Reviews do two things at once: they push you up in the local pack, and they close the patient who is comparing you to two other practices. Almost every chiropractor knows this. Almost none of them have a system, because "ask for reviews" is a task that competes with treating patients and always loses.
So build the thing that asks without you.
The two numbers that matter
Total review count is the number practices obsess over. Review velocity — how many you added in the last thirty days — is the one that moves rankings and reads as current to a patient.
A practice with 90 reviews that adds eight a month will generally outperform one with 400 reviews that has added none since 2023. Set a monthly target and treat it like a production number, because that is what it is.
Ask at the right moment
Timing does more work than wording. The best moment is the point of felt relief — not the first visit, and not the last.
| Moment | Quality of ask |
|---|---|
| End of visit 1 | Poor — no result yet, feels transactional |
| The visit where they say "I slept through the night" | Best — genuine, specific, unprompted enthusiasm |
| Visit 4–6 of a care plan | Strong — enough progress to have something to say |
| Care plan completion | Good — but many have already drifted off by then |
| A generic email blast to the whole list | Weak — low response and it dilutes the ask |
Which means the trigger you want is not a calendar. It is a person noticing a moment and tapping a button.
The system, end to end
- Train the team on one sentence. When a patient volunteers that they are feeling better: "That's exactly what we want to hear — would you mind sharing that in a quick Google review? I'll text you the link right now." That is the whole script.
- Send the link immediately, by text. While they are in the building. Email review requests are opened hours later, at home, when the moment has passed. Text is opened in minutes.
- Link directly to the review form, not to your profile. Google gives you a short review link in your Business Profile — every extra tap loses people.
- Automate the fallback. Anyone who was not asked in person gets a text 24 hours after their third completed visit. One follow-up four days later if there is no response. Then stop.
- Respond to every review within 48 hours. Publicly, by name, referencing something specific. This is a ranking input and it is visible to every future patient.
- Report it weekly. Reviews added this week, running average, response time. Put it on the same board as collections.
Steps 4 through 6 are where automation earns its keep — the ask, the follow-up, and the response prompt happen whether or not anyone remembers.
What to say in the request
Short, personal, one link, no marketing language:
Hi Sarah — Dr. Lee here at [Practice]. So glad the neck pain is easing up. If you have 30 seconds, would you mind leaving us a quick review? It genuinely helps other people in [City] find us. [link]
Three things make that work: it uses their name, it names the specific improvement, and it explains why it matters. Delete any of the three and response rate drops.
The rules you cannot break
- Never offer anything of value for a review. No discounts, no free adjustments, no entry into a drawing. This violates Google's policies and, for a healthcare provider, invites problems well beyond a removed review.
- Never filter who you ask. Sending happy patients to Google and unhappy ones to a private feedback form is review gating. Google prohibits it, and it eventually gets caught.
- Never write or buy reviews. Obvious, and still common. Detection has gotten good and the penalty is your listing.
- Never post patient details in a response. Confirming that someone is your patient in a public reply is a disclosure. Keep responses warm and generic — thank them, invite them to call the office, and stop there.
Handling a bad review
- Wait a few hours. Nothing good has ever been written in the first ten minutes.
- Respond publicly, briefly, without confirming care. Use the template above.
- Take it private. Most negative reviews are about wait times, billing surprises, or feeling rushed — all fixable, and often removed voluntarily once the person feels heard.
- Report it only if it violates policy — a competitor, someone who was never a patient, or profanity. Do not report a review just for being negative.
- Bury it with velocity. The most effective response to one bad review is fifteen good ones in the following month.
One or two negative reviews among many actually helps. A perfect 5.0 with 200 reviews reads as filtered to a lot of people. A 4.8 with visible, well-handled criticism reads as real.
Where reviews should show up
- Google Business Profile — the priority, by a wide margin
- Your homepage and every condition page, pulled live rather than hand-copied
- Facebook, if you are active there
- Healthgrades and Yelp — lower volume, but they surface in branded searches
Getting them and displaying them are two different jobs. A lot of practices do the first and never do the second, which is a shame — it is the cheapest conversion lift on the whole website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google's policies prohibit incentivised reviews, and for a healthcare provider it raises additional regulatory questions. Ask well and ask consistently instead — it works better anyway.
Is it okay to screen patients before asking for a review?
No. Routing satisfied patients to Google and dissatisfied ones to a private form is review gating and is against Google's policies. Ask everyone at the same trigger point.
How do I get a bad review removed?
You can only get it removed if it violates Google's content policies — it is fake, from a non-patient, from a competitor, or contains prohibited content. Report it through your Business Profile. If it is a genuine negative experience, respond well and out-produce it.
How many reviews do I need to rank in the local pack?
There is no threshold. What matters is being competitive with the other practices in your area and adding new reviews consistently. Look at the three businesses currently in the pack for your main search — that is your target, plus ongoing velocity.