In today’s digital age, the first interaction a potential patient has with your practice is likely through a Google search. Imagine a patient new to the area or someone in urgent need of dental care. They turn to Google, type in “dentist near me,” and are immediately presented with a list of options. Two dental practices appear, one boasts a stellar 4.9-star rating with hundreds of reviews, while the other, despite possibly offering superior service, lingers at a 4.4 with a modest review count. The choice for most potential patients becomes a no-brainer.

It’s not just about being good at what you do; it’s about showcasing that excellence where everyone can see it. The disparity in review quantity and quality can dramatically influence patient decisions, much like how one might choose between two similarly priced but differently reviewed products online. It’s a principle known as social proof, which is deeply embedded in our decision-making processes.

In the quest to maximize Google reviews, it’s essential to recognize and avoid certain pitfalls. Automation tools and review management systems, once a novel edge, have now become commonplace. The oversaturation of these tools in the market means they no longer provide a competitive advantage. Moreover, they often yield low engagement rates, as automated requests can be perceived as impersonal or even spammy.

Worse still, practices employing review gating (selectively soliciting positive reviews) risk severe repercussions. Google’s crackdown on such practices, alongside governmental regulations like those enforced by the FTC, highlights the importance of authenticity and fairness in soliciting reviews.

Similarly, low-effort strategies like QR code posters in the office have shown minimal effectiveness. These approaches lack the personal touch and fail to engage patients meaningfully, resulting in a negligible impact on review generation.

The cornerstone of a successful review strategy is outstanding customer service. The experience a patient has from the moment they walk through the door can make or break their willingness to leave a positive review. Practices that go the extra mile in making patients feel welcomed, appreciated, and cared for set themselves apart in the minds of their clients.

Engaging with patients about their experience not only provides valuable feedback but also opens the door to requesting a review. This interaction should be genuine and personable, demonstrating your practice’s commitment to patient satisfaction.

1. Cultivate a Review-Friendly Atmosphere: From the moment a patient enters your practice, every interaction should contribute to a positive experience that they’re eager to share. This includes everything from the cleanliness of your waiting room to the friendliness of your staff.

2. Personalize the Review Request: When asking for a review, personalize your request. Share why their feedback is valuable and how it helps your practice grow and serve patients better.

3. Make It Easy: Provide a direct link to your Google review page. This can be done through a quick text message or email, sent before they leave the office, making the process as seamless as possible.

4. Respond to Reviews: Show appreciation for feedback by responding to reviews, both positive and negative. This demonstrates that you value patient input and are committed to continuous improvement.

5. Leverage Positive Experiences: Encourage happy patients to share their stories. A patient who’s had a transformative dental experience can be your best advocate, turning their personal story into a powerful testimonial.

6. Address Negative Feedback Constructively: Negative reviews aren’t the end of the world. View them as opportunities to learn and improve. Address concerns promptly and professionally, showing potential patients that you’re proactive about ensuring satisfaction.

Following this approach not only increases the quantity of your Google reviews but also enhances their quality. It demonstrates to prospective patients that your practice is not just a choice but the preferred choice for dental care in your area.

In conclusion, Google reviews are not just a metric; they are a reflection of your practice’s commitment to patient satisfaction and a powerful tool for growth. Just like the detailed work that goes into crafting a perfect smile, building a repository of positive reviews takes patience, effort, and a commitment to excellence. By focusing on creating outstanding patient experiences and following through with personalized review requests, your practice can not only increase its Google review count but also, more importantly, build a loyal patient base that’s happy to sing your praises.

Remember, in the vast digital landscape, your Google reviews are your digital storefront. They’re the first impression many potential patients will have of your practice. Make it count by adopting a patient-centric approach that prioritizes genuine interactions and exceptional care. With this strategy, you’re not just aiming to double or triple your patient flow; you’re setting the stage for lasting success and a reputation that speaks volumes about your commitment to dental excellence.

Many dentists wonder how to attract high-quality patients and boost cosmetic cases. There’s no quick-fix marketing solution, but we believe in laying the groundwork before investing heavily in marketing.  Attracting new patients for cosmetic dentistry can be more challenging than filling emergency slots or scheduling routine check-ups. Cosmetic dentistry patients do their homework, compare practices, and ultimately choose the one they like and trust the most.

So, how can you build the trust needed on your website to prompt a potential patient to pick up the phone and call your practice? One effective method is to answer their questions on camera!

An FAQ video is a short and informative video lasting anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. In these videos, dentists take the opportunity to explain particular dental procedures or tackle frequently asked questions that are commonly searched for on platforms like Google.

Begin by selecting a topic relevant to your services or practice. Consider common patient queries, such as:

• Invisalign vs. Braces
• Dental Implants vs. Dentures
• Kid-Friendly Dentistry
• Wisdom Teeth
• Dental Veneers
• Teeth Whitening

If you’re unsure about what topics to cover, you can utilize the valuable resource of AnswerThePublic.com. It’s a straightforward process—just enter the name of the service you’re interested in, such as “Invisalign” or “Dental Implants,” and specify your preferred country and language.

After hitting the search button, you’ll be presented with a comprehensive list of the most frequently asked questions related to these services, making it a breeze to pinpoint relevant topics for your FAQ videos.

• Ensure your phone’s video settings are optimized for high-quality recording.

• Use your phone in landscape mode (horizontal) rather than portrait (vertical).

• Choose a quiet, well-lit room with natural light.

• Ensure your face is well-illuminated and avoid harsh backlighting.

• Have a staff member film you or place the phone on a stable surface, ideally at eye level. If a staff member is recording, they should minimize unnecessary movement during filming.

To create a successful FAQ video, focus on being natural and engaging:

• Remember to smile; it helps you connect with viewers.
• If you’re feeling nervous, have your team pose questions to you before recording; practice makes perfect.
• Rest assured that any awkward moments, lengthy pauses, or mistakes can be edited out.

To ensure your video maintains its quality during sharing, avoid emailing or using messaging apps that may reduce video quality. Instead, use platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, or WeTransfer to guarantee that your video looks its best when shared.

Here are a few videos made by our clients. Take a moment to watch them and observe how they’ve seamlessly put the above steps into practice. These videos serve as practical examples of how to create engaging FAQ content for your patients.

Incorporating FAQ videos into your online presence can make a significant difference in connecting with your audience. If you have any questions or require assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.

In today’s digital age, maintaining a strong online presence is crucial for businesses, including dental practices. However, many dental professionals struggle with the question of how to effectively utilize their social media pages, especially considering that dentistry may not be viewed as a particularly glamorous field.

In this blog post, we will address common concerns and provide valuable insights into why having an engaging Facebook page is essential for your dental practice. Additionally, we will share practical tips to spruce up your social media presence, attract potential patients, and boost your search engine ranking.

Creating a Facebook page is not just about having a presence on a popular social media platform. It plays a pivotal role in enhancing your practice’s search engine optimization (SEO) and credibility. Google prioritizes websites that are mentioned on other reputable sources, such as articles, listings, and social media pages.

By having a Facebook page, you establish another citation source that reinforces your practice’s validity in the eyes of search engines. Consistency is key when setting up your page, so ensure that your name, address, phone number, and hours of operation match those on your website.

This alignment signals to search engines that multiple sources are acknowledging your practice, resulting in a higher ranking.

To make your Facebook page stand out and attract potential patients, it’s essential to incorporate visually appealing content. Consider the following tips:

Professional Videography or Photography: Collaborate with a professional videographer to shoot a captivating video showcasing your practice. Include footage of the waiting room, interactions between the doctor and patients, and exterior shots. This video will provide a warm and inviting preview of the patient experience, instilling confidence and trust. If video production is not feasible, high-quality photography can also be effective in capturing the essence of your practice.

Click on the images below to see some examples from our clients.

Engaging Banner Photo: This creates an immediate connection with potential patients, making them feel comfortable and eager to experience your practice firsthand. A photo that captures authentic interactions will convey a genuine sense of care and compassion. Highlight the human connection, don’t use a photo that showcases dental equipment or empty exam rooms.

Please have a look at a couple of examples from our clients.

Testimonial Videos: Request patients who have had positive experiences at your practice to participate in testimonial videos. Train your receptionists to ask patients if they would be willing to share their thoughts on camera. Encourage patients to speak naturally and authentically, expressing their satisfaction and emphasizing the friendly atmosphere. These videos provide powerful social proof and demonstrate the exceptional care patients can expect.

Stay away from before and after photos: Before and after photos may seem like a compelling way to showcase your dental work, but they can have an unintended negative effect on potential patients. These images can be startling and evoke feelings of discomfort, causing patients to associate your practice with pain or invasive procedures. Instead of attracting patients, these visuals may actually scare them away.

Developing and maintaining an engaging Facebook page is an integral part of your dental practice’s digital strategy. By leveraging this platform effectively, you can boost your practice’s SEO, credibility, and patient conversion rates. Remember to focus on consistency, visually appealing content, and authentic testimonials to create a polished and enticing social media presence.

Have you ever wondered why it takes some dental practices decades to generate just $1 million in revenue, while other practices are able to grow to $5 million in a fraction of the time? In this article, we’ll get into the biggest factors that separate good dental practices from exceptional ones.

At RevUp Dental, we’ve worked with dentists all across North America, and have seen first-hand how they operate. While some practices generate under a million in revenue, others may generate $5 million or more! Obviously, these practices have different approaches to the way they organize the practice, schedule payments, present treatments, etc. But, it might surprise you to learn what the real difference-maker is.

The experience of the dentist doesn’t seem to make a big difference. We found many cases where incredibly talented dentists with decades of experience were struggling to get by, while younger and less experienced dentists achieved much better results much faster.

The area in which the practice is located doesn’t seem to matter much as many would believe either. We’ve worked with practices in highly competitive areas that still do exceptionally well, while others, operating in areas with very little competition, were still struggling.

So then, what’s the big secret? Why do some dentists take decades only to achieve mediocre results, while other dentists can build a practice that’s two or three times the size in just a few years? The best way I can explain it is by telling a story that happened to me in which I had a lightbulb moment about what really separates good practices from bad ones.

A few years ago, we hired a new employee at RevUp Dental, and I had to go to the Apple store to pick up a new laptop for her. This was during Black Friday and every store in the mall had balloons and flyers featuring all kinds of promotional sales.

So I made my way to the Apple Store, and at the front of the store, there was a female customer talking to an Apple employee behind the desk. I was a few steps behind her so I could overhear their conversation. After the employee had greeted her, she asked him:

“Hey… what kind of promotions do you guys have going on today?” 

To which the employee responded, “Ugh…. we don’t have any promotions going on.”

“How can you not have any promotions on Black Friday?” the customer said, taken aback. “Literally every store in the mall is running promotions today and you’re telling me you guys don’t have any promotions?”

And I will never forget what the employee said next. He paused for a moment, then said, “Ma’am.. this is Apple… we don’t really have promotions… ever. Maybe once in a while on some small things like cables or bags, but never on the main products. We just don’t need to.”

I remember looking around the store after he said that and realizing that they didn’t have any balloons, posters with buy-one-get-one-free deals, or any of that sort of nonsense. And yet, the store was completely packed. There were more people in that Apple store than just about any other store in the mall. In fact, the customer complaining about the lack of deals started looking at products as well.

On my way out of the mall, I looked around at all the other stores and realized that most of them were empty. Every one of them had promotions, special deals, and all kinds of gimmicks to catch people’s attention, and still, all the salespeople twiddling their thumbs attempting to chat people up as they walked past were just being ignored.

This made me think:

• What is it that makes companies like Apple so popular?
• Why are there so many people that live paycheck to paycheck but have to have the latest iPhone?
• How many students do you see at coffee shops who have Macbooks?
• Why do these customers with no income, saddled with thousands of dollars in student debt, and living off of ramen noodles still feel that they HAVE to have the latest Macbook? 
• You can buy a faster laptop for half the price yet they all want a Macbook. Why?

And it’s not just Apple, you see the same level of devotion to brands like Lulu Lemon. How many girls spend $150 on a pair of yoga pants when they can go to Walmart and buy a pair for $20? How many people are happy to spend thousands of dollars on a Rolex. Why? It’s just a watch. 99.9% of people on the planet would not be able to tell the difference between a real Rolex and a fake one, so why do people buy it?

The simple answer is people don’t make logical decisions, they make emotional decisions. The same emotional elements play a big role in how successful you will be as a dentist.

Everyone wants “the best” or at least what they perceive as “the best”. If people perceive your product, service, or business as something unique, something that can help them stand out, something that is different and novel, they are going to spend a lot more money than if they perceive what you are offering as a commodity that they can get elsewhere.

This is why there are a lot of people out there who may spend hundreds of dollars on a nice pair of shoes, but when it comes to the socks they just go to Walmart and buy a 3-pack for $10.

If people think that you’re just a dentist like every other dentist in your area, then they are just going to go to the dentist who is the closest, or the cheapest, or whoever happens to accept their insurance.

The reason companies like Apple, Rolex, or Lulu Lemon are so successful is that they put an insane amount of thought into the little details of the customer experience. Apple puts a lot of thought into how the keys on the laptop are shaped, how they feel when you press them, how the laptop feels when you hold it, and when you open and close it. They obsess over things that most other tech companies regard as completely pointless. The same is true for dental practices.

Those small details that most people think are pointless are what separates dental practices that spend decades and only achieve mediocre results from dental practices that achieve 2 or 3 times as much revenue in just a few years. Successful practices understand that the little details matter, and they matter A LOT.

So, exactly how do the little details make or break a practice? We’ve been inside many practices over the years, and have witnessed first-hand how inattention to those little details can cost practices potential patients.

Presentation Rooms

On numerous occasions, I have gone into dental practices that don’t have a beautiful or professional presentation room. They are trying to pitch a patient on $20,000 of dental implant work, and they’re doing this presentation in the staff lunchroom, while another staff member is busy heating up a pizza pocket in the microwave. Obviously, the patient doesn’t accept treatment, and, in response, the staff or the dentists assume that the patient just wasn’t serious about seeking treatment.

Nobody is going to come in for a consultation on implants or Invisalign for fun. If they’re standing in your office, they want to buy dentistry. If they leave without committing to treatment, it means that, after looking around the office, they realized that the office was not the best choice for them and they decided to go somewhere else.

Branding

A lot of dentists opt for the “good enough” approach when it comes to things like branding, marketing, photos, or staff training. They think, well, we’re a small office, so this is good enough for now, but once we get bigger… we’ll invest more money into doing things better.

We often see practices present their patient with a treatment quote by simply printing out a quote from their patient management system onto a single piece of the cheapest paper they could buy at Staples.

Taking the time or effort to put together a detailed treatment plan, a professional folder with nicely designed and branded material to explain to the patient what that treatment will entail, why they’re the best at it, etc. will make all the difference for the patient experience.

Companies like Apple didn’t get to where they are by starting out building “good enough” products. If you want to build a very successful dental practice, you need to start acting like a successful practice before you become one. You need to start doing all of the little things at a much higher level of quality than other dentists are doing before you see the results.

The little things in your practice matter a lot. How your office looks, your logo, your website, the photos on your website, the quality of your sign, how your staff answers the phone, how you present treatment, and how you make your patients feel during their visit.

So, the next time you’re thinking about why a patient didn’t book their treatment with you, ask yourself: 

• How did your staff greet that patient on their first visit? 

• Did they offer them a cup of coffee? 

• Does your office look clean and professional or does it create the impression that you don’t really care?

While these details may not seem important to the daily operation of your practice, for the patient, they could make all the difference.

Your dental patients don’t really care about all of the fancy equipment in your practice. The reason why a lot of dental websites don’t perform very well is that they show pictures and talk about things that do nothing but stroke the dentist’s ego, not things patients actually want to see or are interested in reading about.

In this video, we’re going to break down what types of content and photos on your dental website will ACTUALLY help you attract new patients.

A common request we get from our dental clients is to feature all of the fancy equipment they’ve purchased at their office. They want to show off their CERC machine, or their CBCT scanner, or their dental laser. They want to make sure everyone knows that their office is not like everyone else, they’re “state of the art”

Now I get it. You’ve spent a lot of money to equip your practice with the best equipment. It’s natural to want to make sure this is front and center on your website so everyone knows it. However, here are two main reasons why this doesn’t actually work.

The first reason is that in 99% of cases you don’t actually have anything that’s really all that special. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve spoken with dentists who are showing off their fancy new laser or intraoral camera or whatever fancy gadget they bought, and they feel that this will help them really stand out, they feel like they are one of only a few dentists that have this type of equipment (because that’s what the sales rep told them), and they feel they need to REALLY promote this (because again, that’s what the sales rep told them to) and then I go on Google and find 20 or 30 dentists in their area that all have the exact same equipment.

This is something that happens ALL THE TIME, and you have to remember that dental supply companies have some of the most talented sales people on the planet. They are absolute experts at getting dentists to buy a bunch of fancy gadgets by making them feel that this will really help them stand out from other dentists… and unfortunately… in 99.9% of cases this is just not true.

Now it’s important to have up to date equipment, to do better dental work, to do it faster, to do it more efficiently, but if you think some piece of equipment is going to help you stand out or give you a big edge over other dentists in your area you are sadly mistaken.

The second reason why talking about your equipment on your website doesn’t work is… patients don’t really care. A patient has a very limited attention span when they visit your website and you don’t want to squander that time by talking about things they have little-to-no interest in.

Let me give you a good example here. Imagine you are trying to sell tickets to a cruise vacation. Instead of talking about how they’re going to discover the world, they’re going to dance the night away in beautiful cities, they’re going to enjoy the sun and the warmth… no,no,no… you instead run an advertisement talking about the diesel engines that power the cruise ship, how big they are, how much horsepower they produce. You talk about how your cruise ship is equipped with the LATEST and the BEST navigation system. We’re not like other cruise ships, we connect with much better GPS satellites for our navigation, we’re state of the art. Instead of our position being accurate on the map to 5 meters, our navigation system is accurate to 2 meters. Order your tickets today!

How successful do you think this would be? This is why so many dental websites produce little-to-no results. They are built to impress the dentist and stroke their ego rather than actually impress patients. You have to remember that when you’re trying to sell someone on Invisalign for example, that person is considering whether they should do Invisalign or if they should go with their friends on a cruise. And the cruise companies do a much better job of marketing their services than dentists do.

So what should you talk about on your website and what pictures should you show? Well when it comes to content you want to focus mostly on what a patient can expect from coming in. If someone is looking for Invisalign for example, you don’t want to spend a lot of time explaining what Invisalign is like most dental websites do, because nobody is going to land on your Invisalign page not knowing what Invisalign is and read your content and say “ohh.. that’s what that Invisalign is. I never knew. I don’t need Invisalign, but I was curious to find out what it was.”

You want to have a bit of that content explaining the service more for SEO reasons to help Google understand that you actually do provide this service. The vast majority of your content though should be around things like:

• How is this treatment carried out?
• How long does it take?
• Does it hurt?
• Do I need to take time off work?
• What can I expect to happen when I come in to YOUR office.
• How do YOU do this procedure?
• Why do YOU do it that way? Why is that better?

You want to talk about what makes you different from other practices. This is where you can sort of touch upon your equipment, but make sure it’s not the main focus, or you’ll lose people’s attention. For example, if you have a CEREC machine, you can say that “Our office is equipped to do same-day crowns.” You would focus the content on the benefit your equipment provides not what that equipment is, because again patients don’t care.

You can also focus a bit of content on the dentist who provides the treatment. For bigger cases like implants or ortho, people will want to know that the dentist who’s doing the work is an expert. While you can’t necessarily state that you’re an expert because this may go against the advertising guidelines of your governing body, you usually can say something like “Dr. so and so has been practicing dentistry for 30 years and has performed over 2,000 implant cases.” or “Dr. so and so has been doing implants for 15 years and regularly teaches at the local university.”

Again you want to review the advertising guidelines for your state or province and make sure you don’t break any rules, but you can have usually have a nice section on a page talking a little about the dentist from the angle of “this is how their experience is going to benefit you as a patient” much like you do when it comes to dental equipment. You don’t want this section to talk about how “Dr. So and so has 4 kids and he enjoys hiking and fishing on the weekends” because… nobody cares. It has to revolve around the patient and their needs.

Now when it comes to photos, you want to follow the same examples you see with vacation advertising. Pictures of happy patients, pictures of your staff in the practice, smiling, having fun, pictures of kids coming in for their first checkup, pictures of staff events, etc.

What you DONT want is pictures of an empty office. You don’t want pictures of an empty operatory showing your equipment, or pictures of your sterilization area or your CBCT scanner. Nobody is going to look at a picture of an empty dental chair with a bunch of sharp and pointy instruments on a table beside it and think “wow that looks fun!”

We see this all the time and I can tell you it is going to tank the conversion rate of your website.

Again, think of it like the cruise vacation. You want to show pictures of guests having a blast on the ship, having a wonderful vacation, you don’t want to show pictures of the engine or pictures of empty rooms on the ship or random equipment.

What your photos need to convey is that you have a nice and modern office, you have warm and friendly staff, and patients seem to be having fun and are happy to come to your office.

Things like photos and content usually seem trivial to most dentists but the reality is they can either make or break your business. The success of a cruise ship is not based on how state-of-the-art their ship systems are or how many certifications the captain holds. It’s largely based on the marketing that attracts passengers and the experience those passengers have once they are on the ship.

The same happens with dentistry. Your success as a dentist is much more dependent on your ability to attract patients and the experience those patients have when they come into your office,  than it is on your clinical skills. This isn’t to say that quality dental care isn’t important, it is, but dentists often neglect many other areas of their practice which leads to poor results over the long term.

The amount of Google Reviews your dental practice has and the ratings associated with those reviews can be the deciding factor when a new patient is choosing between your practice and your competitor down the street. 

If you’re trying to attract more patients, it’s crucial that your practice ranks among the top 3 BEST and MOST reviewed dental practice in your area, while always striving for the coveted #1 spot. 

In this article, we get into the top three reasons why Google reviews are an essential tool for increasing your patient flow. 

Gone are the days when people discover a new dental practice by strolling past a window advertisement or a sign on the street. Google reviews are the new storefront and people trust them more than almost any ad copy. 

Google reviews are the first thing people see when searching for dental practices in their area. This means that potential patients are deciding whether they like you, trust you, and want to buy from you before they even click on your website to explore what your dental practice even offers!

For better or worse, Google reviews reflect the honest experiences that patients have had with your practice. The higher the rating and number of reviews, the more potential patients are inclined to trust you.

Think of it this way: If you were to look up dental practices in Toronto and saw one practice with a 4.6 rating and 18 reviews, and then saw another practice with a 4.8 rating with 250 reviews, which practice would you call?

For this reason, it is absolutely critical that your Google reviews provide a great first impression of your practice.

The positions where your practice ranks in Google’s search results aren’t randomly assigned. Google’s algorithm ranks search results by trustworthiness to provide its users with the most relevant results. Naturally, the algorithm favors results with larger numbers of positive reviews.

If your practice doesn’t have many reviews or bad reviews, Google will push it further down the page. On the other hand, the more great reviews the dental practice has, the more Google will trust the business and the higher it will move up in the search results. 

So, if you want your practice to be seen online, you need to prove to Google that you are trustworthy. Google reviews are the most effective way to do that.

Sometimes a series of good Google reviews are all a person needs to decide that they trust your business enough to pick up the phone and call. 

If your practice has the most positive Google reviews in your area, patients will often decide to call your office from those reviews alone. 

If your practice doesn’t have a ton of great reviews or is sitting at a low rating, patients aren’t going to give you the benefit of the doubt, or simply assume that your practice is the best-kept secret in the area.

After years of marketing dental practices, we know from experience that effective marketing starts with collecting Google reviews. Encourage your staff to assist you! Tell friends and family to leave you a quick five-star review and ask them to spread the word. 

Google reviews are the new storefront of your business and have the best success rate at bringing new patient leads to dental practices. 

Need help coming up with a marketing strategy for your practice? Contact RevUp Dental today for help reaching new patients and increasing traffic to your practice’s website. Happy reviewing!