About 93% of users say that online reviews have impacted their purchase decisions. People value convenience over prices because 68% of them would pay up to 15% more for a product, if they are sure of a better experience.
With these statistics in mind, many dental practices are leveraging online patient reviews to boost their businesses. Sure, word of mouth and referrals are great, but online patient reviews are more effective. You’ll see why.
Impact of Online Reviews on Local SEO
Many dental practices get their patients from web searches, and for a brick-and-mortar business, searches from people in your locality have a greater impact. Local SEO is a method of optimising your local searches for increased traffic.
Online reviews promote your visibility and assure potential patients of your capabilities. This is more pertinent when those reviews are written on your Google My Business profile.
This is the page that appears when someone in your area searches for “dentists near me.” It would have your contact information and reviews, which would convince them to patronise you.
Strategies for Encouraging Patient Reviews
Reviews are great for business, but don’t fall into the trap of posting fake ones. Instead, here’s how to get your patients to write reviews on your services
- Provide exceptional patient experience: People are more likely to write about negative experiences, but you can motivate them with positive ones. Simply put your best foot forward with every client and modify your practice for better patient satisfaction.
- Ask for reviews: No need to feel awkward about asking for reviews. Patients are used to it, and would happily write one when asked if their experience was positive.
- Make the review process easier: Ensure your patients know how to leave their reviews or send a link if you can.
Optimising reviews for SEO
Here’s how to ensure your reviews turn up in local searches.
- Responding to them: Search engines reward activity, and responding to reviews is one crucial aspect they check. Plus, potential patients want to see you address negative views, as that shows them how you handle your patients.
- Display and integrate them: You can post reviews on social media or integrate tools on your website that gather reviews from different platforms. This increases your trust, credibility, and reach.
- Monitor and analyse reviews: Analyse your reviews regularly. These may show you patterns of dissatisfaction you could address in your business to enhance your patients’ experiences.
Conclusion
Dental SEO is important for enhancing your reach and giving your practice an attractive online presence. One crucial aspect of it is patient reviews.
The impact of these on Local SEO is massive, and as such, they’d be better if handled by experts in SEO. With an SEO agency, you can gain their expertise and leverage that to boost your visibility.
