Think about how a new patient finds you today. Many of them never type in your website address. They pick up their phone, search "dentist near me," and look at the map. In a few seconds they see your name, your star rating, a handful of reviews and maybe a photo of your front door.
That listing is your Google Business Profile. For a lot of patients, it is your first impression. The good news is that it is free, it is mostly within your control, and a little consistent attention goes a long way.
Your profile helps people do three things quickly: find you, trust you and contact you. A complete, active profile with recent reviews tells a busy parent or a new resident that your office is real, open and well cared for. An empty or outdated profile can quietly send them to the practice down the street.
You do not need to become a marketing expert to get this right. You need the basics done well and a simple habit to keep them current.
If you have not already, claim your profile through Google and complete the verification. Make sure the right person in your office has access, and that access does not live only in the inbox of a former employee or a past marketing vendor. We see that more often than you might expect.
Keep a record of who has owner and manager access, and review it whenever someone leaves the team.
Accuracy matters more than clever wording. Check the following:
Make sure your name, address and phone number match everywhere else your practice appears online. Inconsistent details can confuse patients and search engines alike.
Patients want to see where they are going and who they will meet. Add photos of your building, entrance, front desk, a treatment room and your team. Natural, well-lit photos of your actual office beat stock images every time. Refresh them when you remodel or your team changes.
Be careful with patient photos. Only use images of patients with proper written permission, and check with your own advisor about privacy requirements before posting anything that involves a patient.
Reviews are one of the most visible parts of your profile. Most happy patients are glad to leave one. They just need to be asked at the right moment, in an easy way.
A simple system looks like this:
Ask every satisfied patient the same way. Avoid offering gifts, discounts or entries into drawings in exchange for reviews, and do not ask only the patients you think will be positive. Google has policies about how reviews can be requested, so keep your approach simple and honest.
Responding shows future patients that real people care about their experience.
Keep it short, warm and genuine. Thank the patient and mention something general about your team. Vary your wording so it does not look copied and pasted.
Take a breath before you respond. A calm, professional reply often matters more to future readers than the original review.
Privacy rules apply here, so never discuss anything about a person's care in a public response. If you are unsure, check with your advisor before replying.
Set a monthly reminder to review your profile. Check hours, answer any questions people have posted, add a new photo or a short update, and look over your new reviews. It takes a few minutes and keeps your listing from going stale.
Like any system, your profile works best when one person owns it. That might be your office manager or a front desk team member who enjoys this kind of work. Give them a short checklist, the time to do it and a monthly goal, and include review numbers in your regular reporting. If you would rather have help with local visibility and your online presence, our dental marketing services can support you.
Remember, though: reviews follow experience. The best review strategy is a patient experience worth talking about, from the first phone call to the goodbye at the front desk. Our post on the patient experience is a good place to start.
Want more local patients finding and choosing your practice? Schedule a free Practice Growth Call with AMP, and we will look at how new patients find you today and where the biggest opportunities are.
