Digital marketing is at the heart of success in any kind of activity at the present, including chiropractic practices. And one of the key elements of digital marketing is SEO – the set of actions that improve the visibility of a website on Google searches. At the present, Google relies on reviews, among other factors, to determine if a website is relevant, reliable and can be included in search results. Thus, we will explain to you how to get Google reviews for chiropractic clinic.
Where Are Google Reviews Posted?
These reviews appear on your clinic’s Google Business Profiles listing (formerly known as Google My Business). You can easily claim and verify your listing, earning you better chances to rank for local searches and a pin on Google Maps for the location of your clinic.
When patients search for your clinic on Google (using the name of your practice), the first result will be a summary of your Google Business Profiles listing including the ratings and Google reviews your patients posted. These reviews can determine a person to call and make an initial appointment, so you should try all the tips below to collect them from patients.
Effective Ways to Collect Google Reviews for Chiropractic Clinic
Here are the simplest and most effective tips you can apply in order to encourage your patients to take the time and write a positive review on your Google listing:
1. Ask Them at the Reception Desk
When a patient finishes their treatment, they usually go back to the reception to confirm the next appointment. You should train your receptionist to encourage patients to go to your listing and leave a review for your clinic.
However, the receptionist should not determine the patient to leave the review right then and there, using the WiFi connection in your clinic. Google will notice that many reviews come from the same IP address and flag them as false reviews created by the chiropractic clinic staff.
2. Send Thank You Cards
Patients should receive electronic Thank You cards after they make an appointment. It is a simple act of courtesy, but it can help your practice thrive. All you have to do is add a link to your listing and ask the patient for a review.
Links in thank you cards are very effective for collecting Google reviews for chiropractic clinic. The patient is happy for getting this card and will reciprocate with a few positive words.
3. Include Review Links in Progress Reports
Progress reports are important milestones for patients. They show them how their condition has improved since they started their chiropractic adjustments. A kind request to leave a review for your clinic will be answered with great enthusiasm.
After all, who wouldn’t praise a good doctor who helped them feel better?
4. Ask for Reviews on Your Website
Asking for reviews on your site is not presumptuous at all. People can ignore the link or they can click on it. Many practitioners are afraid of appearing too demanding when they try to collect Google reviews for chiropractic clinic.
In reality, patients who visit your site to make an appointment or get a reminder of the address of your clinic may see that link and think – “yes, I can leave a review, it only takes a moment”.
5. Include Short Links in Text Messages
Bit.ly and other similar services help you shorten URL addresses to just a few letters. This is very helpful for including a link to your Google Business Profiles listing in text messages you send your patients. You won’t exceed your usual character count and you can also obtain positive reviews starting from an appointment reminder.
What to Do if You Get Negative Reviews
Let us now address an important issue: not all Google reviews for chiropractic clinic are positive. Negative reviews can damage the reputation of your practice, as well as your SEO efforts.
There are several things you can do:
• Answer all reviews – do not ignore them, because it will look as if you do not care
• Maintain a professional and polite tone
• Ask the review author to contact you in private to discuss their problem and attempt to remedy it
• Do not engage in back and forth replies on the Google review page
• If you believe that a review is false, flag it and ask Google to remove it.
Finally, remember that Google reviews for chiropractic clinic can be extremely helpful for other potential patients, so seek any opportunity to determine satisfied patients to leave a few words on your listing.