December 1, 2025 • 23 mins
Google’s new anonymous reviews are changing how your clinic shows up in Google Search and Google Maps. In this episode, I break down what the new anonymous review feature actually is, how it affects your reputation, and the simple steps you can take to manage it without losing your mind. We cover when to flag a review, how to respond without breaking privacy rules, and I share copy-and-paste reply templates you can customize for your own clinic so you are never stuck wondering what to say again.
💥💥💥Episode webpage, show notes, and copy-and-paste templates >> https://propelyourcompany.com/google-anonymous-review/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (02:21):
Hey there, it's Darcy Sullivan from Propel
Marketing and Design, and you'relistening to the Clinic
Marketing Podcast.
Today we are talking aboutsomething that is going to
change how your reviews lookinside Google Search and Google
Maps.
Google is rolling out a newfeature that lets people leave
anonymous reviews.
(02:43):
In practical terms, that means apatient can leave a review using
a custom name and anon-identifiable photo instead
of their real name and regularprofile picture while still
being logged into a Googleaccount behind the scenes.
If you already feel like theworld of online reviews is a bit
(03:08):
like the Wild West, this mightsound pretty scary.
So in this episode, we are goingto unpack what this change
actually is, why Google's doingit, the pros and cons for
clinics, and the smart moves youcan make right now to protect
your reputation and still getgreat reviews.
(03:32):
So grab a cup of coffee andlet's dive in.
First, let's clear up what thisfeature is and what it's not.
Now, depending on when you'relistening to this episode, this
feature may or may not becompletely rolled out.
In November of 2025, Googleannounced that Google Maps and
(03:55):
Google Reviews are getting anoption for users to post reviews
anonymously.
In the interface, this shows upas an option to use a custom
display name and a generic ornon-identifiable profile photo
when you leave reviews.
(04:16):
From the outside, when someonesees the review on your Google
Business profile, they will seethat chosen nickname instead of
the person's real name.
So they might see something likeHappy Patient or Busy Mom and
Boca instead of Jane Smith, theactual person's name.
(04:37):
Behind the scenes, Google stillknows who the account is.
The user must be logged into aGoogle account, and Google can
still track and enforce policieson that account.
So they are not anonymous in atechnical sense, but in the way
(04:59):
that the public sees them, theywill be.
Here's a few important detailsto note.
These anonymous reviews willcount just like regular reviews
for rankings and visibility.
The same review policies arestill in play, including rules
against harassment, hate,explicit content, spam, and
(05:21):
anything that shows a conflictof interest.
The rollout is global over time,so you might not see it on your
own Google account yet, but yourpatients may start seeing
messages about this as Googlepromotes it in the future.
So that's the overall feature ata high level.
(05:44):
Now let's talk about why Googleis doing this and what it means
for your clinic.
And hopefully you're stilllistening.
Be sure to listen all the way tothe end because I have a script
for you about how to handle someof these anonymous reviews that
are going to be coming in thatmight be negative because let's
(06:05):
face it, you're going to befighting spam in a whole new
way.
So why is Google doing this?
Well, Google is positioning thisas a privacy and safety update.
For years, people have tried toleave anonymous reviews anyway
by changing their Google name orcreating a separate account.
Google is basically making thatbehavior official and more
(06:30):
user-friendly.
There are a few reasons.
People want privacy.
We get that, right?
Some are afraid to leaveinformation, especially if
they're leaving negative reviewsbecause it's showcasing their
name.
And Google wants more reviewvolume and more honest feedback.
And privacy lowers that barrierfor people to write those types
(06:54):
of reviews.
From Google's perspective, thiscan increase the number of
reviews and make people feelsafer when they talk about their
experiences with specificcompanies.
From a clinic owner perspective,this leads us straight into the
pros and cons.
Let's start with the pros, theupsides of this.
(07:16):
The good news is hopefully morepeople may finally leave
reviews.
You probably have patients wholove you but also don't want
their name publicly tied to areview about a specific
condition or treatment.
With anonymous reviews, thosepeople may feel more comfortable
(07:38):
leaving feedback.
That can mean higher reviewvolume, more up-to-date reviews,
which Google loves, and a betterrepresentation of how patients
actually feel about your care.
And think about this, especiallyif you offer services that
people don't have really want toyell at the top of the roof that
(08:01):
they are having a condition thatyou treat.
This really could lead to morehigh-quality positive reviews.
Again, you're gonna get morecandid feedback.
When people feel safer, they areoften more honest.
Some anonymous reviews mayinclude details that patients
(08:21):
would never share under theirown name.
This can lead to highlightingpatterns in your front desk
experience, revealing frictions,points, and scheduling, billing,
waiting times, andcommunication, and give you very
real language to use when youare improving your website, the
(08:43):
content you push out, or yourpatient journey.
You still need to filter out thenoise, but there is real value
in raw patient language, evenwhen it stings a little bit.
And again, we alreadyhighlighted this, but privacy
alignments for sensitiveservices.
(09:05):
If you're a therapist,counselor, fertility specialist,
addiction clinic, or work withconditions people do not want to
broadcast to the public, thiscan actually align better with
patient expectations aroundprivacy.
They can praise your clinicwithout outing themselves to
(09:26):
their neighbors.
For some categories, this couldbe such a positive overtime.
Now, there are downsides, solet's talk about those.
Even before this change, fakeand unfair reviews were already
a problem.
Anonymous reviews can dial thisup.
(09:49):
It's easier for bad actors, forpeople to come out like your
competition to leave negativereviews, for former staff or
personal enemies to attack yourbusiness, for people who were
never patients to pile on duringthe dispute.
(10:10):
Is this brand new behavior?
No.
But the optics are changing.
When names are hidden bydefault, it becomes harder for a
business to tell if a review isreal or if it isn't.
It can be harder to connect areal review to a real patient
visit.
Right now, if Jane Smith leavesa review about an issue with a
(10:34):
specific appointment, you cansometimes connect that to your
internal records and follow upappropriately while still
staying HIPAA compliant.
With anonymous reviews, itbecomes much more difficult to
make a public complaint to areal-world encounter.
This makes service recoveryharder and can be frustrating to
(10:59):
your team.
This can also bring on emotionalwear and tear to your staff.
There's already an emotionalcost to reading harsh reviews
when you genuinely care aboutyour patients and their
outcomes.
Now imagine reading somethingthat came from Anonymous patient
714.
(11:21):
It can feel more like a drive-byattack and less like feedback
from a real person you can makethings right with.
This can increase burnout fromowners to staff members who are
monitoring these reviews.
You also have the risk for anincrease in the number of spam
(11:43):
reviews.
There's already been a lot ofcommentary around this and the
fact that this creates concernsin the future that may create
more opportunities for spam andmanipulation campaigns.
We'll have to see how Googleenforces its policies in
(12:03):
practice, but the risk is realand one that you should plan
for.
Now, here's what's not gonnachange, and this is important.
Before this starts to sound likethe scalia is falling, which
it's not, let us groundourselves in what is still true.
Reviews still must followGoogle's policies.
(12:27):
This includes the bans on hateand harassment, explicit or
dangerous content, off-topicrants or political content that
does not relate to realexperience, conflicts of
interest, content that revealspersonal health information
(12:48):
without consent.
Anonymous display names do notgive someone a free pass.
If a review clearly violatesthis guidelines, any of those
guidelines, you can still flagit.
This also brings us back to someof the basics.
(13:09):
Reviews still matter forrankings.
Reviews are still very strong asa local ranking factor in Google
search and Google Maps.
Quality, quantity, recency, andreview text all play a role.
Anonymous reviews are expectedto carry the same ranking weight
(13:35):
as a normal review.
So you can't ignore reviews justbecause the system changed.
You still want to collect asteady stream of new reviews,
detailed text in those reviews,and a healthy overall rating.
You still have the right torespond.
(13:58):
You still can respond to thesereviews even if the name is
generic or anonymous.
Your reply will now play an evenbigger role in how potential
patients interpret the reviews.
They may think, I don't know whothis reviewer is, but I can see
(14:20):
exactly how the clinic handledit.
You still have the same tools toreport suspicious patterns.
If you suddenly get a burst ofone-star anonymous reviews that
mention details that do notmatch to any of your patients,
come from multiple locationswhere you know you don't have
patients, or repeat nearlyidentical wording, you can
(14:43):
document those patterns andsubmit them to Google through
the reporting options.
Will every bad review beremoved?
No.
But you're not powerless.
Now let's get into how yourreview strategy needs to adapt.
We're gonna get practical here.
(15:04):
What should you actually dodifferently as a clinic owner or
marketing lead?
Well, you need to keep askingfor reviews and maybe lean into
the privacy angle.
Please do not stop asking forreviews because of this change.
Instead, slightly update yourlanguage.
(15:25):
Here are some examples you canuse or adapt.
If you feel comfortable, wewould love it if you can share a
review on Google.
You can even choose a displayname on your Google profile if
you prefer not to use your fullname publicly.
Or your feedback really helpsother people in the community
(15:47):
find care.
You are always welcome to adjustyour Google name or photo if you
prefer more privacy when leavinga review.
You are not telling people to bedeceptive.
You are simply acknowledgingthat Google now offers different
privacy options, and that'sokay.
(16:08):
I also want you to double downon internal documentation
because you will not always beable to match a review to a
specific patient.
It becomes more important todocument complaints and service
issues internally, trackpatterns and front desk notes
(16:29):
and patient follow-ups, keep abasic log of serious conflicts
and disputes.
That way, when you see ananonymous review that sounds
familiar, you can still connectit to a situation you remember
and respond thoughtfully.
This one, this next step, isextremely important.
(16:51):
Create a standard anonymousnegative review response
template.
You want a HIPAA-safe, calm,professional framework you can
reuse.
Something along the lines of thefollowing.
And listen, if you're listeningto this podcast episode, please
(17:12):
be sure to visit the episodewebpage and blog post where you
can copy and paste the exactverbiage that I am about to
provide you, along with othercopy and paste resources to help
you improve those reviews thatyou are getting in.
Okay, are you ready?
(17:33):
Here we go.
Here is the suggested HIPAAsafe, calm, and professional
framework you can reuse.
Something along the lines ofthank you for taking the time to
share this feedback.
We are sorry to hear about yourexperience.
(17:53):
We take all feedback seriouslyand always want our patients to
feel heard and supported.
Because of patient privacy laws,we cannot confirm whether
someone is a patient or discusscare publicly.
However, we would really likethe opportunity to learn more
(18:16):
and see if we can address yourconcerns.
Please call our office at givethe phone number and ask for
give a name or use the contactform on our website so we can
speak to you directly.
This does a few importantthings.
(18:36):
It shows future patients thatyou care and take feedback
seriously.
Stays on the right side of theprivacy rules and invites a
private conversation instead ofa public flight.
Now you may want to tweak thewording for your brand, but have
(18:57):
a go-to template ready.
You also need to train your teamon what to flag.
Make sure someone on your teamknows what Google considers
prohibited review content, howto flag a review within your
Google Business Profile, andwhen to escalate suspicious
(19:23):
patterns.
Teach them the differencebetween we just don't like this
review, and this review actuallyviolates Google's policies.
That will save you a lot of timeand frustration.
You want to make sure that youwatch for volatilities in your
(19:44):
overall ratings.
During the early rollout period,you may see a bump in total
review numbers.
You might see more polarizedreviews at extremes, extremely
positive, extremely negative.
You might see short-term swingsin your SAR ratings.
(20:06):
You want to be sure to monitorthese trends, but try not to
panic over every single littleblip.
Focus on long-term averages,volume of recent reviews, and
overall story your reviews tellsomebody scrolling through them.
(20:26):
So what should you keep an eyeout for over the next few
months?
This feature is new, like we'vealready mentioned, and Google
has a history of testing things,adjusting things, and sometimes
even rolling back changesbecause they create chaos.
Here's what you want to keep aneye out for.
One, your category.
(20:47):
Be certain that your category isthe correct category listed in
your Google Business Profile.
Certain types of clinics mightsee more abuse bra than others.
For example, hot button areaslike weight loss, mental health,
and pain management.
Watch for patterns in reviewtext.
(21:09):
Are you seeing more vaguedrive-by reviews?
Or are people still writingdetailed feedback?
Use that to guide how yourespond and what you emphasize
in your own patient education.
Make sure that you're aware ofany updates in Google's
policies.
Keep an eye on Google's reviewpolicies.
(21:33):
You want to stay on top of anyupdates in Google's policies.
One of our goals at Propel is totry to make sure that we get you
this information as soon as itstarts to unfold, which is one
of the reasons why we actuallymoved this podcast episode up
because this is such animportant topic.
If you're interested in stayingup to date, if you aren't
(21:55):
already following our blog postsor getting our emails, please
sign up by visitingpropelyourcompany.com.
And you can also always keep aneye on Google's review policy
pages.
(22:22):
And it's worth probably digginginto your analytics.
And if you need to, you can bookan appointment by booking a
discovery call with Propel ifyou need some additional help
with your Google BusinessProfile listing, or you can also
always book a Google BusinessProfile audit.
Now, let's kind of summarizewhat is going on here and what
(22:47):
it means for your clinic.
All right, let's start to boilthis down.
So here's what we know so faranonymous reviews are being
rolled out.
Patients will be able to hidetheir names and photos publicly
while Google still sees theiraccount information in the
background.
This will make some patientsmore comfortable leaving honest
(23:08):
feedback, especially insensitive areas, which could be
a good thing.
It also increases the risk ofspam, fake reviews, and
emotionally tough feedback thatfeels less accountable.
The core review fundamentalshave not changed.
You still need a healthy reviewprofile, consistent new reviews,
(23:32):
thoughtful responses, and aprocess for flagging violations.
Clinics that will win in thisnew environment are ones that
stay calm, staypatient-centered, and treat this
as another reason to tighten uptheir systems instead of hiding
from reviews.
(23:53):
So what are your action stepsafter listening to this episode?
One, update your review, askscripts to gently acknowledge
privacy options.
Create or refine your negativereview response templates,
especially for anonymousreviewers.
Train at least one team memberon how to monitor and flag
(24:16):
reviews properly.
And four, keep your foot on thegas for earning more positive
reviews from real happypatients.
If you have any questions aboutthese changes and how they might
affect your specific clinic ortype of practice, please feel
free to reach out.
Alright, that's it for today'sepisode.
If you found this helpful, shareit with another clinic owner or
(24:39):
marketing manager who isstressed about reviews.
And as always, if you want moreresources to help you improve
your visibility in Google searchand Google Maps, check the show
notes for the link.
Thanks for listening to thisepisode.
Hey there, it's Darcy Sullivan from Propel
Marketing and Design, and you'relistening to the Clinic
Marketing Podcast.
Today we are talking aboutsomething that is going to
change how your reviews lookinside Google Search and Google
Maps.
Google is rolling out a newfeature that lets people leave
anonymous reviews.
(02:43):
In practical terms, that means apatient can leave a review using
a custom name and anon-identifiable photo instead
of their real name and regularprofile picture while still
being logged into a Googleaccount behind the scenes.
If you already feel like theworld of online reviews is a bit
(03:08):
like the Wild West, this mightsound pretty scary.
So in this episode, we are goingto unpack what this change
actually is, why Google's doingit, the pros and cons for
clinics, and the smart moves youcan make right now to protect
your reputation and still getgreat reviews.
(03:32):
So grab a cup of coffee andlet's dive in.
First, let's clear up what thisfeature is and what it's not.
Now, depending on when you'relistening to this episode, this
feature may or may not becompletely rolled out.
In November of 2025, Googleannounced that Google Maps and
(03:55):
Google Reviews are getting anoption for users to post reviews
anonymously.
In the interface, this shows upas an option to use a custom
display name and a generic ornon-identifiable profile photo
when you leave reviews.
(04:16):
From the outside, when someonesees the review on your Google
Business profile, they will seethat chosen nickname instead of
the person's real name.
So they might see something likeHappy Patient or Busy Mom and
Boca instead of Jane Smith, theactual person's name.
(04:37):
Behind the scenes, Google stillknows who the account is.
The user must be logged into aGoogle account, and Google can
still track and enforce policieson that account.
So they are not anonymous in atechnical sense, but in the way
(04:59):
that the public sees them, theywill be.
Here's a few important detailsto note.
These anonymous reviews willcount just like regular reviews
for rankings and visibility.
The same review policies arestill in play, including rules
against harassment, hate,explicit content, spam, and
(05:21):
anything that shows a conflictof interest.
The rollout is global over time,so you might not see it on your
own Google account yet, but yourpatients may start seeing
messages about this as Googlepromotes it in the future.
So that's the overall feature ata high level.
(05:44):
Now let's talk about why Googleis doing this and what it means
for your clinic.
And hopefully you're stilllistening.
Be sure to listen all the way tothe end because I have a script
for you about how to handle someof these anonymous reviews that
are going to be coming in thatmight be negative because let's
(06:05):
face it, you're going to befighting spam in a whole new
way.
So why is Google doing this?
Well, Google is positioning thisas a privacy and safety update.
For years, people have tried toleave anonymous reviews anyway
by changing their Google name orcreating a separate account.
Google is basically making thatbehavior official and more
(06:30):
user-friendly.
There are a few reasons.
People want privacy.
We get that, right?
Some are afraid to leaveinformation, especially if
they're leaving negative reviewsbecause it's showcasing their
name.
And Google wants more reviewvolume and more honest feedback.
And privacy lowers that barrierfor people to write those types
(06:54):
of reviews.
From Google's perspective, thiscan increase the number of
reviews and make people feelsafer when they talk about their
experiences with specificcompanies.
From a clinic owner perspective,this leads us straight into the
pros and cons.
Let's start with the pros, theupsides of this.
(07:16):
The good news is hopefully morepeople may finally leave
reviews.
You probably have patients wholove you but also don't want
their name publicly tied to areview about a specific
condition or treatment.
With anonymous reviews, thosepeople may feel more comfortable
(07:38):
leaving feedback.
That can mean higher reviewvolume, more up-to-date reviews,
which Google loves, and a betterrepresentation of how patients
actually feel about your care.
And think about this, especiallyif you offer services that
people don't have really want toyell at the top of the roof that
(08:01):
they are having a condition thatyou treat.
This really could lead to morehigh-quality positive reviews.
Again, you're gonna get morecandid feedback.
When people feel safer, they areoften more honest.
Some anonymous reviews mayinclude details that patients
(08:21):
would never share under theirown name.
This can lead to highlightingpatterns in your front desk
experience, revealing frictions,points, and scheduling, billing,
waiting times, andcommunication, and give you very
real language to use when youare improving your website, the
(08:43):
content you push out, or yourpatient journey.
You still need to filter out thenoise, but there is real value
in raw patient language, evenwhen it stings a little bit.
And again, we alreadyhighlighted this, but privacy
alignments for sensitiveservices.
(09:05):
If you're a therapist,counselor, fertility specialist,
addiction clinic, or work withconditions people do not want to
broadcast to the public, thiscan actually align better with
patient expectations aroundprivacy.
They can praise your clinicwithout outing themselves to
(09:26):
their neighbors.
For some categories, this couldbe such a positive overtime.
Now, there are downsides, solet's talk about those.
Even before this change, fakeand unfair reviews were already
a problem.
Anonymous reviews can dial thisup.
(09:49):
It's easier for bad actors, forpeople to come out like your
competition to leave negativereviews, for former staff or
personal enemies to attack yourbusiness, for people who were
never patients to pile on duringthe dispute.
(10:10):
Is this brand new behavior?
No.
But the optics are changing.
When names are hidden bydefault, it becomes harder for a
business to tell if a review isreal or if it isn't.
It can be harder to connect areal review to a real patient
visit.
Right now, if Jane Smith leavesa review about an issue with a
(10:34):
specific appointment, you cansometimes connect that to your
internal records and follow upappropriately while still
staying HIPAA compliant.
With anonymous reviews, itbecomes much more difficult to
make a public complaint to areal-world encounter.
This makes service recoveryharder and can be frustrating to
(10:59):
your team.
This can also bring on emotionalwear and tear to your staff.
There's already an emotionalcost to reading harsh reviews
when you genuinely care aboutyour patients and their
outcomes.
Now imagine reading somethingthat came from Anonymous patient
714.
(11:21):
It can feel more like a drive-byattack and less like feedback
from a real person you can makethings right with.
This can increase burnout fromowners to staff members who are
monitoring these reviews.
You also have the risk for anincrease in the number of spam
(11:43):
reviews.
There's already been a lot ofcommentary around this and the
fact that this creates concernsin the future that may create
more opportunities for spam andmanipulation campaigns.
We'll have to see how Googleenforces its policies in
(12:03):
practice, but the risk is realand one that you should plan
for.
Now, here's what's not gonnachange, and this is important.
Before this starts to sound likethe scalia is falling, which
it's not, let us groundourselves in what is still true.
Reviews still must followGoogle's policies.
(12:27):
This includes the bans on hateand harassment, explicit or
dangerous content, off-topicrants or political content that
does not relate to realexperience, conflicts of
interest, content that revealspersonal health information
(12:48):
without consent.
Anonymous display names do notgive someone a free pass.
If a review clearly violatesthis guidelines, any of those
guidelines, you can still flagit.
This also brings us back to someof the basics.
(13:09):
Reviews still matter forrankings.
Reviews are still very strong asa local ranking factor in Google
search and Google Maps.
Quality, quantity, recency, andreview text all play a role.
Anonymous reviews are expectedto carry the same ranking weight
(13:35):
as a normal review.
So you can't ignore reviews justbecause the system changed.
You still want to collect asteady stream of new reviews,
detailed text in those reviews,and a healthy overall rating.
You still have the right torespond.
(13:58):
You still can respond to thesereviews even if the name is
generic or anonymous.
Your reply will now play an evenbigger role in how potential
patients interpret the reviews.
They may think, I don't know whothis reviewer is, but I can see
(14:20):
exactly how the clinic handledit.
You still have the same tools toreport suspicious patterns.
If you suddenly get a burst ofone-star anonymous reviews that
mention details that do notmatch to any of your patients,
come from multiple locationswhere you know you don't have
patients, or repeat nearlyidentical wording, you can
(14:43):
document those patterns andsubmit them to Google through
the reporting options.
Will every bad review beremoved?
No.
But you're not powerless.
Now let's get into how yourreview strategy needs to adapt.
We're gonna get practical here.
(15:04):
What should you actually dodifferently as a clinic owner or
marketing lead?
Well, you need to keep askingfor reviews and maybe lean into
the privacy angle.
Please do not stop asking forreviews because of this change.
Instead, slightly update yourlanguage.
(15:25):
Here are some examples you canuse or adapt.
If you feel comfortable, wewould love it if you can share a
review on Google.
You can even choose a displayname on your Google profile if
you prefer not to use your fullname publicly.
Or your feedback really helpsother people in the community
(15:47):
find care.
You are always welcome to adjustyour Google name or photo if you
prefer more privacy when leavinga review.
You are not telling people to bedeceptive.
You are simply acknowledgingthat Google now offers different
privacy options, and that'sokay.
(16:08):
I also want you to double downon internal documentation
because you will not always beable to match a review to a
specific patient.
It becomes more important todocument complaints and service
issues internally, trackpatterns and front desk notes
(16:29):
and patient follow-ups, keep abasic log of serious conflicts
and disputes.
That way, when you see ananonymous review that sounds
familiar, you can still connectit to a situation you remember
and respond thoughtfully.
This one, this next step, isextremely important.
(16:51):
Create a standard anonymousnegative review response
template.
You want a HIPAA-safe, calm,professional framework you can
reuse.
Something along the lines of thefollowing.
And listen, if you're listeningto this podcast episode, please
(17:12):
be sure to visit the episodewebpage and blog post where you
can copy and paste the exactverbiage that I am about to
provide you, along with othercopy and paste resources to help
you improve those reviews thatyou are getting in.
Okay, are you ready?
(17:33):
Here we go.
Here is the suggested HIPAAsafe, calm, and professional
framework you can reuse.
Something along the lines ofthank you for taking the time to
share this feedback.
We are sorry to hear about yourexperience.
(17:53):
We take all feedback seriouslyand always want our patients to
feel heard and supported.
Because of patient privacy laws,we cannot confirm whether
someone is a patient or discusscare publicly.
However, we would really likethe opportunity to learn more
(18:16):
and see if we can address yourconcerns.
Please call our office at givethe phone number and ask for
give a name or use the contactform on our website so we can
speak to you directly.
This does a few importantthings.
(18:36):
It shows future patients thatyou care and take feedback
seriously.
Stays on the right side of theprivacy rules and invites a
private conversation instead ofa public flight.
Now you may want to tweak thewording for your brand, but have
(18:57):
a go-to template ready.
You also need to train your teamon what to flag.
Make sure someone on your teamknows what Google considers
prohibited review content, howto flag a review within your
Google Business Profile, andwhen to escalate suspicious
(19:23):
patterns.
Teach them the differencebetween we just don't like this
review, and this review actuallyviolates Google's policies.
That will save you a lot of timeand frustration.
You want to make sure that youwatch for volatilities in your
(19:44):
overall ratings.
During the early rollout period,you may see a bump in total
review numbers.
You might see more polarizedreviews at extremes, extremely
positive, extremely negative.
You might see short-term swingsin your SAR ratings.
(20:06):
You want to be sure to monitorthese trends, but try not to
panic over every single littleblip.
Focus on long-term averages,volume of recent reviews, and
overall story your reviews tellsomebody scrolling through them.
(20:26):
So what should you keep an eyeout for over the next few
months?
This feature is new, like we'vealready mentioned, and Google
has a history of testing things,adjusting things, and sometimes
even rolling back changesbecause they create chaos.
Here's what you want to keep aneye out for.
One, your category.
(20:47):
Be certain that your category isthe correct category listed in
your Google Business Profile.
Certain types of clinics mightsee more abuse bra than others.
For example, hot button areaslike weight loss, mental health,
and pain management.
Watch for patterns in reviewtext.
(21:09):
Are you seeing more vaguedrive-by reviews?
Or are people still writingdetailed feedback?
Use that to guide how yourespond and what you emphasize
in your own patient education.
Make sure that you're aware ofany updates in Google's
policies.
Keep an eye on Google's reviewpolicies.
(21:33):
You want to stay on top of anyupdates in Google's policies.
One of our goals at Propel is totry to make sure that we get you
this information as soon as itstarts to unfold, which is one
of the reasons why we actuallymoved this podcast episode up
because this is such animportant topic.
If you're interested in stayingup to date, if you aren't
(21:55):
already following our blog postsor getting our emails, please
sign up by visitingpropelyourcompany.com.
And you can also always keep aneye on Google's review policy
pages.
(22:22):
And it's worth probably digginginto your analytics.
And if you need to, you can bookan appointment by booking a
discovery call with Propel ifyou need some additional help
with your Google BusinessProfile listing, or you can also
always book a Google BusinessProfile audit.
Now, let's kind of summarizewhat is going on here and what
(22:47):
it means for your clinic.
All right, let's start to boilthis down.
So here's what we know so faranonymous reviews are being
rolled out.
Patients will be able to hidetheir names and photos publicly
while Google still sees theiraccount information in the
background.
This will make some patientsmore comfortable leaving honest
(23:08):
feedback, especially insensitive areas, which could be
a good thing.
It also increases the risk ofspam, fake reviews, and
emotionally tough feedback thatfeels less accountable.
The core review fundamentalshave not changed.
You still need a healthy reviewprofile, consistent new reviews,
(23:32):
thoughtful responses, and aprocess for flagging violations.
Clinics that will win in thisnew environment are ones that
stay calm, staypatient-centered, and treat this
as another reason to tighten uptheir systems instead of hiding
from reviews.
(23:53):
So what are your action stepsafter listening to this episode?
One, update your review, askscripts to gently acknowledge
privacy options.
Create or refine your negativereview response templates,
especially for anonymousreviewers.
Train at least one team memberon how to monitor and flag
(24:16):
reviews properly.
And four, keep your foot on thegas for earning more positive
reviews from real happypatients.
If you have any questions aboutthese changes and how they might
affect your specific clinic ortype of practice, please feel
free to reach out.
Alright, that's it for today'sepisode.
If you found this helpful, shareit with another clinic owner or
(24:39):
marketing manager who isstressed about reviews.
And as always, if you want moreresources to help you improve
your visibility in Google searchand Google Maps, check the show
notes for the link.
Thanks for listening to thisepisode.
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