When looking for a new service or product, most people like to check out online review sites. The same goes for choosing a new doctor. Doctor review websites are an excellent way for potential patients to “shop around” for the best providers in their area. In fact, three out of four people have searched for doctors, dentists, or medical providers online! Why? Because utilizing review sites is convenient, easy, and literally at our fingertips. While new patients sort through this influx of information, the majority (over 50%!) read online reviews to help them make an informed decision, and about 70% consider a positive review a critical factor in picking their new doctor.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, reviews of your practice are out there. And with droves of people reading them, you should take the necessary steps to ensure your reputation as a physician is positive online. To stay competitive, retain patients, and attract new ones, you’ll want to turn positive experiences at your practice into praising reviews online. Below we look at top online sources for patient reviews and why you should optimize and enhance your profiles on these websites.
Top Doctor Review Websites to Watch
To ensure you always provide high-quality patient-centered care and an enjoyable experience for all, it’s vital to gather and monitor patient feedback. While asking your patients directly is the easiest way, chances are you don’t have time for that. Review sites are the next best thing. Patient feedback is one of the most valuable tools to attract new patients and retain your current ones. In today’s world, patients (over 45%) trust online reviews as much as a doctor’s recommendation (46%). As a healthcare provider, this is enough incentive to monitor and ensure your online presence is positive. To make the most out of your online reputation, claim a profile on these top doctor review websites:
Google is the world’s largest search engine, and Google Business Profile is their online presence management tool. Creating and optimizing a profile can help you engage with your patients who search online for your practice. Your profile will appear on Google Search and Maps, and you can respond to reviews, publish photos, and add critical information, like your address, business hours, and phone number. Over 3 billion Google searches happen daily, so it’s crucial to ensure your reputation is positive on this website.
Yelp
While you might not consider Yelp a popular review site for physicians, it came to fruition when the co-founder fell sick and found it difficult to find any doctors in his area! The site boasts over 240 million reviews, and reviews for healthcare organizations make up 9% of this total. As a healthcare professional, you can create a free Yelp account to share vital business information and post photos and videos to promote your practice. The platform also offers review badges for your website and “Find Us on Yelp” stickers to help collect positive patient reviews.
Vitals
A leading resource for doctor reviews and data, Vitals compiles basic public information about healthcare professionals and searches medical boards, federal websites, hospitals, surveys, and more to provide as much context on an organization or individuals as possible. With more than 9 million patient reviews and ratings, it’s a valuable space for new patrons to see through the eyes of actual patients. It’s easy to claim your healthcare organization, just search for your practice on the website and click “Claim this profile.” Once you claim your profile, you can update it similarly to Google and Yelp, with photos and information regarding your practice, as well as respond to reviews.
Healthgrades
Arguably one of the most trusted review websites for the best doctors, Healthgrades is a free resource that helps patients find a care provider based on their needs. The site, which sees approximately one million user visits daily, lets patients browse and find doctors, dentists, and specialists based on location, condition, specialty, or procedure. According to PatientPop, more than 20% of patients read reviews on Healthgrades.
Monitor Patient Reviews With beMarketing!
Staying competitive in the healthcare market can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be with beMarketing. With our healthcare online reputation management tools, we can boost your online presence, remedy negative doctor reviews, and draw in new patients so you can focus more on what you do best—running a successful healthcare practice. Contact us at (484) 261-1149 to start a project.
