Infinity Insights Infinity Dental Web
  • Infinity Dental Web
  • About Us
  • Portfolio & Case Studies
  • Websites
  • Ask for a Quote
  • Blog

Reputation Management

How many prospective dental patients read reviews?

Date: November 11, 2015
Category:
  • Reputation Management
Author: David Hall

I wanted to give an update on continuing online marketing research here at Infinity Dental Web.

Back on September 3, 2014, I wrote a post reporting on the use of reviews by prospective dental patients who are searching for a dentist on the Internet. At that time I reported that we were showing that 41% of these prospective patients were looking up the reviews of the dentist before contacting the practice. This was based on data from August, 2014.

That percentage has continued to increase. For most of 2015, it was about 50% of patients checking the reviews before making the appointment. But we have had a recent sharp uptick in that percentage, and our latest data, from August 12 to November 10 2015 shows 57% of them checking reviews. Here are the graphs:
Importance of online reviews to dentists

Our first thoughts, as we look for an explanation for the timing of this sharp uptick, are to look at what is happening now with online reviews. The most obvious thing is Google’s recent revisions in its display of local search results. The local pack results when you now do a location-based search for a dentist look like this:
Google search results highlight reviews
Clicking on the stars that accompany the results for the dentist takes you to the reviews. This, I believe, does two things. It obviously increases the chances that the searcher will look at those reviews. But it also increases the awareness of online reviews and makes searchers more reviews-conscious, whether or not the stars are displayed for the dentist they are looking for.

Bottom line–if you want your phone to ring, you need to pay close attention to your online reviews. They are continuing to grow in importance, and they can make or break you.

(Visited 218 times, 1 visits today)
David Hall is the founder and president of Infinity Dental Web. He was a practicing dentist for many years and is an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Tags: Google Reviews, local pack, online reviews

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • The Value of Social Media for a Dental Practice
  • ADA Compliance Standards – How to Avoid a Lawsuit
  • What More Can I Do? Social Media and Your Marketing Plan
  • CallRail vs. Kall8
  • Search Trends in 2020
  • Virtual Consult App
  • Search Engine Journal – Don’t You Know This?
  • A Prime Example of Google Manipulating Search Results

Search

Categories

  • Client News (98)
  • Company News (104)
  • Designs (14)
  • Feature Client (4)
  • Local Search (34)
  • Marketing (59)
  • Meet the Team (14)
  • Mobile Websites (13)
  • Regulations (2)
  • Reputation Management (18)
  • SEO (85)
  • Social Media for Dentists (83)
  • Tech Trends (45)
  • Uncategorized (6)
  • Video (8)
  • Website Design (2)

Archives

  • January 2022 (1)
  • April 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (1)
  • November 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (2)
  • July 2020 (1)
  • June 2020 (1)
  • May 2020 (6)
  • April 2020 (5)
  • March 2020 (3)
  • December 2019 (2)
  • October 2019 (2)
  • September 2019 (1)
  • July 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (1)
  • April 2019 (2)
  • March 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (1)
  • October 2018 (1)
  • September 2018 (3)
  • August 2018 (3)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (2)
  • March 2018 (3)
  • February 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (2)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (3)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • July 2016 (4)
  • June 2016 (2)
  • May 2016 (3)
  • April 2016 (1)
  • March 2016 (4)
  • February 2016 (5)
  • January 2016 (4)
  • December 2015 (7)
  • November 2015 (7)
  • October 2015 (6)
  • September 2015 (5)
  • August 2015 (4)
  • July 2015 (4)
  • June 2015 (10)
  • May 2015 (2)
  • April 2015 (1)
  • March 2015 (1)
  • February 2015 (4)
  • January 2015 (1)
  • December 2014 (5)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (7)
  • August 2014 (2)
  • July 2014 (8)
  • June 2014 (5)
  • May 2014 (7)
  • April 2014 (4)
  • March 2014 (3)
  • February 2014 (3)
  • January 2014 (7)
  • December 2013 (6)
  • November 2013 (6)
  • October 2013 (6)
  • September 2013 (4)
  • August 2013 (5)
  • July 2013 (5)
  • June 2013 (7)
  • May 2013 (6)
  • April 2013 (4)
  • March 2013 (6)
  • February 2013 (9)
  • January 2013 (7)
  • December 2012 (11)
  • November 2012 (8)
  • October 2012 (5)
  • September 2012 (5)
  • August 2012 (7)
  • July 2012 (4)
  • June 2012 (6)
  • May 2012 (3)
  • April 2012 (5)
  • March 2012 (4)
  • February 2012 (5)
  • January 2012 (5)
  • December 2011 (5)
  • November 2011 (4)
  • October 2011 (4)
  • September 2011 (1)
  • August 2011 (6)
  • July 2011 (5)
  • June 2011 (6)
  • May 2011 (8)
  • April 2011 (9)
  • March 2011 (7)
  • February 2011 (8)
  • January 2011 (8)
  • December 2010 (9)
  • November 2010 (9)
  • October 2010 (9)
  • September 2010 (7)
  • August 2010 (10)
  • July 2010 (8)
  • June 2010 (5)
  • May 2010 (1)
  • April 2010 (4)
  • March 2010 (2)
  • February 2010 (1)
  • November 2009 (2)
  • October 2009 (7)

Tags

advertising American Dental Association Content Management System Websites content marketing cosmetic dentist COVID-19 dental marketing Dental SEO dental social media Dental Website Design Dental Websites Dentist dentists Facebook Facebook marketing general dentist general dentistry Google+ Google Business Listings Google places Google Reviews Google Universal Search Great Dental Websites Infinity Dental Web Instagram Internet Internet Marketing LinkedIn local search marketing Mobile Websites online reviews Pinterest post SEO social Social Media Social Media for Dentists social network technology Twitter Web Yelp Yelp Reviews YouTube Channel
Infinity Dental Web Logo Icon

And now ...
let us grow your practice

BBB Accredited Business badge American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Corporate Member badge

© 2009-2022 Infinity Dental Web Inc. IDW logo All rights reserved | Privacy Policy

Infinity Insights- Marketing Know-how for the Internet Age

Subscribe to get all the latest online marketing tips, trends, techniques, and insights from the quality leader in Internet marketing.