As much as we would all like to take businesses at their word when it comes to their quality, we all want an extra vote of confidence from people who have real-life experience with the businesses themselves.
When a search engine user, who is just like you, leaves a review on Google, you’re probably more likely to trust their opinion than the claims of a business owner. So when you’re a business owner yourself, you can use Google reviews to help your search engine optimization (SEO). If you run a healthcare practice, Google reviews can help boost patient trust and online visibility to improve your rankings on relevant search engine results pages (SERPs).
Read on to learn about why Google reviews are important for healthcare providers and the benefits they can provide for your SEO. Then we’ll discuss how the SEO team at BURG+CO. can help you leverage your reviews to get the metrics needed to move your bottom line.
Why do Google reviews matter for healthcare businesses?
Google reviews are essentially the opinions that people leave on a business’s Google Business Profile (GBP). The reviews on your practice’s profile give prospective patients an idea of what they can expect from current or past patients. They also give you the opportunity to deepen the provider-patient relationship by responding directly to reviews and acknowledging feedback.
Reviews are essential for the reputation and growth of all businesses, but especially those in the healthcare industry. Approximately 84% of patients check reviews online before booking an appointment with a new provider. They are a way to build trust and show the quality of care you provide directly from the people you give it to.
7 ways leveraging reviews can help your SEO
Your Google reviews are helpful for your overall search engine presence and especially for the local areas that are within proximity to your practice. They are a significant contributing factor to how the algorithm ranks your site for relevant queries.
Here are seven ways Google reviews can benefit your SEO strategy:
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Reviews improve your local search visibility.
The goal of digital marketing is to get as many eyes on your website as possible. But to get users on your site who are most likely to convert into patients, you want to make sure that your site is visible to people in the areas that you actually serve. Focusing on local SEO can enable you to establish yourself as a credible provider that stands out in people’s minds when they think of community resources.
Reviews signal to the algorithm that you’re a legitimate, trustworthy provider for your community members, increasing the likelihood of ranking high on SERPs and map results for local queries.
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Reviews encourage more clicks.
The foundation of trust that can be built through Google reviews often lead to click-throughs and conversions. Positive reviews can increase people’s confidence in your quality of care, encouraging them to click on your site and book an appointment. If there’s no real-life evidence of what you provide, people may be a bit too skeptical to bother learning more.
The click-throughs boost your SEO because they’re letting the algorithm know that people are actively engaging with your GBP, showing that you’re relevant and credible.
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New reviews signal relevance.
The algorithm wants to ensure that users don’t waste time clicking on misleading sites or irrelevant information that doesn’t accurately address their queries. When there are fresh reviews on your Google reviews that reflect your current services and patient care, you’re reinforcing the relevance and value of your practice.
Older reviews don’t carry as much weight as newer reviews because there’s always a bit of doubt about how accurate it is to the current state of your business. For example, if you read a review from five years ago about the customer service, it’s likely that you’ll immediately think, “I’m sure they have new staff at this point.”
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Keywords in patient reviews boost search relevance.
Keywords are the pillar of all SEO efforts, as using them throughout your site’s content is how you show up on SERPs for user queries. It’s likely that your patients will use keywords in their reviews without even knowing it. For example, they are likely to naturally incorporate words like “pain relief,” “treatment” and “recovery,” which are broad yet common keywords, throughout their reviews. They are also likely to use their provider’s name.
Keywords in patient reviews can help the Google algorithm connect search queries to your GBP for relevance and value to the user.
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Reviews increase the engagement on your Google Business Profile.
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a multifaceted local SEO contributor. The main goal is to provide users the rundown on your practice to determine if you fit with what they’re looking for, including proximity, services and hours of operation. And when people actively engage with your profile, such as leaving reviews and clicking through to your site, that interaction sends a positive message to the algorithm, boosting your rankings for local queries.
An engaging Google Business Profile signals to your target audience that your practice is both credible and relevant to their needs.
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Responding to reviews can strengthen your SEO.
The benefits of patient reviews don’t just come from people writing them, but also from your responding to them. By leaving a response to all reviews on your GBP, whether they’re positive or negative, you’re boosting your local SEO by showing that you’re active and trustworthy. It also strengthens your connection with your patients by showing your appreciation to them, improving retention.
Here are a few tips for responding to reviews:
- Keep it short and concise.
- Mention specific points from their review.
- If it’s negative, take the conversation offline.
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High-quality reviews improve overall online authority.
Your online authority is how highly you’re regarded as a trustworthy, experienced source in your specialization. Even though you have designations next to your name and diplomas on the wall, reviews are a way to show potential patients how well you do your job by having other patients give their stamp of approval.
Having a good online authority can enhance your reputation while also giving you a competitive advantage on SERPs.
Want to attract new patients to your website? BURG+CO. can help you learn how to use Google reviews to boost your SEO
There’s a laundry list of contributing factors that the Google algorithm considers when ranking you on relevant pages, including Google reviews. As important as it is to be confident in your own abilities as a provider, those abilities hold a bit more weight when they’re discussed by patients who other users can relate to.
At BURG+CO., our SEO experts can help optimize and manage your Google Business Profile to get the traffic and conversions you’re looking for. That means we’ll also monitor your reviews and make sure each one is responded to in a timely and professional manner. We understand how to leverage your reviews to boost your local SEO performance as well as strengthen your reputation and patient trust.
Our team has years of experience in helping healthcare brands improve their digital presence to attract new patients and retain existing ones. If you’re looking to perform better in search engine results and attract more potential patients to your site, we’re ready to talk to you to see how we can help.
Want expert support with your digital marketing? Connect with BURG+CO. today to explore how we can help your healthcare brand grow.