Dental Internet Marketing 101 | Part II

Last updated on October 27th, 2025 at 04:22 pm

(Note: This is part two of a series on the basics of internet marketing and creating a positive web presence for a dental practice.)

In my last post, I covered the key factors that may be sabotaging any internet marketing that you might be doing. I finished the post with the beginnings of a checklist on how to create a positive online presence for your practice. To read last week’s post,
click here.

I’ll continue this checklist in this week’s post with the must-do’s, must-don’ts (and the “don’t even think about its…”) of online reviews.

Online Reviews

Online reviews are important—and they’re there whether you like it or not.

Nowadays, just about everyone checks online reviews for just about everything—restaurants, cars, movies… and of course, dental offices. Reviews will show up for your practice on Google and Yelp no matter how much you try to avoid them. So you’re better off taking control.

1. If Yelp or Google has created a page for your office, go ahead and follow any necessary steps to claim it and show them that you’re the owner (even if those pages are riddled with bad reviews).

2. Use the review site as a marketing tool. Since it’s going to exist no matter what, use it to the best of your advantage. Put up nice photos of the office, staff, and happy patients. Write a nice description of your office and the doctors. Make sure the page links to your office’s website.

3. Encourage happy patients to leave reviews—perhaps through a follow-up email. Of course, you can verbally ask patients to leave reviews, but do not ever have anyone post reviews on a computer in your office. Review websites can tell if several different reviews come from the same location and will consequently delete them, assuming it’s just one person trying to fool them by posting multiple reviews. I suggest sending a follow-up email to patients after their appointment, thanking them warmly for their visit and including a link to your Yelp and Google pages so they can leave a review. Some software allows you to set up an automatic email after every appointment. If you don’t have a program like this—or prefer to be more selective—a front desk staff member can manually email happy patients after visits. We also have a template for a paper handout you can give patients with instructions on leaving a review. For a copy, feel free to email me at adamm@mgeonline.com.

(*Note: Some paid services, like DemandForce, follow a different set of rules because they are paid services, not true review sites. You may be able to leave reviews from the same computer with these services and filter out bad reviews. If you hire such a service, check with them.)

4. Bad reviews—what can you do about them? First things first: bad reviews aren’t the end of the world. In fact, a bad review can actually be a good thing (assuming it isn’t really horrible). How? Well, what do you think when you see a business with just a few reviews that are all 5-star? You get a sneaking suspicion these reviews might be fake—or just written by friends and family—right? Everyone knows there’s always a bad apple who can never be pleased. The important thing is that reviews are mostly 4 and 5-star. So the best solution when you get a bad review is to just apply point number 3 above.

5. It’s okay to reply to negative reviews publicly… but ALWAYS be warm and friendly! Getting into a public argument is always a lose-lose scenario. Even if the reviewer is unfair, crazy, or lying, you’ll come off as the bad guy if you argue. You will never look bad by being too polite, kind, humble, or forgiving.

With patient-related complaints, keep HIPAA compliance in mind. For customer service issues (like waiting too long or an impolite receptionist), polite responses are fine. For clinical issues, consider reviewing with your malpractice carrier before responding. Always thank the reviewer, apologize sincerely, and take the high road.

6. Getting unfair reviews deleted—it’s possible… sometimes. Yelp and Google (and other review sites) generally have terms or guidelines for reviewers. These usually prohibit profanity, racial slurs, or reviews from people who never visited the business. If you can prove a review violates these rules, you may contact the site to request removal. However, success varies—sometimes they ignore valid requests. Legal action is rarely worth the trouble. Again, apply point number 3 above.

7. Take advantage of healthcare directories and review sites. Some dental or healthcare-specific sites allow patient reviews, such as ZocDoc, RateMDs, and Healthgrades. Create profiles and encourage patients to leave reviews there. Some charge fees—decide if it’s worthwhile. Many doctors find ZocDoc valuable, but it depends on your situation.

8. Have great customer service! The best way to get good reviews and avoid bad ones is to have excellent customer service and genuinely care for your patients. Make sure your entire team is on board with this.

That about wraps it up for this week! In my final post next week, I’ll cover Social Media – How to Build a Foundation.

Good luck! And feel free to email me at adamm@mgeonline.com if you have any questions along the way.