conduct Anonymous Searches

To get a clearer picture of your business’s online visibility, consider using search engines that do not personalize search results, such as Startpage or DuckDuckGo.

Focus on Analytics

Instead of relying on subjective search results, use web analytics platforms like Google Analytics 4 to gain comprehensive insights into your website’s performance. Analyzing metrics such as organic traffic, bounce rate, and user behavior will provide you with a more accurate understanding of your online presence and areas for improvement.

Trust The Tools And Your Team

While it might be tempting to Google your own business, doing so can lead to skewed perceptions and misguided decisions about your online presence. Instead, trust your marketing team—they have the tools and expertise to monitor and improve your performance. By working together, you can ensure your business’s success without the need for self-searches.

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