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At ProspectaMarketing, we offer our dental practices a robust SEO and digital marketing strategy in order to maximize their appeal and reach. Our number one priority is reaching, converting, and retaining new prospective leads for your dental team. In this mission, we make use of a host of digital tools to provide us with up-to-date research that helps us stay at the vanguard of online marketing and advertising.

One shining example – especially this year – are the folks at Moz Pro Reviews. Consisting of a useful digital tool that tracks online search engine rankings, Moz has always been an industry leader in SEO trends. This year, however, they have taken an extra step and published the findings from their first-ever local business reviews survey.

On this blog, we’ve talked at-length about the importance of fomenting, reading, and responding to reviews – even negative ones. Your dental practice simply can’t survive the digital landscape if it has no user feedback that potential patients can rely on. It seems that Moz agrees!

During the month of September, they surveyed over a thousand US residents, and asked 17 crucial questions. In order to keep our practices educated and on the cutting-edge of marketing knowledge, our team has compiled the list, along with a helpful explanation on how it affects you and your dental team. Check it out below!

17 Key Review Findings by Moz

• What Moz Says: 96% of people read reviews.
• What It Means: Reviews are at an all-time high when it comes to marketing potential. In a fast-changing digital environment, you can’t afford to have an empty or paltry review page.
• What Moz Says: For gauging trust, 86% of consumers say reviews are either “the most” important or “somewhat” important factor.
• What It Means: Consumers are making quick, review-based judgments about businesses before deciding to even engage with them. If reviews are such an important factor, it’s likely an inadequate amount will make a patient forgo your services outright and not even interact with your digital portal.
• What Moz Says: Only 11% of consumers trust brand messaging over public sentiment.
• What It Means: Impersonal marketing campaigns are dead and relatability lives. Reviews and user feedback are the easiest ways to convince your audience that you are approachable, relatable, and welcoming. When people speak for your dental practice, they manage your interpersonal, word-of-mouth marketing campaign for you; so let them. And, above all, encourage them. A follow-up text, e-mail, or call to ensure a satisfied patient reviews your practice goes a long way!
• What Moz Says: 52% of respondents say their negative reviews stem from false or incorrect online information on assets like local business listings.
• What It Means: Accuracy is everything. Ensure that all your product and business listings are accurate to the services offered at your practice, make sure outdated offers are removed from your website and digital hubs, and choose relevant images that match the information provided. Users are most likely to negatively review you if they feel you didn’t fulfill any part of your marketing promises, so don’t break them!
• What Moz Says: 50% of consumers lose trust if it looks like owners or employees are reviewing their own business.
• What It Means: There is no easy route, and “seeding” reviews by planting your own employees and practice members in the reviewer pool does nothing to boost your presence. In fact, if this finding is anything to go by, it actively hurts it.
• What Moz Says: After reading reviews, 91% of consumers’ next steps occur in areas completely controlled by the business, such as the company’s website, premises, and direct contact options.
• What It Means: The review is the hook; once the patient has seen it, their most likely next step is to enter a space, digital or otherwise, where they can interact directly with your business. In a sense, good reviews are the first step in turning an average internet search into a veritable lead; one you can then convert into a recurring patient through contact forms, e-mail subscriptions, or even physical appointments.
• What Moz Says: 65% of respondents write negative reviews because of rude or poor customer service.
• What It Means: Some things never change, and while the age of adages like “the customer is always right” might be long gone, respectful, empathetic customer service never seems to truly go out of style. Ensure your staff is trained in “chairside manner” and that they treat their patients, prospective or otherwise, like people. This will generate reviews without much effort. In the end, the best way to ensure a good review is to provide a good experience.
• What Moz Says: Sharing experiences and gratitude drive the overwhelming majority of reviews.
• What It Means: Following up with satisfied patients has never been more important. If they share their positive experiences, others will see your practice as a place where they can feel safe and appreciated.
• What Moz Says: 40% of customers are being subjected to forbidden or illegal review requests.
• What It Means: After a scheduled appointment, ensure that you have a customer’s written consent before you attempt to contact them again. Following up for a review is important, but not more important than privacy. Spamming a non-consenting patient is a surefire way to never see them again.
• What Moz Says: 39% of review writers have not received a direct review request in the past 5 years.
• What It Means: A substantial chunk of users will review your practice regardless of a follow-up; but a bigger chunk might need more motivation. Again, we stress that you only reach out for follow-ups once you have received consent from the patient.
• What Moz Says: If asked, more than half of your customers will always or usually write a review.
• What It Means: Simply asking at the end of the appointment is both an easy way to generate reviews, and a handy way to circumvent any awkward or unwanted follow-ups.
• What Moz Says: The top reason customers don’t review your business is because they forget to do so.
• What It Means: As we stated above, a simple reminder can go a long way toward generating a review from one of your satisfied patients.
• What Moz Says: Over 90% of consumers are influenced to a moderate or extreme degree by owner responses to reviews.
• What It Means: Ignoring bad reviews is not the best route. Instead, respond to them with facts, accuracy, and a lack of defensiveness. If the criticism levied at your practice is baseless, refute it thoroughly and trust that your reviewers will respond to your honesty. If the claims have some merit, apologize on behalf of the practice and promise to do better moving forward. Either one beats a scathing review with no response, as other potential patients will see it as apathetic and will not feel your practice is a caring, safe place to seek dental services.
• What Moz Says: 62% of negative reviewers would give a local brand a second chance after an owner response solves their problem.
• What It Means: A bad review is as much of an opportunity as a good one. It not only pushes your practice to be better, but it can turn an unsatisfied patient into a recurring one. Always respond with respect and offer alternatives that might fix the predicament.
• What Moz Says: 63% of consumers will update their negative review or low-star rating once an owner response resolves their complaint.
• What It Means: If you move quickly to repair any damage, a negative review can become a positive one, and potential patients will see that your practice doesn’t only provide effective services and listen to their patients, but also acts to remedy any mistakes. There’s nothing more relatable than that!

This list is the least of it. Moz’s results were then further divided into three categories: the habits of review readers, the habits of review writers, and the power of owner responses. Check out our next blog post for an extended breakdown of these categories, as well as how they can affect you and your dental practice.

If you are thinking of expanding your dental practice’s digital reach, we can help! ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.