So many physicians and practice managers we talk with feel stumped by web marketing.  With so many elements to consider — your website, SEO, advertising, social media, and more — it’s no wonder it can seem overwhelming to tackle it all at once.  But, the good news is, there are little things you can do to market yourself better online — even if you don’t yet have a website.

One of the best, easiest, fastest ways to immediately kick your marketing up a notch: take 20 minutes to check and update your company information on four places — Yelp, Healthgrades, Vitals and Avvo.

Listings on these increasingly popular rating sites are absolutely free.  In fact, in the case of Healthgrades, Vitals and Avvo, you’re likely already listed, based on publicly available licensing information.  By claiming your profile on these sites, you can make sure your profile is listed correctly, add phone number, and even upload a picture. If you have a website, you can add that, too. 

People visit these sites every day, so be sure you’re showing up properly.  What’s more, by fleshing out your profile with your link and photo, you’ll stand out versus the majority of physicians in your area, who most likely won’t have taken the time to polish up their profiles.  These sites also feed into Google, so confirming and updating your information will also improve the likelihood that people can find you when they search your specialty.

By keeping an eye on these sites, you’ll also be able to respond to any criticism from patients that deserves attention.  For example, one practice we worked with recently was receiving high ratings for its doctors, but office staff were consistently rated lower for friendliness and helpfulness.  The practice was able to learn from this feedback and adjust staff roles to address the issues.  Yelp even allows you to respond to negative reviews on its site with a posting of your own — which can be an opportunity to repair a relationship (or, at the very least, show other visitors that you do care about patient feedback).