7 Tips to Help You Build a Positive Online Reputation

Do you know what your patients are saying about you online?

If not, it’s time to start paying attention. Your online reputation can make or break your practice in today’s digital age. In fact, 74% of consumers say positive reviews make them trust a local business more, and  84% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

In an increasingly competitive field like optometry, it’s essential to actively manage and improve your online reputation. Here are 7 actionable tips that helped us double our online reviews and maintain a stellar 4.7-star rating, as originally published in the Women in Optometry Magazine, June 2018 edition.

1. Ensure Your Website Is Up to Par

Your website serves as your digital office—it’s the first impression many patients get of your practice. It should be professional, user-friendly, and mobile-optimized. Engaging content like videos, blogs, and patient testimonials helps build trust, while SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ensures your website is easy to find.

Investing in a professional website designer or marketing company to create a site that reflects the quality of your services is worth every penny. A well-designed website not only attracts new patients but also sets the tone for the patient experience, both online and in person.

2. Audit Your Online Presence

The next step is to review your current online reputation. Google yourself, your practice, your associate doctors, and even your staff members to see what’s being said about you. It’s important to ensure all your business listings—on Google My Business, Yelp, Healthgrades, and other platforms—are accurate and up to date.

Why? Because every person on your team is a representative of your practice, and consistency matters. A wrong phone number or outdated business hours could mean losing potential patients. Remember, you’re only as strong as your weakest link—make sure you present a unified, accurate online presence.

3. Strengthen Your Social Media Presence

A strong social media presence is crucial for building and maintaining a positive online reputation. Choose three platforms where your patients are most active—whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn—and establish a consistent posting schedule. You don’t need to post every day, but regular updates help keep your practice top-of-mind for current and potential patients.

Use your social media platforms to share engaging, helpful content like health tips, patient testimonials, behind-the-scenes looks at your practice, or even team highlights. Over time, you’ll notice trends in which posts get the most engagement. Use that data to refine your social media strategy and connect more meaningfully with your audience.

4. Monitor Your Competitors

It’s not enough to focus only on your own practice. Be aware of your competitors’ online reputations, too. What are their strengths? Where are they falling short? Learning from their successes and mistakes can help you better tailor your own patient experience.

By staying up to date on local competition, you can spot trends and gain valuable insights into what patients are looking for in your area. This knowledge will help you differentiate your practice and offer a superior patient experience, setting you apart from others.

5. Engineer the Patient Experience

The patient experience you provide in your office directly affects your online reviews. So, make sure it’s a great one. Every step of the patient journey—from scheduling an appointment to the actual visit—should reflect your practice’s mission, vision, and values.

Create standardized processes to ensure consistency. For example, ensure your staff greets every patient with a warm smile, that waiting times are reasonable, and that every interaction leaves patients feeling cared for. When your patients have a consistently excellent experience, they’ll be eager to share it in online reviews.

6. Ask for Reviews

Don’t be afraid to ask your happy patients for reviews! Positive online reviews can significantly boost your online reputation. In our office, we give each patient a thank-you card at the end of their visit, which serves as both a referral tool and a gentle reminder to leave a review.

During the checkout process, I personally take the time to ask patients for a review, especially if they’ve had a great experience. This simple strategy helped us more than double our online reviews in just one year. Your happy patients want to share their experience—sometimes all they need is a little nudge!

7. Respond to All Reviews

One of the most important shifts we made in our online reputation strategy was deciding to respond to all reviews, both positive and negative. In the past, we only addressed negative reviews to mitigate damage, but we realized it’s equally important to acknowledge and thank our happy patients for their positive feedback.

Responding to positive reviews shows that you value your patients’ opinions and are grateful for their support. And when it comes to negative reviews, responding promptly and professionally allows you to address concerns and potentially turn a negative experience into a positive one. Just be sure to maintain HIPAA compliance when replying to any review.

Final Thoughts: Building a Strong Online Reputation Takes Time

Creating a positive online reputation doesn’t happen overnight—it requires time, strategy, and consistent effort. Enlist your team’s help, set realistic goals, and consider hiring a professional marketing firm if necessary. With the right plan in place, you’ll be well on your way to improving your online reputation and attracting more patients.

Now it’s your turn: Do you have any tips that have helped you get great reviews? Share them in the comment section below!

Note: The content of this blog is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional advice. The top image is a license-free photo by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay.