A recent study by BrightLocal found that 88 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your dental practice has a strong online presence, and that includes gathering positive reviews from your patients. Here’s how you can get online reviews for your dental practice.
Why Are Online Reviews So Important to My Dental Practice?
Online reviews are incredibly important because they are trusted by potential patients. In fact, one-third of consumers will not consider a business that doesn’t have any reviews, and 80 percent say they are more likely to use a business if it has positive reviews.
In addition to being trusted by potential patients, online reviews are also a key ranking factor for local search results. Google, Yelp, and other review sites use reviews to help determine which businesses should be displayed when someone searches. So, the more positive reviews you have, the higher your dental practice will appear in search results.
This is especially important because nearly half of all patients use the Internet to find a new dentist, and most of them will only consider practices that are listed on the first page of search results.
So, now that you know how important online reviews are to your dental practice, let’s take a look at how you can get them.
How to Get Online Reviews for Your Dental Practice
Asking your patients for reviews is often the best way to get online reviews. Other opportunities to ask your patients for reviews include:
- Asking patients to leave a review when they’re in the office
- Sending follow-up emails or texts after appointments
- Posting signs in your office
- Review requests on reception screen slides
- Flyers at your check-in desk
- Staff buttons
Of course, you can’t just ask any patient for a review. The best way to get positive reviews is to provide outstanding service and care so that your patients are happy and willing to leave a review.
Incentives for Leaving Online Reviews
In some cases, you may need to offer an incentive for patients to leave a review. This could be something as simple as a discount on their next appointment or a free dental cleaning. Just be sure that you don’t offer too much, or you could run into problems with review sites like Yelp.
When it comes to online reviews, quality is more important than quantity. So, rather than trying to get a large number of reviews, focus on getting high-quality reviews from patients who are truly happy with your dental practice. With a strong online presence, you’ll be able to attract more patients and grow your dental practice.
Other ways to Encourage Positive Reviews for Your Dental Practice
The average dental patient isn’t going to go out of their way to leave a review, which is why it’s so important that you make it easy for them.
Identify Keywords
Another strategy to foster positive evaluations is to identify recurring keywords in online consumer reviews about your company and include them in your content development, product descriptions, and brand phrasing. Your dental practice is more likely to appear when a consumer searches for your services.
Leverage Feedback
Using feedback from internet reviews to enhance your business is a tried and true method of building a stronger brand. Use feedback to address issues and uncover what clients enjoy so that you may fix what is broken and provide more of what they enjoy. Consumers trust internet reviews, so use them to position your company for favorable client feedback.
Use Online Review Sites
Make sure your dental practice is listed on popular online review sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. You can also create a profile on Angie’s List or Healthgrades. These are all great ways to get your name out there and attract new patients.
Engage with your Customers
The most impactful way to use reviews is to engage with your customers. Responding to reviews – both positive and negative – shows that you are active on your platforms, care about what people are saying, and want to improve the patient experience.
Highlight Positive Reviews
When you get a positive review, be sure to share it on your website and social media pages. This is a great way to show potential patients that you’re a reputable dental practice with happy customers.
In conclusion, online reviews are essential to the success of your dental practice. By taking the time to get online reviews, you can attract more patients, improve your SEO, and build a strong reputation. With a little effort, you can get all the online reviews you need to grow your dental practice.
