We provide affordable online reputation management for all doctors and healthcare practitioners including:
- Plastic surgeons
- Dentists
- Chiropractors
- Medical doctors (MDs)
Our suppression and removal services are performance-based: You pay for results without long term contracts.
If you’re a licensed doctor, especially in private practice with a physical office, we can restore your reputation on Google and dramatically improve the success of your business.
Contact us at 503-890-6663 or request a free consultation by completing the form on this page.
Overview
In this post, we’re going to focus on providing you with actionable steps you can take that will impact your online reputation as a doctor.
When I Google the phrase “reputation management for doctors,” the top 20 results are dominated by software services focused on review management.
If your goal is simply to increase the quality and quantity of your online reviews, this post is not for you.
And while review collection services are a key ingredient to growing your online presence, the focus of this post will be on how you can gain control of the top 20 search results when someone is Googling your name.
Why Reputation Management For Doctors Is Important
More than any other profession, consumers want to place their health in the hands of a doctor they can trust.
In order to build a thriving practice with a steady influx of new patients, you must look good online.
Kyruus Health found that 61% of people consult the internet for seeking care and almost 80% of patients used 2 or more online resources while doing research.
In another survey conducted by IronMonk, they found the most important criteria for consumers selecting a new dentist was the one with the best online reviews.
Monitoring Your Reputation
I recommend manually checking your online reputation each month.
To offload this activity, have your receptionist or administrative assistant set a monthly calendar reminder to do this.
They can follow the steps on how to monitor your online reputation and send you a quick report each month.
Of course, you can pay someone or subscribe to marketing software that does this, but it’s very easy to do manually and doesn’t have to be another expense.
6 Best Strategies For All Doctors
88% of clicks go to the top 10 search results per the chart below from Search Engine Journal.
Therefore, you want to OWN the top 10 spots when you Google your doctor name.
I recommend protecting the top 20 search results because if a bad link is on page two, it could pop to into the top 10 pretty easily.
You’ll get the best bang for your buck (and time investment) to gain control of the top 20 spots by using all of the following six strategies.
Carry them out in the order provided and you’ll be in great shape.
These are all things we would do for you should you want to hire us.
Plus, if you implement these, you’ll get the added benefit of improved SEO, which helps you attract more business.
#1 – Claim Your Website
Buy “dr” + “yourname.com.”
For example, Dr. Thomas M. Johnson would purchase drthomasjohnson.com or if that’s not available, drthomasmjohnson.com.
Hire a freelancer on Upwork or Fiverr and build out a WordPress theme site with these 3 pages:
- Home page – should be a complete third person bio about you, your specialties, and experience. Aim for 1,000+ words.
- Contact page – should include ways to reach you, social media links, and links to any important articles or news that are positive
- Blog page – this will feature all of your blog posts (see below)
You can refer to our video for more info: How To Use Exact Match Websites For Online Reputation Management.
#2 – Blog Once A Month
Write one great blog post each month.
Your first posts should be detailed descriptions of EACH of the services you offer.
For example, a chiropractor might offer chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, and spinal decompression services.
He or she should write a 1,000+ word blog post on each service following the template below.
For example, a post on “Chiropractic Adjustments” could address:
- Introduction and brief history of chiropractic care
- A description of what chiropractic is
- Research data on efficacy of adjustments?
- Types of symptoms chiropractic care can treat, including examples
- Types of symptoms it isn’t helpful for with examples
- Case studies/testimonials from patients
- FAQ section
- Summary
Include images and videos to help make the post useful and educational.
Cite any reputable third party websites that substantiate any claims you are making.
Then add content regularly by writing 1,000+ word blog posts about the services you offer and the topics you’re knowledgeable about.
Before you know it, your website will be ranking well for your name, plus you’ll generate organic leads from new patients using the search engine to find out more information about he specialties you’re an expert in.
After you’ve blogged about each of the services your practice offers, than start keeping a list of questions patients ask you.
You can then turn each of those questions into a long form blog post, too.
If you need help with what topics to write about, just let me know.
#3 – Social Media
Claim the social media profiles that rank the highest.
LinkedIn and Facebook are the strongest for most doctors.
Watch the video below to learn how to use social media to gain control of your online reputation.
After you’ve claimed and filled out each of the social media channels you want to use, have your admin share your blog posts from #2 above, so that you’re keeping active and relevant.
The activity will help those rank higher.
#4 – Google Knowledge Panel
Now that your website, blog, and social media are in place, you’re ready for a big step.
If you don’t already have one, we can help you create a Google Knowledge Panel.
A knowledge panel sits atop all search results and makes you look like a celebrity when people Google you.
Look how nice Dr. Oz’s panel looks.
#5 – Medical Directories
Medical directories usually won’t rank as high as the major social media platforms, but they are still strong assets nonetheless.
Claim your profile in medical directories such as WebMD.com, HealthGrades, ShareCare, Vitals, ZocDoc, and others.
View our ultimate list of review sites for businesses which includes all of the top healthcare directories.
Complete Your Profile!
To optimize each listing so it ranks highest on Google, fill out every field they give you – images, description, hours, specialties, etc.
Complete, accurate, and consistent name, address, and phone number on each directory also helps your local SEO.
Look at the two WebMD profiles below for plastic surgeons.
Which one would you choose?
#6 – Review Management
It goes without saying that review management should be an integral part of your reputation management strategy.
Most of the medical directories listed in #5 above allow for patients to leave reviews of your practice and bedside manner.
Luckily, services like Podium, ConsumerFusion, Birdeye, PatientPop, and Rater8 can all help you gather more positive reviews from happy patients.
Some softwares even help with the processes of flagging and responding to reviews.
While monitoring your overall reputation should be a monthly process, you’ll need to check your reviews more frequently.
Other Content Strategies
Beyond the fundamental six strategies listed above, which you can ask your receptionist to do, there are lots of websites that publish interesting content about doctors.
Some are free and some are paid.
If you choose to work with us, we’ll be getting you published on multiple authoritative sites that rank well on Google.
We’ll also cross-promote your other positive digital assets by backlinking, which helps to make them stronger.
Lastly, we employ a team of people all over the US who help bury your negative content by clicking on the good stuff we want to rank higher.
Below, we will move on to some detailed examples for each of the major healthcare industries.
Plastic Surgeons
In the video below, Matt and I analyze a hypothetical case involving a plastic surgery office and their online reputation.
We examine the search results for the clinic, noting negative suggestions like “death” and low ratings.
If you’re a plastic or cosmetic surgeon, we think you’ll enjoy seeing what our approach would be to cleaning up this business’s online reputation.
You’ll learn the critical role of online reputation for attracting clients as we suggest practical steps for plastic surgeons to enhance their digital image.
Plastic Surgeon Case Study
We’ve helped several plastic surgeons.
Here’s one anonymous case study from an actual client:
Problem: “patient death” and “lawsuit” were appearing as suggestions after their name in Autocomplete for Google and Bing
Solution: We removed both negative suggestions within 30 days from Google and 45 days on Bing. We provide monthly maintenance to keep the unwanted suggestions out should they reappear.
Result: New clients no longer see the negative suggestions when Googling the doctor and thus do not see the controversial articles that are related to them. Staff does not have to answer questions and business has increased.
Dentists
The video below focuses on dentists.
Matt and I present a case of a dentist involved in a golf course altercation.
We propose tactics such as removing negative auto suggestions, handling Google Business ratings, and suppressing negative content.
Dental reviews on various platforms are examined, with suggestions for improvement or removal.
Matt emphasizes the potential for reputation recovery which has helped other clients double their business.
We invite dentists to seek consultation for similar assistance.
Chiropractors
The discussion for this video revolves around online reputation management for chiropractors, particularly focusing on Google reviews.
Two professional options are presented: removing complaints or resetting a page.
Strategies to handle negative reviews are discussed, along with SEO and online presence improvement suggestions.
Services offered are emphasized with a pay-per-performance model.
Chiropractor Case Study
Chiropractors love working with us!
Here’s a case study from a chiropractor we worked with for several years:
Problem: A handful of 1-star reviews on Google. Also, a controversial news article was on the first page of search results.
Solution: We removed the 1-star reviews which improved his star rating on Google. We created news articles, websites and interviews on high authority sites to bury the news story, so it’s no longer visible in the top 20-30 search results. Each month we worked with the chiropractor, it went lower and lower until he was satisfied.
Result: Hardly anyone sees the news story anymore, it is literally “yesterday’s news.” The improved Google rating is the first thing people see when they Google his name and the number of new patients has increased.
FAQ
What is healthcare reputation management?
Healthcare reputation management is the process of removing or pushing down negative content about a specific doctor or business. It can also include review management for the purposes of gaining more 5-star reviews while flagging and removing fake, false, and erroneous bad reviews.
What does reputation management for doctors cost?
Costs vary depending on the scope of services needed. Contact Affordable Reputation Management for a custom quote that suits you.
How do I check a doctor’s reputation?
The easiest way to check a doctor’s reputation is by Googling their name and looking at the top 20 search results. For reviews, ignore the 1-star and 5-star reviews and read the 2, 3, and 4-star reviews. Those are likely the ones to be most trustworthy.
What is the best site for doctor reviews?
This is a subjective question and any answer you see is purely opinion. Here’s why: Most review platforms are easily manipulated by non-patient accounts. And for any review platform that claims to only post reviews from actual patients, I’d want to take a look at how they’re verifying it. It’s very difficult to scale the process of verifying every single review at a price point that makes sense. No single site should be trusted 100%, no matter what claims they make. My advice is to get recommendations from friends you trust and conduct an in-person interview with any doctor before working with them.
Wrapup
In this post, we’ve focused on specific ways your doctor’s office can promote and protect the online reputation for each professional in your practice.
If you decide the tips we’ve shared are too much to undertake on your own or you’d just like to get some ongoing professional help, I recommend filling out our contact form for a one-on-one consultation by phone or email of your choice.
You’ll receive a quote which is pay-for-performance based, without long term commitments.
We hope to work with you.