It’s not fair. You’re a great doctor but your Google reviews stink. And it’s probably hurting your medical practice.
Patients rely on online reviews to make informed decisions about their healthcare, and a poor rating on Google can significantly impact your ability to attract new patients. So, what is the #1 reason that doctors have bad Google ratings? The answer is simple: they don’t ask their patients for reviews.
When patients have a positive experience with a doctor, they are usually willing to share their experience with others. But, if they are not prompted to do so, they may not think to leave a review on their own. This means that only the unhappy patients are the ones leaving reviews, which do not reflect the true reputation of the doctor.
On the other hand, when doctors actively ask their patients for reviews, they are able to gather a more representative sample of patient feedback. This can help to balance out any negative reviews and give a more accurate picture of the doctor’s reputation.
Make It Easy to Leave Doctor Reviews
How can doctors make it easy for patients to leave reviews? One way is to provide patients with a direct link to the review site, such as Google or Healthgrades. This can save patients the trouble of searching for the review site on their own. Sending this link in an email is best. Patients are more likely to be logged in to Google if they’re already in their email.
In addition, it’s important for doctors to make it clear that they value and appreciate patient feedback. This can be done by showing appreciation for the time patients take to leave a review and by actively responding to reviews, both positive and negative.
Consistency Wins
It’s important to note that reputation management is not a one-time activity, but rather a consistent process that must be implemented over time. Having a consistent process in place for soliciting and responding to patient reviews can help to ensure that your online reputation remains positive. This can include regularly reminding patients to leave reviews, responding to all reviews in a timely manner, and monitoring your online reputation to address any negative feedback.
The #1 reason doctors have poor Google ratings is that they don’t ask their patients for reviews. By actively soliciting feedback from patients and making it easy for them to leave reviews, doctors can take control of their online reputation and attract more patients to their practice.
If you don’t want to establish a medical practice reputation management program on your own or are worried about messing up the details of HIPAA compliance and email, feel free to contact us.