Latest / The Clinic Marketing Podcast | Local SEO & Healthcare Online Marketing Tips for Clinic Owners & Wellness Providers / Avoid This #1 Mistake That Gets Google Reviews Deleted | Ep. 114

Transcript

Avoid This #1 Mistake That Gets Google Reviews Deleted | Ep. 114 · The Clinic Marketing Podcast | Local SEO & Healthcare Online Marketing Tips for Clinic Owners & Wellness Providers

• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Clinic Marketing Podcast.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, darci Sullivan from Propel Marketing and Design.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Today we're diving into a critical topic for every local business, and that is your Google reviews.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Reviews can make or break your local ranking.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Building trust with potential patients will drive more people through your doors.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: But here's the catch If you're not careful about how you get those reviews, google could remove them or, even worse, wipe out your entire review history.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: So today we're going to talk about how to get more Google reviews the right way, with the best practices to make sure they actually stick around.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: All right, let's get into it.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: First, let's talk about why Google reviews are so important.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: When someone searches for a service like chiropractor near me or acupuncturist in Cleveland, google often shows the local pack for those top three map listings.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: And guess what plays a big role in determining who shows up there.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: If you guessed Google reviews, you are right.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: But it's not just about having a high star rating, although that certainly can help.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Google also looks at the quality of reviews, how recent the reviews are, the keywords people use in the reviews and the overall engagement your business listing receives.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: So if you want to rank higher in local search and attract more patients.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: Getting a steady stream of positive, authentic reviews is key.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: Now here's where things can go terribly wrong.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: There are certain things that Google does not allow when it comes to reviews, and one of the biggest no-no's in the eyes of Google is something called review gating.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: Review gating is when you only ask happy customers or patients to leave a Google review and you redirect unhappy ones to a private feedback forum.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: It might seem like a smart way to protect your reputation, but it's actually a direct violation of Google's guidelines.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: In fact, in the show notes on the webpage associated with this episode, we will include a link to Google's guidelines, along with other helpful resources.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: If Google suspects you're doing this, they can penalize you, and I don't mean a little slap on the wrist, I mean wiping out every single review you've ever collected, crashing your local rankings overnight and making it incredibly difficult to recover, even over the course of months or years.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: And the worst part, most businesses don't even realize they're breaking these rules.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Let me paint the picture of what review gating might look like in a business, without naming any names or using real-life examples.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: It might be that you're using a tool or sending out an email that says something like how was your visit today?
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: Thumbs up or thumbs down.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: If someone clicks the thumbs up button, they're taken to Google to leave a review, and if they click the thumbs down button, they're taken to a private feedback forum.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Seems innocent enough, right, but here's the problem You're filtering who gets to leave a public review and, according to Google, that's manipulation.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: So even if you're using software or an automation that includes this feature by default, it is your responsibility to turn that setting off.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: Okay, I'm going to repeat that one more time because it's so important.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Even though this seems innocent enough, there is a problem.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: You are filtering out who gets to leave a public review and, according to Google, that is considered manipulation.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: So, even if you are using a software or an automation which I know a lot of people do you want to make sure that that does not include this feature by default?
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: And if it does, it is your responsibility to turn that setting off.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: So if you are using a software or an automation system to collect reviews, please make sure that they are not going about this in a review gating method.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Okay, now that we've covered what not to do, let's focus on what you should be doing.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: You should be asking every patient for a review, whether the experience was good, bad or somewhere in between.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: You should give everyone the opportunity to leave a review.
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: This shows Google that your review process is authentic, it's unbiased and it increases your chances of getting more feedback overall.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: The reality is most people who had a good experience simply won't think to leave a review unless you ask.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: So ask and make it easy.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: Don't expect patients to go hunting for your Google listing.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: Give them a direct link that takes them straight to the review page.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: You can include this link in post appointment emails, text messages, your website or even printed materials.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: The easier you make it, the more likely it is that somebody is going to follow through and leave a review.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: I know it might be tempting to say, leave us a review and get a $10 gift card or some other type of incentive, but this is another big violation of Google's terms.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: You cannot offer gifts, discounts or rewards in exchange for reviews.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: It needs to be completely voluntary, no strings attached.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: You can, however, let people know that reviews help your business and you appreciate them.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: Just do not cross that line of giving incentives.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: Let's chat about responding to reviews.
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: Responding to reviews shows that you value feedback and are encouraging interaction with your audience.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: Plus, it helps build trust with potential patients who are checking you out online.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: Thank patients for positive reviews and show empathy when someone leaves a less than stellar one.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: Now to be very clear if somebody leaves an extremely bad review that is inappropriate, do not engage with it.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: We are not talking about fake reviews, false reviews or absolutely horrible reviews that do not reflect your business.
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: Those should be reported and not interacted with.
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: But if somebody leaves you a four-star positive review, make sure that you're still interacting with it.
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: So you want to interact with the reviews in a way that shows that you care with the reviews, in a way that shows that you care.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: You also want to use approved tools carefully.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: There are plenty of tools out there that help automate the review process Text message, follow-ups, email sequences, etc.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: These can be extremely helpful.
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: But again, you want to make sure that they are asking for reviews in the correct way and not filtering out people based on their response to how satisfactory they are with your business.
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: Remember, convenience is great, but compliance is essential.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: So let's start to wrap this up Ask all patients for reviews, not just the happy ones.
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: Make the process quick and easy with direct links for them to leave reviews.
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: Avoid incentives or rewards.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: Respond to reviews and use automation tools that play by Google's rules.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: Google reviews are one of the most powerful tools in your local SEO toolbox, but only if you handle them the right way.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: So if you've been filtering feedback, offering rewards or relying on outdated tools, now's the time to change course.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: Protect your reputation, protect your rankings and build a trustworthy review strategy that works in your favor.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's episode.