Online review sites have grown tremendously over the last few years and people are using them to make decisions about more than what restaurant to go to for dinner. Potential patients are placing an increasing amount of importance on online reviews when deciding which new dentist to see…Will they choose you?
In addition to coming up in the results when a local patient searches “dentist” on the review sites, these sites themselves rank very well in the big search engines like Google and Yahoo, which means review sites are a great opportunity for your practice to get noticed … for free!
Which Review Sites Should You Be On?
There are many online review sites out there, but here are some of the top review sites for doctors that you should focus on first:
(Note: specific review sites may vary by location)
Go to each of the review sites above and, first, search your name and your practice name to see if you already have a listing that needs to be claimed and edited. This step is important, as you don’t want to create a duplicate listing.
If you don’t already have a listing, add your dental practice to each review site. When completing or updating your listing, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Make sure you write your practice address the exact same way on every profile (For example, don’t write 123 Front St. on one review site and 123 Front Street on another)
- Add photos if the site allows it- your practice logo, professional headshot, a nice staff photo, etc.
- List your dental website’s URL and contact information so that potential new patients can easily contact your office
Once you have created and/or updated your listings, your current patients can begin leaving positive reviews. Positive reviews from your current patients are a great way to increase your authority and credibility with prospective new patients who see you online. Plus, your listing on these doctor review sites can send qualified traffic to your dental website.
What About Negative Reviews?
Many dentists are hesitant to add their practice to review sites because of the possibility of negative reviews and the effect it can have on their reputation. This is a legitimate concern, and one that every business owner has, but it shouldn’t keep you from joining these sites altogether.
Instead, monitor your profiles so that you can appropriately respond to any negative reviews that may appear. If you do get a negative review, we suggest you:
- Write a professional, non-emotional response that acknowledges the reviewer’s concerns and indicates you will be in touch to discuss their concerns.
- Take the conversation offline—call the reviewer to discuss their concerns.
- A good phone conversation could lead to the reviewer removing the negative online review. If not, other visitors to the review site will see your response, thus seeing that you are a caring professional who takes patient concerns seriously.
Utilize Online Doctor Review Sites to Get More New Patients
If you haven’t been monitoring your online reputation or aren’t sure if your dental practice is listed on the most popular review sites, now is the time to optimize your presence. Reputation management is a crucial component to any successful online dental marketing plan.