Eight Ways for Physicians to Improve Their Online Reputation

May 30, 2016Allegra Erwin
AdvertisingContent StrategyMarketing StrategyOnline MarketingReputation ManagementSocial MediaUrgent Care Marketing

Eight Ways for Physicians to Improve Their Online Reputation

What story does the Internet tell about you? Your online reputation is formed by information that people can find about you online.  People mostly form their impression from content found in the first page or so of search engine results. Since people will search in a variety of ways, and get overlapping but different results from each method, most physicians end up with two to three dozen sites that make up the bulk of their online reputation.

Check out these eight actionable tips to help you take control of your personal online reputation.

 

Fill our the form below to sample the first module of our class “Optimize Your Online Presence: A Physician’s Field Guide to Online Reputation Management”.

    • Claim (or create) and optimize your directory listings in physician-specific directories and general business directories. One trick, if you are not in a rush, is to start by correcting your information in the NPI Registry, as that information propagates to some of the commercial directories.

    • Read and consider responding to all of your online reviews. Due to HIPAA and other factors, a public response is not always possible, but a private response is often an option. Even if you don’t respond, you may be able to learn from trends seen across reviews.

    • Ask patients about their experience, and encourage positive reviews. Some practices incorporate this encouragement into their workflow with every patient. Others focus on people they know to be their happiest patients. There is no single right way, but there is no denying that online reviews are one of the most powerful tools for both search engine optimization (SEO) and conversion rate optimization (CRO) – yes, reviews will help you get in front of more prospective patients AND convert a higher percentage of prospects into new patients.

    • Make sure the website of your current employer(s) are optimized for your name. A bio/profile page on a company website can be optimized to appear near the top of most physician name searches. If you have negative content to push down, this is one good tool in your arsenal.

    • Make sure past employers have removed you from their websites and other online properties. This content, whether on the practice or hospital website or within their social media presence, can confuse both prospective and existing patients.

    • Create profiles and participate in discussions on social media sites. LinkedIn is a great option, as an optimized profile will rank well for searches on your name, and it is the easiest  of the popular social networks on which to maintain a professional presence. Facebook can also rank well for your name, and if you have negative search results to push down, there are ways to use it in a professional manner.

    • Write for, or get quoted in, online news sites. News sites tend to rank well in search engines. A regular column in even a small online publication can lead to multiple pages ranking well for your name. And, any sort of article about you, such as an interview or profile, will likely rank well if it is from a legitimate news source – even if that source is a hyperlocal site.

    • Create content related to your areas of expertise. This final tip contains a world of opportunity. Whether you focus on simple but important consumer health tips, or academic research aimed at other healthcare professionals, if you produce consistent content, some of it will end up ranking well for your name. You can use many different platforms, such as a company blog, personal blog, a Facebook Business Page or Group, a LinkedIn Group, a YouTube Channel, a SlideShare account, and many more. Content can even be repurposed across multiple channels in order to get control of an increasing number of links that rank well for your name.