Most patients who leave your clinic happy will never write a review. Not because they don’t want to, but because nobody asked, or because finding the right page on Google takes more effort than they have on the way to the car.
Asking well is mostly about timing and one good link.
Get your review link
Google gives every Business Profile a short link that opens the review form directly. Sign in with the account that manages your clinic’s profile, open your profile’s edit tools, and look for the option to ask for reviews. Copy that link and keep it somewhere the front desk can find it.
Test it on your phone. One tap should open the star rating, nothing else.
Ask at the right moment
The best time is when a patient tells you that you’ve helped. That might be at discharge, when they’ve hit a goal, or when they mention they ran without pain for the first time. A simple line works:
“I’m really glad it’s better. If you have a minute, a Google review helps other people find us. I’ll send you the link.”
Then send it the same day, by text or email, while the visit is fresh. A day later, most people have moved on.
Make it routine, not personal
Relying on each practitioner to remember means it happens in bursts. Two ways to make it steady:
- A step in your booking software. Many clinic systems can send a message after an appointment. Add the review link to the message after a final visit, rather than after every visit.
- A card at reception. A small card with a QR code that opens the same link. Low effort, and it doesn’t interrupt anyone.
The rules that get reviews removed
Google’s review policies are strict, and breaking them can get reviews taken down or your profile restricted.
- Don’t offer anything in return. No discounts, draws or complimentary sessions for a review.
- Ask everyone, not just the happy ones. Google doesn’t allow selectively asking only patients you expect to be positive, or steering unhappy patients away from leaving a review.
- Don’t write reviews for the clinic, and don’t ask staff or family to.
Your regulator may also have rules about soliciting reviews or testimonials, so check their advertising guidance.
Reply to every review, carefully
Thank people briefly. For a critical review, acknowledge it and offer to talk offline. Never confirm that the reviewer is a patient or mention anything about their care, even if they did. A reply like “Thanks for taking the time to write this. We’d like to hear more; please call the clinic and ask for the manager” is enough.
If you’d like us to look at your Google profile and reviews alongside your website, we’ll do it and send you what we find.