One Dental Marketing Action You Can Take This Week

The most common obstacle in dental marketing is not a lack of ideas — it is the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. This post is about closing that gap with one specific, implementable action that requires no budget, no vendor, and no meeting to decide.

The action: set up a direct link to your Google review page and start using it tomorrow.

Why This One Action Has an Outsized Impact

Review velocity — the rate at which new reviews arrive — is one of the most direct and controllable local ranking signals available to a dental practice. Research shows that practices with consistent monthly new reviews outrank those with higher total review counts but stagnant growth. And 43.3% of patients choose a dentist based primarily on best online reviews.

The problem is friction. Most practices ask patients verbally but then leave them to navigate to Google themselves — a process that involves searching the practice name, finding the correct listing, clicking through, and writing the review. Each step loses a percentage of willing reviewers.

A direct link eliminates nearly all of that friction.

How to Get Your Direct Review Link in 5 Minutes

• Log into Google Business Profile Manager (business.google.com)
• Select your practice listing
• Click "Ask for reviews" (in the left sidebar or under the Home tab)
• Copy the link provided — this goes directly to the Google review form for your practice
• Shorten it using bit.ly or a similar tool if you want a cleaner URL for printed materials

How to Use It Starting This Week

• Train one team member today to send the link via text after every positive appointment: "Hi [Name], it was great to see you today. If you have a moment, we'd really appreciate a Google review: [link]"
• Set a reminder for yourself to review the approach at the end of the week and count how many reviews arrived
• Next week: expand the ask to every team member and set up automated texting through your practice management software if available

Frequently Asked Questions

What if we already have a review request system in our practice management software?

Use that — if it's configured to send a direct link to Google (not to a filtering form), it is doing exactly what this post describes. The action here is for practices that have been asking verbally without a frictionless digital follow-up. If you already have the system, confirm it is configured correctly: sending to all patients (not pre-filtered), with a direct Google link, within 24 hours of the appointment.

Can I ask for reviews on Healthgrades and Yelp too?

Yes — once your Google review program is generating 10+ reviews per month consistently, adding Healthgrades to the rotation diversifies your review profile. Start with Google exclusively; it has the most direct impact on local ranking and is where 81% of patient reviews go naturally.

— Last updated April 2026