
The Importance of Online Reviews and Testimonials for Your Dental Practice
What’s one thing you can do right now to help maintain a high ranking in search engine results?
Get more reviews online.
A 2023 study showed that approximately 97% of people felt that consumer reviews impact their buying decisions, whether that’s on Google or from your website.
If you think reviews and ratings don’t make a difference in your practice, think again. Studies have shown that 84% of potential patients use reviews to evaluate whether or not to schedule with a doctor or physician.
When potential clients see a list of reviews on your website or online, it shows them that your practice is a well-run and legitimate business. If you’re anything like the majority of consumers, seeing a place or product with zero reviews is a reason to raise an eyebrow.
All this to say, having reviews and ratings listed on your Google Business Profile or your website has been proven to improve your clinic’s credibility with the public. These reviews can also improve your website’s engagement rate and can drive more organic traffic.
When you have multiple reviews and ratings online, it also shows Google and other search engines that your website is consistently visited and up to date. Your reviews also give search engines more content and keywords, which boosts your search engine rankings.
How Do You Get Clients to Write a Review?
Just ask!
Send recent patients an email asking them to write a review. The feedback and information you receive helps you:
- Gain insight from your clients about their experiences and improve your practice.
- Spread those positive opinions online.
You can even automate the ask! Set up an automated email or text message to be sent a couple days after their visit, thanking them for coming to your practice and asking them to rate their experience.
If you’re not feeling too tech savvy, you could send them a postcard via snail mail. Write them a note that thanks them for their visit and include a QR code that links to your website review page.
What to Do with Your Online Reviews
Getting online reviews is part of a larger online relationship management strategy for your practice. Another part is responding to those reviews.
Taking time to respond to reviews gives potential clients an impression of you and your practice and the people that they could interact with during their experience. This is one of the basic steps in your lead generation toolbox — creating a positive impression on potential leads.
HIPAA rules around patient privacy can make some medical practices hesitant to respond to reviews. However, it’s been shown that responding to reviews can increase your website engagement rate and potentially increase your organic click-through and conversion rates as well.
Should I respond to negative reviews?
See a negative review from a legitimate patient? Responding can help other potential clients see how you handle feedback and manage situations.
That doesn’t mean you should start an argument about the situation. Here are a few tips:
- Thank them for their feedback and apologize for what went wrong.
- Provide contact information and offer to take the conversation offline to solve the issue.
- Be polite and try to respond as quickly as possible.
“How does this help with leads and digital marketing?”
Giving users a peek into your customer service is a large part in nurturing your leads and clients. People want to see they will be taken care of especially when their health is involved.
If you suspect that the negative review might be spam, you can submit the review to Google to be removed (though we still suggest you respond to it).
Do I have to respond to positive reviews?
Responding to good reviews is also important! Saying thank you is never a bad thing — and it feels good to acknowledge your happy customers who took the time to write about their experience.
Posting a response also boosts your brand credibility and encourages existing clients to return, building loyalty among your patients.
Ultimately, review generation and responses to those reviews will impact your visibility in Google Maps listings.
When there are dental practices populating the map, more reviews and responses can put you at the top of the list versus not showing up at all.
Get Help with Online Reputation Management
Online reviews are just part of managing your reputation online. You can get a free local SEO score from Birdeye, which specializes in online reputation management, in just a few minutes.
If you want help with clearly seeing your clinic’s digital marketing return on investment (ROI) and easily showing your team/bosses the value of your work, check out 9 Clouds’ reporting and ROI packages. This package will get you set up with the right tools to show you real value for your business.
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