Maintaining a 5-Star Online Reputation
In today’s world, finding and choosing a healthcare provider takes place online. Instead of word-of-mouth being the most reliable sources of information, people rely on the internet. According to patients in 2020, over 70% check online reviews when looking for a healthcare provider.
Relying on others has diminished as healthcare information becomes more readily accessible and trustworthy. If you have yet to invest in online reputation management, the time is now. It is easy to start with what you can control, which is how you manage and monitor your online reputation, mainly, your online local listings.
How to Manage and Maintain a 5-Star Reputation
Online Local Listings
Local listings are among the most important online presence you and your practice can have. Your website is not the only place people can go to find information about the services you provide or work you do. Local listings, such as Google My Business, WebMD, and Healthgrades help patients find your practice when they do a simple online search.
The first step is to claim each profile. This means you are telling each website that you or your practice own the business being listed. Claiming a profile allows you to manage and optimize each listing with your own branding and information. A claimed profile ensures that your listings are consistent with others, your contact information is updated, and your services are correct. Depending on the listing website, you can also upload your own images and link back to your website, driving more traffic to your site.
Ensuring accuracy and consistency across all digital profiles is important to your success and reputation.
Curating A Higher Number of Reviews
A higher rating online can lead to better search results. Positive reviews signal search engines like Google that your practice is relevant to your community, highly visited, and is regularly reviewed. So getting a higher number of high quality reviews can improve your position on search results.
Using a third-party platform to acquire patient reviews can help boost your online reputation and search rankings. Valet Health’s strategy helps manage and monitor your online local listings for reviews. It helps curate a higher number of quality reviews.
Sending patient surveys and having the ability to leave feedback online or social media allows patients to feel more comfortable leaving reviews in whatever way they prefer.
Addressing Negative Reviews
Warren Buffett famously stated, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it”. A bad reputation may seem like a bad thing to your practice, but you can use it for good.
In fact, a negative review can help build trust. If you only receive excellent reviews, then your practice may appear as fraudulent or suspicious. A poor review can let patients know that your practice is trustworthy and transparent. How you reply to the review also helps build trust. Replying to reviews in a way that engages with the patient to let them know they are heard, understood, and being helped goes a long way in getting more positive reviews.
How Valet Health Can Help
Valet Health’s LaunchPad assists in managing and monitoring your online local listings to catch any negative reviews and reply to reviews. Our goal is to help build your online reputation to maintain a high rating. This not only increases your visibility on search results, but will grow your patient list and practice.
Schedule a consultation today to gain insight on your local listings and how we can help boost your profiles to increase your online reputation.
