Reputation & review management

Reputation management, a steady flow of genuine, recent reviews, is one of the strongest trust signals a practice can have, both for prospective patients and for local search rankings. Most practices have satisfied patients who simply are never asked.

Most practices have far more satisfied patients than reviews, simply because almost nobody asks at the right moment. We set up compliant, automated review requests timed to when a patient is most likely to respond positively, typically right after a good visit rather than weeks later, and monitor Google, Practo, RateMDs, and Healthgrades from one dashboard so nothing slips through unanswered. A steady, recent flow of reviews is also a meaningful local ranking signal, which is part of why this work pairs closely with GMB management rather than sitting separately.

Timing the request matters more than the request itself

A review request sent immediately after a good appointment, while the experience is fresh, converts at a meaningfully higher rate than one sent days later in a generic follow-up email. Getting this timing right, compliantly, is most of what separates a practice with a steady flow of recent reviews from one with a handful of old ones.

Why responding to positive reviews matters too

It's common for practices to respond only when a negative review appears, treating positive reviews as needing no reply. Google's local algorithm appears to weigh response rate and recency broadly, not just responses to complaints, so a practice that engages with every review, brief and genuine, tends to outperform one that only reacts defensively.

Handling a negative review the right way

A single negative review, handled with a calm, professional, specific response, rarely does lasting damage, and sometimes builds more trust than having no negative reviews at all, since an all-five-star profile can read as curated. What actually causes damage is an unaddressed pattern of similar complaints left unanswered.

Review generation looks different by specialty

A pediatric practice's reviews tend to come from parents commenting on staff warmth and wait times; a cosmetic practice's reviews tend to focus on results and consultation experience. We adjust the timing and framing of review requests to match what patients in a given specialty are actually likely to comment on.

Monitoring across platforms in one place

Google, Practo, RateMDs, Healthgrades, and specialty-specific directories all need separate monitoring, and a review posted on a smaller directory can sit unanswered for months if nobody's watching it. We consolidate monitoring into a single monthly view so nothing falls through simply because it wasn't on the platform someone happened to check.

When a review contains inaccurate information

A negative review that includes a factual inaccuracy, wrong treatment described, wrong location, mistaken identity, gets a calm, specific correction in the public response rather than an argumentative one, and can be flagged to the platform for review if it clearly violates content policies. Overreacting publicly usually causes more damage than the original review did.

Building reputation from zero reviews

A brand new practice with no review history isn't at a permanent disadvantage, it just needs a deliberate first push. We typically front-load review requests in the first few months more heavily than we would for an established practice, since an active, growing review count in the early period signals momentum to both patients and Google's local algorithm.

Reputation rules vary sharply by country

Australia's AHPRA guidelines restrict testimonial use far more than most markets; the United States is comparatively permissive. Check our country-specific pages before running any testimonial-driven campaign, since what's standard practice in one market can be a compliance issue in another.

Reviews feed both GMB and GEO work

A steady flow of recent reviews strengthens Google Business Profile signals directly, and also gives GEO work more recent, citable evidence of real patient outcomes. The three services are more connected than they might first appear.