As the importance and influence of online patient reviews continues to grow, boosting your online reputation becomes crucial. Encouraging positive patient reviews, especially to your practice’s Google Places listing, can make a huge difference for your online presence.
Claiming your Google Places listing is the first step toward maximizing your practice’s visibility on the web, but how can you increase the number of positive reviews to your listing?
Here are a few ideas for directing patients to your Google Places listing:
1) Use word-of-mouth
The best source of positive online reviews is from frequent and satisfied patients. Try encouraging patients to post reviews when they visit your practice. Have handouts ready at the check-out desk with your Google Places listing URL and some words of encouragement and appreciation!
2) Implement a QR Code
Statistics suggest that most of your patients are smartphone owners. And, many patients may even spend time in your waiting area on their mobile devices. Try implementing a mobile marketing strategy!
Add a QR code to practice brochures, mailings and business cards. A QR code acts like a bar code that brings users to a specific mobile landing page when scanned by a smartphone or other mobile device. You can direct patients to your Google Places listing upon scanning your QR code. The idea is to solicit positive reviews from satisfied patients with a click of a button!
3) Set up a Kiosk
Does your practice have a computer or tablet designated for patients to check in for their appointment? This is a great opportunity to encourage returning patients to write a review for your Google Places listing! They’re at your office, with access to the computer and connected to the web. When they complete their online check-in, prompt them to write a review on your listing.
For new patients, you can also set up a kiosk, complete with a computer or tablet to write a review upon their exit.
4) Reach out on Social Media
If you’re active on social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter and Google+, reach out to your fans and followers. Post links to your Google Places listing encouraging patients to post reviews.
5) Send an Email Blast
Do you currently ask for an email address on patient forms? If not, this is a great opportunity to reach all patients at once with practice news or information. Send out an email blast, with a link to your Google Places listing, asking satisfied patients to post reviews.
The more reviews, the better!
The more reviews on your Google Places listing, the more weight it will have in search engines. The more positive reviews from satisfied patients, the better your online reputation!
Have questions?
Post to our Facebook wall with any questions you may have about your Google Places listing!
What is the URL that I have to hand out to patients to go rate me on google places.
O
If you visit your Google Places listing, to the top right, next to “Owner-verified listing” click where is it says “Link.” Your URL will appear beneath for you to either share via email, or social network, or you can copy and paste into a word document to print and hand out to patients.
If you’re still having trouble, send us a direct message on Facebook and we’d be happy to send you your Google Places link.
Here is the direct link to your Google Place listing: https://g.co/maps/wzx5t
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@kconti: I have some concerns with a couple of your suggestions. Do you have any input on whether Google tracks IP Adresses? I have read that submitting many reviews from one location (i.e. your kiosk suggestion) can result in your reviews being taken down or even your listing being blacklisted on Google Maps. If every review comes from the same IP address, Google may perceive that to mean that one person is writing all the reviews. This of course is against Google guidelines.
Also, Google does not allow for solicited reviews. Things like contests and email blasts are discouraged by Google and can also result in harsh penalties. If a Google Place Page has no reviews or just a couple of reviews, and then suddenly in the space of a few weeks the listing gets 30 new reviews, then does not continue the rapid pace of new reviews coming in, Google can identify that as solicitation of reviews and take all the reviews down. They can also cause your listing to plummet on the Maps and disappear from Page 1. With the organic and local search results now being integrated on Page 1, you’ve got to nurture your listing and add reviews gradually.
@Jeff Thanks for your feedback. In response:
1) Setting up on site review stations is okay, and has even been encouraged by Google. You can see this blog post for more information.
2) Soliciting reviews via email is not an issue, as long as you are not paying for them. Following up with patients a day or so after a visit is probably the best time to reach out for reviews. And since typically physicians don’t see mass amounts of patients each day, the reviews shouldn’t come in at a rapid pace. You can also take into consideration each patient will not check their email at the same time, and some may not even be compelled to share a review.
Best,
Kayley
Nice ideas but QR codes scanned from a mobile device then pointed to a Places Page will not gather more reviews. For some reason the option to ‘write review’ does not come up on a mobile device
@justin Good catch! Thanks for sharing.
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@kconti & @Jeff 1 – I agree with Jeff, Google originally said that it is ok to set up on site review stations, but that kind of practice can easily make your reviews look “suspicious” Here is an article with more detail on that: https://www.vtdesignworks.com/blog/google-local-reviews-disappeared-join-mike-blumenthals-business-forum-coalition
2 – You have to think about all these patients, they may have smartphones, but they may not have ever left a Google review, therefor yours is the first one they leave…this can again be seen as suspicious by Google if a lot of your reviews are from accounts who have no other reviews but yours. I think the best idea here would be to simply place a QR code in the office and those who want to review can and probably already have at other places as well, THIS will keep the reviews trickling in, and odds are that those with a QR scanner have also been on Google enough to leave other reviews.
3 – However, I have heard that if you simply continue to get more REAL reviews, Google will eventually post them, so you have to just push forward and hope for the best.
@kconti do you know if Google will begin to see your reviews as real if you are getting reviews from other places like Yelp, Yahoo Local, etc? I have a obgyn client who is having a hard time with reviews posting to G+Local from an iPad in the office, and need a way to let Google know that they’re all real. This has been happening for a few months now and there are only 13 reviews posted, and at least twice that many have been submitted. Thanks for your help.
Thank you for the tips and the great discussion. I have added it to my article here How to get patient reviews for Dental Clinics