As the world becomes more and more digital, most companies are focus the bulk of their outreach efforts on the internet. This includes medical practices. The importance of staying up with the times and reaching out to potential new patients online is indispensable. Having a digital presence (website, social media profiles and solid SEO ranking) makes your practice more welcoming and accessible by reaching people where they are comfortable and familiar – the internet.
So, on which websites should a doctor hold profiles? Luckily, it’s not necessary to be on every single one. Here’s on the online profiles you should seriously consider when taking stock of your online presence:
Google My Business
Google My Business is a page on which businesses can be reviewed and appear is local search results. Verification or proof of business will be required. Since the site is owned by Google itself, it is an important site for doctors to be on since the links gained are ranked as highly valuable and authoritative by the algorithms. In addition to the page for the practice itself, each doctor employed with the practice should have his or her own separate, individual page. Without separate pages, Google’s algorithm will delete pages that it has flagged as duplicate. NOTE: Individual doctor pages should only contain their name and not the practice (or it will be flagged).
Yelp
Not just for complaining about restaurants, Yelp is a site that allows users to post reviews about any company that has a profile, including medical practices. Yelp has recently caught flack for a perceived lack of policy in regard to screening reviews or flagging reviews that businesses claim are false. Don’t let this scare you away. The point of a review site is to have access to the cold hard truth – even if it’s not worthy of five stars. The advantage to Yelp is the sheer volume of active users. This is the place where you are most likely to receive reviews (especially from those under 50). Embrace it! Put your all into the in-office experience and patient engagement and you will likely receive several positive reviews on the site. The more positive reviews that are posted, the more likely it will be that someone new seeks your services.
Healthgrades
Healthgrades (Yelp for doctors only, if you will) is another review site but specifically for physicians and practices. The big difference here is that the company processes patient reviews through their own algorithm to calculate a rating based on their unique criteria. Medicare patients are chosen at random upon discharge from a hospital and asked a series of questions regarding procedure and diagnosis that is entered into their claim. Ratings are adjusted based on numbers of mortality and in-hospital complications. Information pulled by Healthgrades records may tend to be out-of-date, so it is important to claim your profile and keep it accurate.
ZocDoc
ZocDoc is primarily a scheduling platform but don’t discount the power of the ratings! Many visitors of the site come with the purpose of finding a new doctor for a specific need. Doctors with those coveted five stars next to his or her name are far more likely to bring new people through the doors than those without. The beauty of the site is how quick and easy it is for someone to find a doctor they like and make an appointment. Make it easy for your potential patients! Even if you do not allow appointments to be made online through the site, you should still hold a profile and encourage your visitors to leave reviews.
WebMD
Many people, for better or worse, visit WebMD to check their symptoms against possible causes. While in the process of researching, some will take the next step of contacting a physician through the site’s native directory. While the number of ratings, on average, are not as abundant as Yelp or ZocDoc, it still provides an opportunity to snag a positive online review. Even if one person decides to make an appointment after a round of symptom checking, that’s a win! WedMD also has a feature in which users can search by exact procedure needed. That’s a chance for you to really boast about a procedure at which you excel and build a reputation!
Ah…Facebook. Aside for your practice’s website, a Facebook business page is an absolute must. There’s no way around it. Your Facebook page is the profile in which you can be most proactive about your practice’s online narrative. Yes, there is a review feature but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A strong Facebook marketing plan, even if reviews are less than stellar, allows you to be in control of the image and message that your practice puts out. Post about physician and staff news, showcase your specialites and procedures, take part in fun theme days, encourage engagement and interaction with your online community – all of these tactics play a part in shaping how the world perceives you.
If you need help with your digital presence, contact us here!