Online Reviews in Dental Marketing
(aka SEO Catnip)

Why reviews matter for online dental marketing

Google treats online reviews as organic content. This means the more reviews you have, the happier Google is with your site, thus bumping your search ranking.

Equally interesting: Google factors in your response time in addition to the actual content of the review–whether positive or negative. You get more organic SEO credit for timely responses.

Reviews help your practice stand out. Consumers consult online reviews before commiting to a product or service, and a majority will only buy from businesses with a 4-star rating or higher. Studies also show that potential consumers (your future patients) want to see 40 online reviews before considering a product or service, regardless of the star rating.

Leveraging positive, authentic reviews is a boon to your business. Featuring patient testimonials on your website helps solidify your reputation and get more patients in your chairs.

The takeaway—Protect your practice’s reputation

Be engaged. That’s really the main takeaway. You need to be engaged with your online review activity.

1. Encourage your patients to leave reviews online—The best time to get a review is soon after an appointment, while it’s top-of-mind for your patients.
2. Respond quickly and in a HIPAA-compliant way—HIPAA privacy policy prevents you from revealing certain information about your patients (including even acknowledging them online as a patient), so make sure you’re familiar with all the restrictions.
3. Display positive reviews as testimonials on your website—Get those positive reviews on your site in a prominent place so future patients can easily see them.

This sounds simple, but simple doesn’t always mean easy. Managing your practice’s online reputation effectively can be time consuming.