The importance of reviews for local SEO
Reviews are a massive part of the web and an absolute essential for Dental Practices if you want to succeed online. The number of web sites offering patients the opportunity to review their dentist is increasing by the day, i.e. Qype, Thomson local, Tipped etc; and even Google itself.
At the end of the day people need reassurance and confirmation that their actions are the right ones. When patients are deciding about which practice to join, seeing an average review rating of 4 stars, or reading positive reviews may provide the extra push they need.
There are a number of review sources that Google can use, or which play a part in local search visibility.
Google Reviews
This is the most important source and these review scores are an important signal for Google. Reviews are published on your “Google My Business listing” which is now an absolute essential for local businesses. It’s free to set up, it’s one of the best things you can do to improve local SEO visibility. For Google to show your reviews in the local search results, you’ll need at least five reviews to gain your gold star rating, this will help you to stand out from your competitors.
While Google’s reviews may be the most important, this doesn’t mean you should ignore other sites. Together, they create signals and links that tell Google about the relevance of your business, as well as increasing your search visibility. Reviews on multiple sites also back up the information on the Google reviews.
Look at this search for “Dentist London”. The best organic listings are taken by the restaurants with good reviews:
Dentist Finder
Dentistfinder.net is a dentist search web site that enables potential patients to find a dental practice in their local area and read reviews before booking an appointment. You can actively send review requests out to selected patients, thereby ensuring the quality of response you receive.
How should you gain reviews?
- Ask patients when they are at the practice to go home and leave a review
(You cannot use an Ipad in the practice as Google will pick up the same IP address) - Send a follow up email asking for a review
- Use your social channels
- Reply to negative reviews
- Add notices in the practice
- Set up a reviews page on your website
- Offer an incentive in the practice, for instance a free toothbrush
After this the next organic listings are mainly from review sites. While not every local search is exactly like this, the trend is clear. The Google My Business listings are so dominant that many users will not even look at the other organic results. If you want a prominent position in the local search results, you need user reviews.
If you would like any further information then please give the Dental Design team a call on: 01202677277.
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