With Google pushing Google Plus to business owners, it certainly seems to be worth the small investment of time for all business owners to sign up for a personal account on Google+, create a Google+ business page and verify it with Google as a local business! By spending 30 minutes doing these two simple things, a business owner could get a search result like this:

Note the following attributes of the listing for North Plains TenderCare Dental:

• They are the number one “organic” search result for this search!
• Their listing takes up all the space above the fold and below the premier Adwords listings at the top of the page.
• Their listing includes all the pertinent information about their dental practice: name, address, phone number, website URL, Google map and directions!
• The dentist’s picture is shown next to the listing, along with the name, address and phone number for his practice.
• The dental practice has 28 Google reviews, with a score of 28 out of 30. They have even more reviews on Demandforce.com and CitySearch.com.
• One person on Google+ rated it excellent.

So, how much is this search result worth to the dentist? Let’s see if we can determine his marketing return on investment (ROI):

• The search phrase “dentist in north plains” gets only a few “long tail” searches per month. But consider that anybody who lives in North Plains, Oregon and is looking for a new dentist will see this on Google when searching for a local dentist. That means hundreds of potential new patients each month who see the listing.
• Next, consider that the first “organic” search result on this page will probably get 75% or more of the total clicks available. That means 10 or more people who become new patients each month because of the excellent exposure this search result provides the dental practice!
• Finally, consider that one new patient for a general dentist is worth at least $500 per year in revenue. And that doesn’t even include potential referrals this new patient could bring to the practice. The math is simple: 10 new patients each month times $500 equals $5,000 per month very conservatively.
• This dentist’s campaign is generating dozens of new patient leads each month. Cost per new patient acquisition is well under $100. Brand recognition within the local market is second to none. And best of all, there’s no cost per click cost; this is pure SEO traffic.
• The positive ROI on marketing investment is simply amazing; by investing in ongoing website content development, search engine optimization (SEO) and reputation management, this doctor has literally captured his local market online!