Why Online Reputation Matters for Practices Today

Key Takeaways

84% of patients check reviews before choosing a provider, making healthcare online reputation management vital.

Consistently getting positive reviews helps build trust, improve search rankings, and bring in more patients.

53% of patients expect businesses to respond to negative reviews within a week; timely replies show you care.

Connection Between Online Visibility and New Patients  

Before a patient walks through your door, they’ve already looked you up online. They’ve checked Google, read reviews, and compared you to other providers.  

A strong online reputation builds trust, attracts more patients, and keeps them coming back. But online reputation management (ORM) isn’t always straightforward.

A handful of negative reviews (or too few reviews) can give potential patients the wrong impression of your office.

You can’t control what every patient says online, but you can control how your practice shows up.  

Here’s what you can do to build trust, get more reviews, and turn your online presence into a patient magnet.

4 Steps to Build and Protect Your Online Presence

1. Get More Reviews

Patients rely on reviews to make decisions, but many don’t leave them. While 84% check online reviews before choosing a provider, 57% rarely or never leave one.

That imbalance can make a handful of opinions—especially negative ones—stand out.

Here’s how to get more positive reviews from satisfied patients:

• Send review requests after great visits
• Make it easy to leave reviews
• Automatically send review requests  
• Explain why online reviews mean so much to your business
• Respond to positive and negative reviews

The more current, high-quality reviews you have, the more confidence potential patients will have in your practice.  

But getting reviews is only part of the equation. What you do with them matters just as much.

2. Respond to Good and Bad Reviews

Patients expect to be heard—even after they leave your office.

In fact, 53% expect a business to respond to a negative review within a week, and a third expect a reply in three days or less. Ignoring feedback—or waiting too long—can make your practice seem unresponsive.

But how you respond matters just as much as when you respond. 56% of consumers have changed their opinion of a business based on its reply to a review.  

A well-handled response can turn a bad experience into a second chance.

Here’s how to deliver a thoughtful response and build trust:

• Acknowledge positive feedback
• Address negative reviews professionally
• Respond ASAP
• Keep responses HIPAA-compliant

Thoughtful responses don’t just resolve issues. They show future patients that you listen, care, and take feedback seriously.

3. Actively Monitor Your Reputation

If you’re not keeping an eye on your online presence, you could be losing patients without even realizing it. Outdated contact information, unanswered reviews, and inconsistent listings can damage your practice's reputation.

Set up alerts so you know when new reviews come in. Google Alerts and review monitoring tools help but checking online profiles once a week makes a difference.  

Next, make sure your practice details are accurate. If your phone number, office hours, or website info is outdated, patients may give up and look elsewhere. Regularly updating your Google Business Profile, website, and social media pages keeps everything consistent.  

Inception Online Marketing’s SEO, website optimization, and reputation management services help track, update, and improve your online presence.  

Why a Strong Online Reputation Gives You a Competitive Edge

Positive reviews from a month or week ago give patients confidence in choosing your healthcare practice. Once you have good ORM, it becomes easier to grow without constantly chasing new patients.

Competitive advantages of effective ORM:

• Higher search rankings help more patients find you
• Positive reviews increase appointment bookings
• Happy patients are more likely to stay long-term
• Positive experiences increase referrals

Online reputation management with Inception includes reliable tools to attract more patients, increase bookings, and improve retention.

Take Control of Your Healthcare Practice’s Reputation

Your online reputation influences every patient's decision. When people search for a provider, they look at reviews, rankings, and the experiences of others. A strong reputation means more visibility, more trust, and more appointments.

With Inception Online Marketing, you can take control. Our digital reputation management and SEO tools help you stay ahead, attract the right patients, and ensure your online presence reflects the quality of care you provide.

Talk with an Inception marketing expert today and build a reputation that keeps your practice growing.

FAQs About Healthcare Online Reputation Management

Can I remove a negative review about my practice? No, but if a review violates platform policies (false claims, spam, inappropriate content), you can report it for removal. Otherwise, the best approach is to respond professionally and show potential patients you care about feedback.

How do I encourage more patients to leave reviews without violating platform policies? Platforms like Google and Yelp don’t allow businesses to offer incentives for reviews, but you can still encourage them the right way. Ask patients when they express satisfaction, provide direct links via text or email, and use Echo Patient Engagement to send automated review requests at the right time.

Can online reputation impact my local search rankings? Yes! Google factors in review quality, quantity, and recency. A steady stream of fresh, positive reviews can boost your local rankings and help more patients find your practice.

Does Inception integrate with my EHR and website? We do! Echo integrates with over 100 EHR systems for seamless data flow. You can also embed online scheduling and intake forms directly into your website for a smoother patient experience.

How does Inception help healthcare practices manage their reputation? We provide SEO, reputation management, and patient engagement tools to help you track reviews, automate feedback requests, and improve local search visibility—so your online presence reflects the care you provide.

References

Clark, J. (2024, November 7). 18 Online Review Statistics Every Marketer Should Know. Search Engine Journal. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/online-review-statistics/329701/

How Hassig Chiropractic Achieved #1 Local Search Rankings with Inception. (2025, February 10). Inception Online Marketing. https://www.inceptiononlinemarketing.com/case-studies/how-hassig-chiropractic-achieved-1-local-search-rankings-with-inception

Littrell, A. (2025, February 18). Patients trust online reviews, but they don’t leave them. Medical Economics. https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/patients-trust-online-reviews-but-they-don-t-leave-them

‍

‍