What You’ll Learn:
- Why Google reviews are the foundation of all dental marketing
- How poor reviews can waste half your marketing budget
- The minimum review profile you need before investing in ads or SEO
- Simple strategies to build your review count fast
Why Google Reviews Should Be Your First Marketing Priority
New dentists often ask the same question: “What’s the best way to market my practice?” They expect to hear about Google Ads, SEO strategies, or social media campaigns. Instead, the answer is far simpler and far more fundamental.
“The number one thing you can do is get a ton of Google reviews,” said Adrian Lefler, CEO of My Social Practice, during a recent appearance on The Authentic Dentist Podcast. “That’s the number one thing.”
It’s not the flashiest advice. There’s no cutting-edge technology involved. But after 15 years of marketing dental practices, Lefler has seen the data: nothing else matters if your Google review profile isn’t solid.
The Filter Everything Passes Through
Your Google review profile isn’t just one marketing channel among many. It’s the filter that every other marketing effort passes through.
“About three out of every four people that see your ad check your Google reviews before they make a decision,” Lefler explained. “Doesn’t matter if you have a billboard, a referral program, you’re doing search engine optimization, you do print mail, you do social media. About three out of every four people that see your ad check your Google reviews.”
Think about what that means. A potential patient sees your beautifully designed Facebook ad. They’re interested. But before they call, they do what everyone does: they Google your practice name. Your Google Business Profile pops up with your reviews, your rating, and what patients have said about you.
If what they see doesn’t inspire confidence, they move on to the next dentist. Your ad worked perfectly. It got attention. But your review profile lost the patient.
The Math Doesn’t Lie
Lefler put the cost of neglecting reviews into stark terms:
“If you go to market and you’ve got 50 reviews and half of them are junk, they’re below four stars, your average rating’s under four, and you don’t have a lot compared to other dentists, and you spend $100,000 on a marketing campaign, you’re going to lose probably at least $50,000 in spend just because people saw your message and checked your reviews and said, ‘Yeah, I’m not going there.'”
Half your marketing budget, gone. Not because the ads didn’t work. Not because people didn’t see your message. But because when they did their due diligence, your review profile didn’t measure up.
How Your Review Profile Affects Marketing ROI
| Review Profile Status | Patient Perception | Marketing Impact |
| Weak: Under 50 reviews, below 4.0 rating | “Something must be wrong here” | Lose 50%+ of potential patients |
| Average: 50-150 reviews, 4.0-4.5 rating | “Seems okay, let me compare” | Competing on price and convenience |
| Strong: 200+ reviews, 4.5+ rating | “This is clearly a great practice” | Marketing spend converts efficiently |
| Exceptional: 500+ reviews, 4.7+ rating | “I need to go here” | Reviews become a marketing channel |
Why Reviews Matter More Than Ever
Consumer behavior has fundamentally shifted. There’s so much social proof baked into how people make decisions now that your Google Business Profile has become the ultimate trust signal.
When someone searches for a dentist, Google shows them a map with local practices. Each listing displays the practice name, star rating, and review count. Patients make split-second judgments based on those numbers before they ever click to learn more.
A practice with 47 reviews and a 3.8 rating sits next to one with 312 reviews and a 4.9 rating. Which one gets the click? It’s not even close.
This dynamic makes your Google Business Profile the “end all be all filtering system of all the marketing that you’re doing,” as Lefler described it. Every marketing dollar you spend ultimately funnels potential patients to that profile. If the profile doesn’t convert them, the money was wasted.
Building Your Review Foundation
The good news is that building a strong review profile doesn’t require a massive budget. It requires a system and consistency.
- Ask at the right moment. The best time to request a review is immediately after a positive interaction, when the patient is still in the office or has just left. Timing matters enormously.
- Make it frictionless. Send a direct link to your Google review page via text message. Every extra click you require reduces completion rates dramatically.
- Automate the process. Integrate review requests with your practice management software so requests go out automatically after appointments. Consistency beats sporadic efforts.
- Respond to every review. Google favors practices that engage with their reviews. A quick thank you to positive reviewers and thoughtful responses to negative ones signals that you care about patient feedback.
- Focus on recency. A steady stream of recent reviews matters more than a large number of old ones. Patients want to know what the experience is like now, not three years ago.
Reviews Before Ads: The Right Order of Operations
If you’re a new practice or one that hasn’t prioritized reviews, resist the temptation to dump money into advertising before your review profile is ready.
“When you start marketing, the first thing you do is you make sure your client or you or whoever has a plan to build their Google review profile because it’ll improve all of the other marketing that you do,” Lefler advised.
The sequence matters. Build your review foundation first. Get to at least 100 reviews with a 4.5 or higher rating. Then start investing in ads, SEO, and other marketing channels. Your conversion rates will be dramatically better, and you won’t be pouring money into a leaky bucket.
The Bottom Line
Google reviews aren’t glamorous. There’s no viral potential, no cutting-edge technology, no exciting creative work. But they’re the foundation everything else is built on.
Before you spend another dollar on marketing, take an honest look at your Google Business Profile. Count your reviews. Check your rating. Read what patients are saying. If what you see wouldn’t convince you to become a patient, fix that first.
My Social Practice offers reputation management services that help dental practices systematically build their Google review profiles. From automated review requests to response management, we help you create the foundation that makes all your other marketing work harder. Ready to stop wasting marketing dollars? Let’s talk.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Google reviews does a dental practice need?
While there’s no magic number, aim for at least 100 reviews with a 4.5+ rating before investing heavily in other marketing. Practices with 200+ reviews see significantly better conversion rates. The goal isn’t just quantity but also recency. A steady stream of new reviews signals to potential patients that your practice consistently delivers good experiences.
How do Google reviews affect dental SEO and local search rankings?
Google uses reviews as a ranking factor for local search results. Practices with more reviews, higher ratings, and recent review activity tend to rank higher in the Google Map pack. Beyond rankings, reviews also affect click-through rates. When patients see your listing alongside competitors, a stronger review profile makes them more likely to click on your practice.
Should I respond to negative Google reviews for my dental practice?
Yes, always respond to negative reviews professionally and promptly. A thoughtful response shows potential patients that you take feedback seriously and care about patient satisfaction. Keep responses brief, acknowledge the concern, avoid being defensive, and offer to resolve the issue offline. How you handle criticism often matters more to prospective patients than the criticism itself.
What's the best way to ask patients for Google reviews?
The most effective method is sending a text message with a direct link to your Google review page immediately after a positive appointment. Timing is critical since patients are most likely to leave a review when the experience is fresh. Automate this process through your practice management software so requests go out consistently. Keep the ask simple and make leaving a review as frictionless as possible.
About the Author: Megan Nielsen is an SEO strategist and the Grand Overlord of copywriting at My Social Practice. My Social Practice is a dental marketing company that offers a full suite of dental marketing services to thousands of dental practices throughout the United States and Canada.
