iPhones, Patient Reviews and You: 4 Tips to Optimize Your Practice Listing on Yelp

Apple released the iPhone 5 on September 12, 2012, and introduced iOS 6, an advanced mobile operating system. While the iPhone features the latest technology, it also introduced a new maps app with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and Yelp reviews. With iOS6, the default maps application is now powered by Apple Maps.

You may be wondering what this means for your mobile phone. Well, in terms of the iPhone, it means Yelp reviews do matter when it comes to search results. The good news–your practice most likely already has a Yelp business listing set up. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind when maintaining your Yelp business listing:

– Make sure all your locations are listed on Yelp

– Implement in office incentives for Yelp reviews

– Check in on Yelp

– Write a business review for another business and ask them to reciprocate. Think of it as a partnership

We know a big concern is review fatigue–asking your patients to fill out post-appointment surveys, Google reviews and now Yelp reviews. But don’t worry, Yelp has a smaller following compared to Google, so think of focusing your review strategy in the same priority.

Tips for your Yelp account:

Since Apple has taken such a liking to Yelp, we have too. We have been researching Yelp reviews and business pages, and looking at their visibility on the web. What we have found to be the most important aspects of any Yelp listings are your basic information (hours, address, website URL), a strong description of your business, photos and patient reviews.

Basic Information: This is probably the most obvious aspect of your Yelp listing–accurate, basic information. This is where people expect to find your correct hours of operation, website URL and your address. When considering the new mobile focus of Yelp, it’s even more important that that information is accurate and easily accessible for on-the-go patients.

Engaging description: Once your basic information is complete, one of the subsequent pieces of information people will look for is your business description. Make sure to describe your business; are you a periodontist that also does general dentistry? A family dentist that offers Invisalign? This is where you can list all unique aspects of your business.

Photos: The nature of review sites propagates the “choosing a book by its cover” adage. Therefore, it’s critical that you include photos of your office, both inside and outside. It’s also important for you to have photos of the doctor(s) and team, as well as anything that will showcase your practice.

You want to make it concise, but effective, by showing distinctive snapshots of your practice.

Patient Reviews: This one seems pretty self-explanatory, but there are certain things to remember with reviews. Yelp has its own way of sorting reviews on any page; if someone reviews businesses often, their review might go to the top of your page and stay there. If someone never reviews, their review may not show up. Bad reviews might show up on your page and stay there but you have to remember that bad reviews aren’t always bad! If you take the time to respond to a bad review and have several great reviews after it, most people will just assume one person had a different opinion. They will also be impressed with your quick response and the level of your online patient engagement.

With more than 139.1 million consumer utilizing the Internet, on a monthly basis, to seek healthcare information, it’s imperative that you are on top of your online marketing. Your patients have changed the way they search for a dental provider, and reviews are more impactful than ever.