Online Reputation Management for Medical Practices

With more than 80% of new patients researching a medical practitioner before booking their first appointment, online reputation management for medical practices has never been more important.

Even the best medical practices can fall victim to negative feedback and reviews from time-to-time, however with the right strategies in place, it is possible to protect your reputation and keep your medical practice thriving.

How to Protect the Reputation of Your Medical Practice Online

1. Ensure Your Website Ranks Higher Than Other Sources

First impressions count, and if the first thing a patient finds when they search for the name of your practice is a negative review, you’ve got next to no hope of getting them to book an appointment. 

Utilizing search engine optimization techniques that will help your website rank higher on search results is a great way to encourage patients to view your website first, so you can make a good impression from the get-go.

2. Bury Negative Content with Positive Content

While some negative feedback may be unavoidable, you can minimize the impact it has by building the volume of positive online content it needs to compete with. This will decrease the likelihood of prospective customers finding the negative feedback, while also helping to establish your position as an industry leader.

Some ways to do this include: 

• blogging and posting videos on YouTube
• creating social media pages on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn
• setting up practitioner profiles on medical directories like Doximity, CareDash, Sharecare and WebMD
• responding to questions on online forums like Quora

3. Demonstrate That You Care About Patient Experience

While it can be tempting to ignore negative feedback, it’s better to leverage it. 

Set up Google Alerts to be notified whenever someone mentions the name of your practice or medical practitioner, and respond quickly and appropriately by:

• politely acknowledging the patient’s criticisms
• providing a brief explanation addressing their concerns (if suitable), and
• encouraging them to contact the practice to see if there is a way to rectify the situation

Ensure you always abide by HIPAA compliance rules, and be diligent with your responses to ensure the issue doesn’t explode into a PR nightmare.

We’re Experts in Reputation Management for Medical Practices

Specialists in developing tailored marketing solutions for medical practices, the team at MD Logica can suggest a range of strategies to protect the brand and reputation of your medical practice and build a high-performing business.

Find out how we can support your medical practice.