Use Google My Business Attributes to Highlight Diversity

At WhiskerCloud, diversity and inclusion are of the utmost importance. WhiskerCloud is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment that empowers all individuals. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, disability, age, or veteran status. We are dedicated to supporting our team members, clients, and members of the VetMed community to create a welcoming space for all. We see this as a long-term opportunity to shape our company’s culture into one accepting of all.

Vet med is also working toward becoming a more inclusive field, but there is much more work to be done. As it stands now, veterinary medicine is not representative of the pet-owning community as a whole. Currently, 61% of Hispanic households and almost 37% of Black households have pets, nearly 90% of veterinarians are White, while less than 2% are Hispanic, and even fewer are Black. However, many groups are working to change these statistics and create a more inclusive environment within the veterinary field, including LatinX, MCVMA, and Pride VMC, to name a few.

Google has a built-in section on Google My Business which allows you to showcase various attributes to potential clients. Depending on your business, Google will have a selection of attributes available for you to select from. Selecting the attributes most relevant to your practice will add them to your GMB profile which is visible to Google users.

Attributes allow you to specify the demographics of your leadership (black-owned, veteran-led, etc.), accessibility notes, culture highlights (LGBTQ+ friendly), and more.

How to add attributes on Google My Business:

1. Log in to your Google My Business listing.
2. Click “Info” located in the left side panel.
3. Click the pencil icon located next to the “From the business” section
4. Selected any relevant attributes.
5. Click “Apply”

What does adding attributes to Google My Business do?

Any information you can give about your business will help your listing to be seen in relevant searches through Google. For example, if a pet parent is specifically searching for a local veterinary clinic that is also women-led, Google can very easily determine which clinics are categorized as women-led if the corresponding attribute has been selected. Relevant clinics will then be pushed to the top of the user’s search results.

READ MORE: How WhiskerCloud Optimizes Google My Business Listings

Unfortunately, at this time, Google only has set attributes available for your selection. If your business has other characteristics that you would like to add to your Google profile, we recommend adding them to the business description section on your profile. We will be on the lookout for Google’s updates to this section as we anticipate it expanding to include a wider variety of attributes in the future.

You can highlight diversity on your veterinary website, too!

Your custom veterinary website from WhiskerCloud comes with unlimited options, and this includes pages that showcase your clinic’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and can showcase the incredible people that make your business wonderful. If you have a WhiskerCloud website and want to showcase your team or let customers know that you do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, disability, age, or veteran status—please email us!

If you are a WhiskerCloud client and would like us to update your Google My Business profile to reflect your business more effectively, send us an email at digital@whiskercloud.com.