What is Healthgrades and Why Your Practice Needs It

Healthgrades is healthcare-centric review website that now generates so much web traffic no doctor can afford to ignore it.‍

Yep, another one. Another site that your practice absolutely needs to be on.

That makes how many now? Google and Facebook. Yelp, too. Probably Twitter. LinkedIn is good for recruiting talent. So is Glassdoor.

Who has time in the day to manage all this stuff while, you know, also running a successful dental practice.

‍We get it. Online life can be overwhelming, especially considering how the virtual world moves quick as lightning.

But here's the brass tacks: there's no magic bullet when it comes to online marketing. It's about being strategic, putting yourself in a position to be seen, and making it as easy as possible for patients to find you.

And when a site like Healthgrades is racking up more than 30 million users per month, well, that means it's time to add it to your dental marketing arsenal.

Understanding Those Traffic Numbers

First off, look at those traffic numbers again. More than 1 million people visit the site every day. At this point, the site is a boulder rolling down the hill. As more and more doctors set up profiles on the site, its SEO will strengthen and the traffic will continue to grow.

As sites like Yelp have shown us, people love third-party reviews. We trust those nameless, faceless people out in internet land because, hey, if 120 people have reviewed a practice and it has 4.8 stars (out of 5), those 120 people can't be wrong.

Now consider that 55 million people search for health information every month, yet fewer than 10% of those people will rely on a provider's website when making a final decision.

So while your website may provide plenty of information, the reviews and enhanced personal touch offered on a site like Healthgrades can be the kicker in getting a new patient in the door.

Yeah, But What Makes Healthgrades So Special

In a lot of ways, Healthgrades is similar to all of the other review sites out there. You're graded by stars, and patients can write unique reviews if they so choose. It also showcases all your practice's contact info. Again, this is nothing new.

Where Healthgrades differentiates itself is that it's specifically for health providers (with a name like Healthgrades, who woulda thunk it!?). This concentrated focus enables the platform to dial in a bit more than the broader review sites.

For example, Heathgrades' search filtering is excellent. Patients can filter search results by insurance provider, a doctor's age and/or gender, and availability. Like more generalized platforms, Healthgrades also filters by distance and star rating.

So if a patient is looking for a 40-year old female dentist who accepts Aetna and is within a 5-mile radius, here's the place to find her!

All About the Doctors

Another distinguishing feature of Healthgrades is that it focuses solely on a doctor. If a practice has multiple doctors, each one will have their own Healthgrades account.

So while Yelp or Google can tell patients about the practice in general, Healthgrades offers specific information about the person who will be working on them. This adds a bit of personalization to the online review process.

Your profile enables you to forge a connection with users. Describe your healthcare philosophy. Tell folks where you went to school. Upload a photo of yourself. Break down the walls, and let potential patients know what makes you tick.

Premium Experience

If you use an automated marketing system, then you're likely eligible for a Healthgrades Premium Profile. The platform does not sell premium profiles directly, though they are available through third-party systems.

Some added benefits to the premium membership include the removal of ads from your profile (see: nothing distracting patients during their search!), practice branding, patient testimonials, and an enhanced practice landing page.

While you need to be on Healthgrades regardless of whether you boast a premium membership, the upgraded version definitely offers a much sleeker interface and enhanced visibility.

Time To Get On Healthgrades

Can you run a successful dental practice without so much as having a website?

Of course.

Can you grow your practice without being on Facebook or Google My Business?

Again, yes.

But that's not the point. In the age of internet reviews and social media, the goal should be to showcase your practice in as many places as possible without overextending yourself.

And that's why Healthgrades needs to be on your radar. The site gets plenty of eyeballs. Your profile is easy to maintain. And if you use the basic profile, it's free. Failing to use this resource is, effectively, leaving money on the table.

‍Find out how RevenueWell improves case acceptance and creates more close-knit relationships between dentists and their patients, and learn more about how to get the most out of your Healthgrades profile.