Google reviews are word-of-mouth marketing on steroids. They can inject potent social proof directly into the search results of a large sphere of potential clients. They can also help your business stand out from competitive noise.
Given how vital positive testimonials are to your business growth, the essential question isn’t whether you should use Google reviews but whether you actually can.
This article will help clarify whether your practice is a candidate for generating Google reviews and outline alternatives available to those who can’t. It also introduces a simple way to ease the anxiety and workload of asking clients for Google reviews.
If you're confident you can ask for testimonials, wonderful news. Head on over to the Practice Better platform to set up your automated Google review request—no cringe required. Not a Practice Better customer yet? Try it for free for 14 days.
If your business has an active Google Business profile, anyone can rate and comment on your services through the Google platform. It would be fabulous if every client took the initiative to leave you a positive review, but many need some encouragement.
This is where things get tricky. Some licensed health practitioners are prohibited from soliciting Google reviews based on the state, province, or jurisdiction where they practice.
If you’re unsure whether you can ask your clients to write Google reviews, the flowchart below offers a good starting point.
If you have any doubts about your eligibility to legally or ethically approach clients for reviews, check with your regulator, if applicable. You can also seek professional advice from a lawyer with proven expertise in the laws and standards regulating review solicitation.
Even if you can safely solicit Google reviews you might still feel uncomfortable asking clients face-to-face. We get that. When a relationship is rooted in caregiving, requesting a review of your services can sometimes feel salesy.
The new Google review automation in Practice Better eliminates the ick by taking care of the request. You simply set up your locations, select which services should trigger the automation and at what frequency, and identify whether you’d like to deliver Google review requests by email, SMS, or both. Set it up once, then sit back and watch the five-star reviews roll in.
Ready to enable automated Google reviews in your platform? Get started.
All is not lost if asking clients for Google reviews is off-limits to you. Clients aren’t the only ones who can publicly vouch for your skills and services.
If your regulator approves of testimonials from other professionals, ask colleagues, associates, and others in your network for referrals. (By the way, joining the Practice Better Community is an easy, no-cost way to expand your network.) You can also encourage clients to refer you to their people. Just make sure to keep your approach respectful and pressure-free.
Your clients are busy people. Many have the best intentions to leave a positive review about the care you provide, but they simply forget. Automatically reminding them to leave a Google review is a low-effort way to make it easier for future clients to find and confidently choose you.
The first step is to be sure you can legally or ethically ask for Google reviews. The next is firing up the efficiency of your review-generation engine by automating the ask in your EHR.
If you’re already a Practice Better customer, you can set up the Google reviews automation in just a few steps today.
New to Practice Better? Claim your 14-day trial over here.
