Online reputation management should be on the top priority list of all psychiatry professionals. As a doctor, your patients will Google you before they even call to book an appointment. What will they find in the search results? How can you influence what they find?
Here are three things to do and three things not to do that will set your psychiatric practice on the right path towards building a stellar online reputation.
Do Google yourself often
Your patients are googling you. You ought to be googling yourself, too. There are dozens of websites that curate and publish content about medical and behavioral health professionals. They also allow people to review and rate doctors who have treated them in the past. All of this is third party information that appears in search engine results when people search you. Knowing what’s out there is the first step to managing and maintaining your online reputation.
Don’t issue takedown notices
It’s tempting. Some disparaging information posted to a third party site angers you, so you ask your lawyer to issue a takedown notice. Most sites will not honor a takedown notice unless there involves copyright infringement under the DMCA. If a takedown notice is sent to an individual’s website, you may find your takedown notice and all communication posted on the site for everyone to see. It’s best to exercise caution and consult with a professional about your specific situation.
Do claim all your listings in directories and other sites
Health grading sites, review sites and directories all offer an opportunity for you to claim your listing. By doing so, you are able to change and update the listing content. In addition, it gives you the power to respond to comments submitted on that site under your profile.
Don’t try astroturfing those profiles or adding grandiose information
Now that you have control over those profiles, it’s tempting to write glowing content about yourself. You may even be tempted to go one step further and add some “balanced” reviews about yourself on these sites. Don’t. Both are in bad taste. If your attempts at manipulating reviews are revealed, it could lead to you being banned from the website, and it will harm to your online reputation more than almost anything else.
Do enlist professional help if you are not sure
Reputation management can be tricky, particularly if you are looking to replace some negative material with positive material. Consider getting outside help it that is that case. With an experienced third party focusing on your situation, there’s a good chance they will be able to do more than you could do yourself.
Don’t hire just anybody to do the job.
Building a solid reputation for a psychiatry practice takes time and effort, and does not happen overnight. The rewards, however, are worth it.
