7 Ways to Improve Your Healthgrades Profile

Your Healthgrades profile is a powerful tool for acquiring new patients. Make sure it’s fully optimized to best promote your practice.‍

The way people search for new dentists has changed.

We are a digital society with all information right at our fingertips, meaning gone are the days of asking friends, family, and co-workers who they use.

People are more willing than ever to look online for a healthcare provider, with 84% of consumers trusting online resources as much as they do personal recommendations.

And when it comes to provider information, there's no more comprehensive website than Healthgrades. The leading online resource for healthcare info, Healthgrades is used by millions of consumers each month in their searches for new dentists.

A site like Healthgrades isn't just replacing the yellow pages, it's also substituting for word of mouth.

When it comes to digital dental practice marketing, all dentists need to have their own Healthgrades profiles. Moreover, those profiles need to be fully optimized.

Remember: an optimized profile promotes your practice while making it super easy for new patients to find you online.

With that, here are seven ways to maximize your Healthgrades profile.

1. Claim Your Healthgrades Profile

Here’s an easy one right out of the gate.

Do you know if you have a Healthgrades profile?

Chances are, you do. Healthgrades already hosts a database of 3 million doctors, dentists, hospitals, and other care providers throughout the United States.

However, the default information in your profile is limited. Register with Healthgrades to claim your profile and enhance it with additional data.

First step—check to see if your profile is there and then claim it!

It’s free, but you need to register with Healthgrades.

And if you don't have a Healthgrades profile, fear not! You can register yourself and have a profile created.

Boom! Now you’re on the board.

2. Add Your Headshot

There are several benefits to including a photo of yourself in your Healthgrades profile.

Chief among them is that it’s personal. People see who they’re researching!

You’re not some anonymous, shadowy figure. You’re that smiling dentist everyone loves!

Most social networks have shown that high quality headshots generate positive feelings from users. They humanize you. In the case of Healthgrades, the headshot makes you and your practice more tangible.

Keep in mind that Healthgrades' directory is of doctors, not practices.

By posting a picture of yourself, patients will form a personal connection with you, their dentist, rather than your practice as a whole.

It’s also important to note that if you have a free Healthgrades profile, your photo will not show up on the search results page (that’s a benefit for Premium users – more on this later).

However, the photo will be visible inside your profile, which is where prospective patients will research you as a possible provider.

3. Add Awards, Certifications, and Specializations

You’ve worked hard for your awards and specializations, so why not show them off. It’s not bragging so much as it is shining a light on your professional development.

If you've ever been published, list the medical journals and publications where your work can be found.

You wouldn’t think twice showcasing a new certification on the wall of your practice. Why not show people before they even step in the door?!

Highlighting your professional certifications builds an additional level of trust with patients.

Some patients also search for doctors who offer specific specializations, like Invisalign, or who are skilled with CEREC. Don’t let modesty cause you to miss out on these searches.

Be forthright with all of your offerings, especially your areas of expertise. It will result in more engagement with your profile.

4. Completely Fill Out Your Healthgrades Profile

You’ve claimed your Healthgrades profile, which is great (and puts you ahead of many of your colleagues!).

Now that you’ve made it this far, you should add additional information to your profile.

Any information you include will help. Every nugget you put in will bolster your profile in the search algorithms, thus building trust with patients who seek a new dentist.

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What forms of insurance do you accept? Definitely list those, especially since patients can filter search results by insurance providers.

Discuss your care philosophy to offer an extra layer of personalization.

Add in your office hours, address, and telephone numbers.

We’ve already touched on photos, but double check that yours is hi-res and one that you're pleased with.

Again, every information field matters.

Beyond boosting your odds of engagement, a complete profile appears more professional.

You want to give patients information that they can use. The more complete your profile, the more information they have to make an educated decision.

5. Create a Profile for Every Doctor in Your Practice

Okay, your profile is pristine. You’ve followed all the best practices, and potential patients are finding you and scheduling appointments.

Well, how about the other doctors in your practice? How do their profiles look?

Healthgrades is doctor-specific. Every doctor in the office needs their own profile.

This allows everyone in the practice to differentiate themselves and accentuate their areas of expertise.

Maybe you’re best with geriodontics, while your business partner is more into pediatric dentistry. You’ll each draw different search audiences, likely upping the odds for more new patients.

A practice where all doctors have unique Healthgrades profiles presents a diversified set of options. More chances for the practice, as a whole, to acquire more patients.

6. Upgrade to a Healthgrades Premium Profile

Let’s say you’ve nailed everything to this point.

All the doctors in your practice have profiles. All their profiles are on point. And, while you’re fully optimized, you still feel like you're not quite getting all you can out of Healthgrades.

Well, you’re in luck. Healthgrades offers a Premium Profile option to doctors like you, and the differences are significant.

Healthgrades Premium Profiles rank higher in searches than free profiles. They also look better in the search results, which display doctors’ profile pictures and more detailed information.

Healthgrades Premium Profiles also generate 78% more reviews than basic profiles, thus looking more robust and appealing to prospective patients.

Moreover, doctors with Premium Profiles average 9 more phone calls per month!

Premium Profiles are not free; they normally come at a monthly cost. However, when you consider Premium Profiles help bring in over 100 more phone calls per year, per doctor, they might be worth exploring if the price falls within your marketing budget.

7. Manage Your Reviews

Healthgrades includes patient reviews, and encourages doctors to have patients provide them. Reviews and ratings are prominent in your profile, so it makes sense to actively manage your approach to patient reviews.

The best way to get more reviews is to encourage your patients to write them! And the best way to get positive reviews is to provide outstanding patient care and customer service!

Unfortunately, as with any site that offers feedback, you may encounter the occasional negative review.

Don't get discouraged. As long as you offer top-notch service, your positive reviews will far outweigh any negative ones.

If you feel a negative review violates Healthgrades policy, you can flag it for review and possible removal. Reasons for removal include profanity, libelous information, privacy concerns, false allegations, or spam. Healthgrades will make the final decision on whether a review will be removed.

In monitoring reviews, you’re able to keep a finger on the pulse of operations within your practice. Use them as an auditing tool to ensure every patient feels valued.

‍Learn more about how a Healthgrades Premium Profile from RevenueWell can boost your bottom line, and get a 15-minute demo today!