Google periodically updates its local search algorithm, and those updates can significantly affect where a business appears in Maps results. For this Miami family dental practice, one such update caused their Google Maps visibility to drop by more than 80% in a matter of weeks. Calls from new patients fell sharply.
The practice hadn't done anything wrong. But their local online presence had gaps – inconsistencies between their various online listings, an underdeveloped Google Business Profile, and limited recent patient engagement signals – that became visible when the algorithm tightened its standards.
We built back their local presence with a focus on the signals that Google was now weighting more heavily. The goal was not just to recover to where they were, but to build a stronger foundation that would hold through future algorithm changes.
By 4-5 months in, they had reached #1 for their primary search terms in Miami – higher than their pre-update position. Second quarter patient volume increased by 187 new patients compared to the same period the year before.
"After the algorithm hit us, we thought we'd lost our online presence permanently. Getting back to #1 – and with stronger numbers than before – was genuinely surprising."
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