How to Get Google Reviews for Doctors (With Templates)

In 2025, healthcare happens online before it ever happens in person. Before a patient picks up the phone or schedules a visit, they Google you. And what they see—your reviews, your rating, your reputation—often determines whether they choose you or scroll past.

A 2024 survey from Software Advice revealed that 71% of patients look at reviews before booking with a healthcare provider. And when comparing two similar doctors, patients almost always pick the one with better reviews. This isn’t speculation—it’s a measurable shift in behavior.

Your reviews aren't just feedback. Reviews are your digital first impression to your community. They’re local SEO signals. And for many practices, they’re also a key driver of revenue.

This guide will help you turn that reality into an advantage—starting with how to ask for reviews, what to say, and what systems to use to automate the entire process.

Why Google Reviews Matter for Doctors

Google reviews are more than vanity. They directly impact your practice in three measurable ways:

1. Search Rankings

According to Whitespark’s Local Search Ranking Factors report, online reviews are one of the top three factors determining how high your practice appears in local search results—especially the coveted Google Map Pack. This is prime real estate for searches like “pediatrician near me” or “dermatologist Orlando.”

2. Patient Trust

BrightLocal’s 2024 Local Consumer Review Survey found that 87% of consumers won’t consider a business with fewer than 3 stars. And 94% are more likely to use a business with a large number of recent, high-quality reviews.

3. Revenue Impact

Harvard Business School found that each one-star increase in online ratings leads to a 5%–9% increase in revenue. In the healthcare space, where one new patient can represent thousands of dollars in lifetime value, the upside is substantial.

In other words, reviews are the silent growth engine behind some of the busiest practices in your city.

The Best Time to Ask for a Review

Timing is everything.

Ask too early and the patient hasn’t experienced the benefits of care. Ask too late and the moment has passed.

The sweet spot? Within 24–48 hours after the appointment. The interaction is still fresh, satisfaction is highest, and patients are more likely to follow through.

For long-term treatments (like HRT, hormone therapy, or multi-stage surgeries), wait until the patient has reached a meaningful milestone in their journey—such as a noticeable improvement or the completion of care.

The Best Way to Ask for a Review

There are three rules when asking for a Google review:

1. Keep it simple
   Don’t overexplain. Patients are busy. A short, polite ask with a direct link is all you need.
   
   
2. Make it feel personal
   Whether it’s a text, email, or in-person ask, patients are more likely to leave a review when it feels like a personal favor—not a corporate request.
   
   
3. Remove friction
   Short links. No logins. No scanning around your website. If it takes more than 10 seconds, most people won’t do it.
   
   

Sample Review Request Templates (Copy & Paste)

The following templates are designed for real-world use—inside your CRM, EHR follow-ups, or front desk handouts. They can be customized, scheduled, or automated.

Text Message Template

Hi [First Name], thank you for choosing [Practice Name] today. If you had a great experience, we’d love for you to share it here: [Review Link] – It helps others discover us too!

Why it works:
Short, personal, and mobile-optimized. Ideal for same-day automation from your CRM.

Email Template

Subject Line: How was your visit with us?

Hi [First Name],

We hope you’re feeling great after your recent visit. If we met your expectations, would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? It helps other patients feel confident choosing us too.

You can leave your feedback here:
[Google Review Link]

Thank you again for trusting [Practice Name] with your care.

Best practice:
Send this 24 hours post-visit. Pair it with a satisfaction question first if possible.

In-Person Script for Staff or Physician

“If everything went smoothly today, we’d be incredibly grateful if you could share your experience in a Google review. It really helps others find us.”

Bonus tip:
Place a small card with a printed QR code at checkout desks.

Patient-Friendly Review Writing Prompts

Sometimes, patients want to leave a review—but don’t know what to say. Use these examples in your follow-up texts or emails to remove writer’s block.

Example for a Routine Visit

“I had a great experience at [Practice Name]. Everyone was friendly and efficient. Dr. [Last Name] took the time to answer all my questions. Highly recommend!”

Example for a Specialist or Surgery

“I came in for [procedure or treatment], and the care I received was outstanding. The team made me feel informed and comfortable every step of the way. I’m thrilled with my results.”

Example for Long-Term Care

“I've been seeing Dr. [Last Name] for several months now. Every visit has been professional, caring, and consistent. I always feel listened to, which is rare these days.”

How to Automate the Review Process

Automation is what makes review generation sustainable.

With the right tools, your system should:

• Detect a completed appointment or discharge
  
  
• Trigger a review request automatically
  
  
• Track responses and notify staff of any negative sentiment
  
  

Recommended tools for automation:

• Nexamed – Custom reputation management automations, integrations, and messaging for half the cost of big software companies.
  
  
• Birdeye – integrates with most EHRs, strong analytics
  
  
• Podium – great for text-first communication
  
  
• Weave – combines phones, reviews, and scheduling
  
  

When automation is paired with a thoughtful review sequence, you can generate dozens of 5-star reviews per month without lifting a finger.

The Strategy Behind Review Timing: TTV (Time to Value)

One mistake many practices make is asking for a review before the patient has seen results.

In marketing, this is called Time to Value (TTV)—the time it takes for a customer to recognize the benefit of your service.

For example:

• Botox: TTV is 3–5 days
  
  
• Morpheus8: TTV is 2–3 weeks
  
  
• Hormone Replacement Therapy: TTV could be 4–8 weeks
  
  

The shorter your TTV, the sooner you can ask. For longer timelines, consider:

• Sending a check-in email 2–3 weeks in
  
  
• Including a review request only if satisfaction is confirmed
  
  

Responding to Reviews (Yes, You Should)

Whether it’s positive or negative, responding to reviews is part of building digital trust. According to Google, businesses that reply to reviews are considered more reputable.

For positive reviews:

“Thank you so much for your kind words, [Name]! We’re so glad you had a great experience. We look forward to seeing you again soon.”

For negative reviews:

“Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear your experience didn’t meet expectations. Please reach out to our office directly so we can resolve this together.”

Never argue. Never get defensive. Keep it professional and take the conversation offline if needed.

How Reviews Impact SEO Rankings

Google uses reviews to determine which local businesses to rank in the top results.

The most important factors are:

• Review volume – more reviews = more trust
  
  
• Review velocity – recent reviews carry more weight
  
  
• Review diversity – different types of patients, treatments, and keywords
  
  
• Review sentiment – positive reviews help, negative ones can hurt
  
  

Clinics with frequent, relevant, and highly rated reviews are more likely to appear in the Google Map Pack, which receives the majority of clicks in local search.

If your competitors are outranking you, their review strategy may be why.

Real-World Example: What a Star Rating Is Worth

Let’s say your clinic brings in $1M annually. If increasing your Google rating from 3.9 to 4.8 leads to even a 7% bump in booked procedures, that’s an extra $70,000 in revenue—without increasing your ad budget or hours worked.

Compare that to spending $3,000/month on ads with poor conversion due to low trust.

Your online reputation isn’t fluff. It’s leverage.

The Takeaway: Reviews Are Marketing

A great review doesn’t just make you feel good. It improves search visibility. It increases patient confidence. And it makes every dollar you spend on marketing more efficient.

But none of that happens by accident.

You need a system—something that runs in the background while your team focuses on care.

So use the templates. Automate the process. Monitor your profile. Respond to your reviews. Celebrate the wins.

Because in 2025, trust isn’t built in the waiting room. It’s built on Google.

‍