Let’s face it: business reputations are built on customer reviews. And doctors, like any business, should be taking advantage of the benefits that come with having an enviable online reputation.
Customer reviews inspire trust which, as a direct result, engages customers and improves business.
Patients also want the best care they can find, so it makes sense for doctors and healthcare providers to set up review site profiles to start collecting patient reviews.
For doctors yet to sign up, it can be a tough decision as, aside from the top review sites Google, Facebook, and Yelp, there are a host of doctor review sites out there to choose from.
Some sites receive higher web traffic, while other sites offer better features.
To point you in the right direction, however, this guide rounds up the best doctor review websites where you should set up a profile to get patient reviews.
Needless to say, you don’t have to sign up for all of them. But for getting reviews and building your reputation, the following sites are the ones worth considering!
Healthgrades
Healthgrades started in 1998, which makes it one of the most established healthcare directories for patients looking to find doctors and read reviews.
The directory and review site receives more than 20-million visitors each month, with information on over 3-million US healthcare providers.
For doctors and health professionals, Healthgrades uses a 5-star review rating system that allows replies and rankings based on the reviews received.
It’s arguably the most popular healthcare directory, which makes it a great first choice for doctors looking to grow their reputation through reviews.
Zocdoc
Zocdoc was founded by doctors in 2007, so it was created with doctors in mind.
For patients, Zocdoc is popular due to how appointments can be booked through the site itself, with general appointment turnarounds of less than 24 hours.
As a result, over six million patients use Zocdoc each month, which makes it one of the top platforms for healthcare providers to join.
Doctors can collect reviews and 5-stars ratings as well as profile “badges” (such as “Patients often return”), and get featured on Zocdoc’s home page if their patient care is highly recommended.
Vitals.com
Vitals is a doctor directory and review site that started in 2006, which a lot of patients use for its search feature that allows finding a healthcare provider via insurance.
Like the above doctor review sites, Vitals doctor reviews involve 5-star ratings and patient reviews (called “comments”).
What sets it apart, however, is how it features additional ratings for waiting time, the ease to book appointments, follow-ups, and so on.
Due to its detailed ratings to rate doctors, more than 3.5 million patients use Vitals each month, making it one of the top review sites for doctors to establish themselves on.
WebMD
Web users are familiar with WebMD, not as a review site but as an authority site for health-related information.
Despite that, WebMD also has a doctor directory where users can view patient feedback for doctors and post their own reviews.
It might come as no surprise that WebMD pulls in the most user traffic here (127-million unique visitors each month), and this high traffic makes it well worth setting up a profile on WebMD, even though it is an information site first and foremost.
Doctors and healthcare providers on WebMD can receive reviews and ratings up to 5 stars, plus individual ratings for patient care and the overall standards of their healthcare practice.
RateMDs
RateMDs is not related to WebMD despite the similar name. What’s great about RateMDs is that, like Zocdoc, it allows doctors and healthcare providers to feature on its home page by receiving highly rated patient reviews.
RateMDs has amassed millions of reviews since 2004, claiming to have helped over 160-million patients.
Doctors can be found by name, location, or specialty, in addition to the homepage if featured.
Doctors are reviewed and rated 1-5 stars on RateMDs.
The reviews themselves can also be liked and flagged, which improves review relevancy and quality for both doctors and patients.
RealPatientRatings
Founded in 2011, RealPatientRatings is one of the most trusted review sites for patients and health professionals.
Patient reviews are verified—and featured profile reviews are also surveyed every two weeks—so patient feedback for doctors on RealPatientRatings is known for being highly credible.
RealPatientRatings uses the 5-star rating system, along with an overall patient satisfaction rating out of 100%.
Ratings are also given for factors based on patient experience and the care received, including “Likelihood to Recommend” and “Likelihood to Return”.
It might not be as popular as some of the above sites, but what makes RealPatientRatings stand out is its high-quality reviews and ratings.
For doctors who are confident about getting reviewed, it’s a site that benefits from patients who are more active when it comes to posting reviews.
CareDash
CareDash is another directory and review site that helps patients find and connect with their ideal healthcare provider through location, specialty, and reputation.
The site was founded in 2016 with over 30,000 reviews and ratings to date. And, like Zocdoc, it also allows patients to book appointments via doctor profiles.
Doctors on CareDash are rated overall from 1 to 5 stars, in addition to “Patient Experience”, which involves time, loyalty, ability to answer questions, follow-ups, thoroughness, and more.
Doctors can also receive Recommendations.
In searches, CareDash displays a patient review under each doctor profile, which is a great feature for doctors with a majority of positive reviews.
Doctor.com
Doctor.com is not as well-known as the other review sites on this list but is worth looking into due to how it allows patients to search by insurance.
Doctor.com started in 2012 and lists all practices, from chiropractors to dermatologists.
Profiles on Doctor.com can be verified, rated 1-5 stars, and scored by “profile points”, which can be earned in various ways.
Both ratings and profile points are displayed in searches. Besides that, another great feature of Doctor.com is that each profile allows one featured patient review.
Wellness.com
Like Doctor.com, Wellness.com is not as widely known, but worth knowing about if you are a doctor or health specialist looking to get more reviews.
It lists all specialists, including chiropractors, pediatricians, and dermatologists, allowing patients to search for healthcare and post reviews based on their experience.
Doctors and healthcare specialists on Wellness can receive consumer feedback (reviews), 5-star ratings, and “Wellness Points” - a secondary rating system featured on the site.
Reviews can also be reported, which is helpful for doctors who feel they have received a fake or untruthful patient review.
RealSelf
If your specialty is cosmetic procedures, RealSelf is a directory and review site dedicated to plastic surgery, liposuction, augmentations, implants, and more.
It was founded in 2006 and now has over 30,000 registered doctors and more than 2-million patient reviews posted across the site.
Ratings on RealSelf follow a rudimentary system of written patient reviews with ratings of 1 to 5 stars.
It might be simple but that’s not a bad thing, as RealSelf is focused on helping patients find trusted cosmetic surgeons - cosmetic surgeons who also want to improve their online reputation and grow their patient list.
Google And Yelp
It goes without saying that Google and Yelp are the two biggest review sites on the internet.
And for healthcare providers and doctors managing their own practices, both are worth setting up profiles on - despite not being dedicated doctor review sites.
Aside from the general popularity and high traffic of both of these sites, Google doctor reviews and Yelp reviews influence SEO, feature in search engine results pages for relevant search terms, and allow business owners to reply, which can all boost exposure.
Since Yelp and Google profiles can also rank on location and rating, as well as link business websites and social media pages, both sites are ideal for pulling in and engaging prospective customers (and patients).
Needless to say, Google and Yelp are great places to start if you are a healthcare provider or practice that wants to get set up online.
That said, it’s still well worth your time registering for at least some of the above review sites if you want to boost your authority across multiple platforms and increase your patient list.
How To Get More Reviews On Doctor Review Sites
While it’s easy to set up a profile on the best doctor review websites, it’s not easy to get reviews - let alone great doctor reviews from your patients to make your profile stand out.
Requesting reviews through follow-ups is considered the most viable strategy, but it’s also time-consuming and a lot of hard work.
And for doctor offices with packed schedules, making time to request reviews is not practical considering how ineffective it can be.
The solution is to not do it manually, but through automation.
ReputationStacker will help you get more Google reviews, Yelp reviews, Healthgrades doctor reviews, and more using a system that takes care of the hard work for you.
Its automated funnel will encourage patients to write reviews on the review sites of your choice, while reducing the possibility of you receiving a negative review online.
It’s also cost-effective, as ReputationStacker pays for itself with just one additional patient per month - achievable through the positive reviews you’ll start to receive.
Unfortunately, setting up a doctor review site profile won’t guarantee instant reviews.
With ReputationStacker, however, you’ll get real positive reviews that will not only boost your reputation, but increase your patient list as a result.
