Your medical practice’s Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) reviews are considered the most powerful new patient acquisition asset in your digital arsenal. Nearly 74% of healthcare consumers read up to six reviews when deciding on a healthcare provider. Survey data has consistently indicated that patients depend on other patients to share their experiences through online reviews. This article will cover how Google Business Profile reviews have great potential to attract more new patients and how to manage medical practice reputation online.
Understanding the Significance of Google Reviews
For medical practices, the significance of reviews cannot be understated. They serve as potent barometers of patient satisfaction, directly influencing decisions for prospective patients looking to make informed healthcare choices. Positive reviews go a long way in fostering trust and clinching the decision to seek services with your medical practice.
Google’s algorithm also assigns a higher rank to well-reviewed businesses in search results, particularly those within the “local pack”—the three preliminary business directory listings seen in Google search results. While there are other online platforms that publish patient reviews, businesses will focus on Google Business Profile reviews because it impacts local search engine optimization (SEO) visibility the most.
Proven Strategies for Acquiring More Google Reviews
Many business owners won’t take the time to find out how to get Google reviews for their business. It is often assumed that because consumers publish them, there is nothing that can be done. But the truth is that any business–medical practices included–can be proactive about building their online reviews. Because reviews are so influential, healthcare digital marketing experts highly recommend that efforts be made to gain more Google Business Profile reviews online. Ways to procure new reviews include:
- Just ask: Letting patients know how important their feedback is can compel them to leave you a review. Ask for the review to be published on Google specifically.
- Provide exceptional service: Unfortunately, negative experiences can motivate consumers to leave reviews, but so can highly positive ones. Continuous commitment to a great patient experience can generate more published reviews online.
- Send review links: Electronic health records (EHRs) can be equipped to generate requests across patient touchpoints such as follow-up emails, and text messages that include a Google review link for your business. Direct links to Google reviews can also be added to your website or printed on a QR code to display in the office. When patients are offered a convenient way to post a new review, this can remove any lingering resistance to do so.
But before you can begin procuring reviews, a Google Business Profile must be set up. How to set up Google reviews for your business involves claiming and optimizing any and all listings connected with your medical practice.
Effective Review Management Techniques
Can you turn off Google reviews for your business? The short answer is no. Google will sometimes intervene when a business is the subject of controversy on the internet and people leave fake ratings and reviews. Because the reviews feature on Google Business Profile cannot be paused, this means that monitoring your reviews will be an ongoing task.
One of the core best practices of Google reviews management is to respond to all reviews—positive or negative—within 24 hours. Just as patient reviews are in public view, so are replies from your practice. When potential patients see your active engagement with patient reviews, this signals that your medical practice cares about delivering a quality care experience. Tips for responding Google Business Profile reviews include:
- Positive reviews: Leave a courteous “thank you” for the review. This simple acknowledgement can nurture patient loyalty.
- Negative reviews: Maintain a professional and compassionate tone at all times. Thank the patient for bringing up the matter, express your intentions to make it right, and offer to continue the conversation on a private channel to protect their privacy.
- Inappropriate reviews: How to remove bad reviews from Google Business Profiles depends on what they contain, and deletion by Google is never a guarantee. Reviews that violate Google’s guidelines can be reported to Google for review. Asking patients to remove a negative review is generally discouraged, but you can advise them to remove or edit reviews that contain identifiable information that compromises their patient privacy.
Monitor Reviews and Use Them Strategically
While it can be discouraging to see a negative review added to your Google Business Profile, keep in mind that only positive reviews can make some consumers suspicious. Some negative reviews mixed in lends some reassurance that your overall reviews collection is comprised of honest patient feedback.
Negative reviews are also an opportunity to find weaknesses in how your services are performed. Issues patients were hesitant to bring up in person can come out in patient surveys and reviews online. This can ultimately improve the experience you provide for patients so that better service can reap more positive Google Business Profile reviews going forward.
As for the positive reviews, you can repurpose these to be testimonials on your website. There are also ways to integrate your ratings into your website to make patients aware of your active engagement with your Google reputation. You can also add a call to action for patients to leave new reviews.
Summary: Boost Your Local Search Visibility with Google Reviews Management
Investing time and resources into nurturing your reputation through Google Business Profile reviews boosts local search engine optimization (SEO). But more importantly, Google reviews are highly influential in a patient’s decision on where to go for care services.
The strategies for acquiring, managing, and leveraging these reviews are not just good for business; they are essential for building public trust, continually improving services, and establishing a robust search engine profile that can attract patients in droves.
By harnessing the power of online Google reviews for business, and a proactive approach to reputation management, medical practices become more attractive to potential patients. Manage your reputation by:
- Procuring new reviews: Encourage patients to leave new reviews through verbal communication, electronic communication, on your website, social media accounts, or on signage in your office.
- Moderate reviews: Provide a timely response to both negative and positive reviews. Discourage patients from resolving customer service issues in public view. Report reviews that violate Google’s guidelines or appear to be left on your profile by mistake.
- Repurpose your reviews: Use negative reviews as an opportunity to improve service and use positive reviews to build confidence in your brand by displaying them elsewhere, such as your website.
Get Robust Online Reputation and Google Business Profile Reviews Management with iHealthSpot
In the realm of local search, the voice of your patients often translates to digital visibility–and ultimately–foot traffic that can fill up your appointment book. Our team of medical digital marketing experts work diligently to help healthcare businesses of all types and specialties get more Google Business Profile reviews to solidify your local online presence and moderate your incoming reviews on your behalf. Contact us to learn how you can make your healthcare brand stronger than ever.
