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 for 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 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 to 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.

Root and Crown: The Whole Tooth of Dental Digital Marketing

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:

1. Gain insight from your clients about their experiences and improve your practice.
2. 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.

Healthcare Marketing

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.

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.

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.

How to Respond to Online Negative Reviews for Auto Marketers

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.

And if you want help with improving your clinic’s online presence and spreading the word about how great your practice is, request a free digital assessment from 9 Clouds. We have more than a decade of experience in digital marketing and are ranked as a top agency to work with on SEO.

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