A reputable and dedicated physician was faced with a daunting problem: her digital reputation was suffering due to ten negative search results on Google. Unjust criticisms, professional misunderstandings, and outdated news were hampering her reputation, potentially leading to lost patients and diminished trust in her practice.
Given the weight people place on Google reviews for doctors, these negatives were causing a severe impact on the doctor’s practice. She decided to address this issue by hiring BRANDefenders, a company specializing in online reputation management for doctors.
BRANDefenders began by conducting a comprehensive audit of the doctor’s online presence, identifying the ten negative search results. The issues ranged from unfair patient reviews, claims of misdiagnosis, a malpractice lawsuit from the early days of her career, and a local news article detailing a contentious hospital board meeting where the doctor was heavily featured.
BRANDefenders Developed A Three-Pronged Strategy To Address These Issues
To counter the negatives, BRANDefenders worked with the doctor to create positive, authoritative content about her and her medical practice. This included blog posts, videos, and articles highlighting her expertise, community involvement, and patient success stories. BRANDefenders applied SEO techniques to make this content rank higher, pushing the negative search results down.
BRANDefenders encouraged the doctor’s satisfied patients to share their experiences online. Using a review management platform, they monitored reviews, thanked positive reviewers, and addressed negative reviews constructively. They also appealed to Google to remove defamatory or fake reviews.
BRANDefenders reached out to the local newspaper that featured the contentious board meeting, requesting an update or follow-up article highlighting the doctor’s accomplishments since then. They also worked on resolving the malpractice lawsuit issue by showing that the doctor was acquitted, presenting evidence to Google for removal of the outdated information.
The newly created content started appearing on the first page of Google search results, pushing the negatives to the second and third pages.
Positive patient reviews began to outnumber the negatives, improving Dr. Jone’s average rating on Google. Google also removed a couple of unfair reviews after appeal.
The local newspaper published a follow-up article about the doctor’s contributions to the medical community, effectively neutralizing the previous negative portrayal. Google agreed to de-index the malpractice lawsuit page due to the outdated and cleared nature of the case.
By the end of the campaign, eight out of ten negatives had been effectively neutralized or pushed down in Google search results. The remaining two negatives had lost prominence due to an influx of positive content.
The doctor noticed a significant increase in new patient inquiries and regained her confidence in her online reputation. The case of the doctor demonstrated that even when the digital world seems to be against you, with the right strategy and diligent execution, it is indeed possible to turn the tide.
This brand reputation management case study highlights the crucial importance of active reputation management for medical professionals. It underscores that while the digital sphere can be a source of reputational risk, with the correct approach and expertise, it can also be transformed into a powerful tool for building trust, showcasing professionalism, and attracting new patients.
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