Medical Practice Marketing Strategies: Five Ways to Put Your Practice on the Map

IF YOUR medical practice relies on word-of-mouth referrals, it may be time to update your marketing strategy. A 2024 Pew Research Center report found that 77 percent of patients research providers online before booking an appointment.¹ In fact, the 2025 Local Consumer Review Survey by BrightLocal showed that 42 percent of patients consider online reviews just as important as personal recommendations.² While direct referrals won’t ever be obsolete, today’s patients rely on input from total strangers. Instead of primarily asking friends and family for recommendations, they increasingly turn to online communities for suggestions and opinions about healthcare providers; they want to know who to see and who to avoid. 

Patients even turn to Internet search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo and even AI-powered platforms such as ChatGPT to find healthcare providers in the area; once they find your name, they search for information about you and decide whether to make an appointment based on what they find. If patients were to look for you online today, would they find you? And if they did, what would they think about you?

Here are five strategies to help your practice stand out. 

Claim Your Name Online

When you search for your practice name online, does it show up with the correct information? If not, it’s time to add or verify your business profile on platforms like Google so your patients can find you. Doing so allows you to control how your business information appears online. This small step can literally put your practice on the map. Your business profile gives Google the information it needs to point patients to you. (See business.google.com to add your business to Google.)

Once your practice is claimed online, platforms will display your name, address, phone number, hours of operation, website, photos and reviews. The more robust your presence, the more information they get about you. If they can’t find you or get a bad first impression, they’re less likely to book an appointment with you. A simple Internet search is often a patient’s first encounter with you, so it’s important to make a good impression.

Paint Your Digital Front Door 

How long has it been since you looked at your own website? Is it time for a fresh coat of digital paint? Just like your brick-and-mortar building needs maintenance to stay up to date and inviting, your online presence needs maintenance and updates, too. Consider what impression your website gives patients: Is it attractive, professional and inviting? Is it easy to navigate? Does it clearly communicate who you are, what you do and why patients should pick you rather than a competing practice across town? Can patients navigate your site quickly and efficiently, and can they find your contact information in a snap? 

Revamping your website can be as simple as a light revision or as in-depth as a major overhaul. No matter how awesome your marketing efforts may be, if you don’t have a solid online presence, you’re far less likely to grow your practice.

Implement and Optimize SEO

Once your information is online, patients need to find it. That’s where SEO comes in. SEO stands for “search engine optimization,” and it helps your practice appear higher in a list of Internet search results. According to Net One Click, a marketing agency specializing in small and mid-sized medical practices, most patients begin their healthcare search on Google, and the top three map results get the most clicks.³ 

When you implement SEO, you give search engines the information they need to find your practice, and when done correctly, it ranks higher in search results, meaning it will (ideally) be within the first several business listings. SEO involves developing a well-structured website and clear, descriptive page titles with relevant content that includes keywords, helping search engines understand who you are, what you offer and how you can help patients. It not only sends more traffic to your website but also establishes your practice as a trusted leader in your field. 

You can implement SEO yourself, but you may opt to hire an expert to help. Many marketing firms specialize in SEO for medical practices; their expertise may be worth the expense, especially as AI reshapes how people find answers online.

Stay Engaged on Social Media

Traditional word-of-mouth referrals aren’t enough to increase your patient load. Today, you’ve got to make sure your practice is positioned for digital recommendations and reviews, which are known as electronic word-of-mouth (or “eWOM”). Patients may share information about their experience at your clinic via user-generated content and may well tag your practice in the process. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to leverage social proof to your benefit: People may mimic the medical decisions of other people when they see someone post about it. Plus, social media gives you an opportunity to engage with patients directly by creating videos of your own, answering relevant questions, creating polls and helping to distribute accurate, relevant information that potential patients are curious about. 

It might be worth asking what your social media presence says about you and your practice. Is original content regularly uploaded and shared to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X? And if so, is it information your patients and potential patients care about? What you post can build trust and enhance your reputation.

Leverage Positive Patient Reviews

Eighty-one percent of patients read patient reviews online before choosing a healthcare provider.⁴ Reviews help patients decide whether a doctor offers the level of expertise and/or patient care they need or expect. According to BrightLocal, patients expect higher star ratings and increasingly give their business to entities with a 4.5+ star rating.² 

How do you encourage satisfied patients to leave positive reviews of your practice? Make it a natural extension of their experience, and patients will come to expect it as part of the patient experience. 

• Ask: Train front-desk staff to ask patients about their experience, and ask them to share it online.
• Make it easy: Post QR codes or direct links to online reviews on Google, Yelp or Healthgrades in your waiting room, or print them on patients’ after-visit summaries.
• Follow up: Send automated requests via an email or text message with a warm message and direct links to Google, Yelp or Healthgrades 24 to 48 hours after their visit.
• Share patient success stories online: Patient testimonials can reassure nervous patients and help them take the next step of booking an appointment.
• Feature positive reviews online: Highlighting positive reviews from other patients tells others that leaving reviews is a normal part of the patient experience.

It’s important to note that the Federal Trade Commission prohibits payment in exchange for reviews, and the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires that patients’ personal information remain private. 

When in Doubt, Hire Experts

There are many simple steps you can take on your own to make your practice stand out, but it may be worthwhile to bring in experts to manage your marketing efforts (and allow you to focus on patient care). And, marketing firms specializing in healthcare are adept at navigating privacy laws and creating a marketing plan that is HIPAA-compliant, ethical and empathetic. 

Whether your in-house team needs help bolstering your online presence or your practice needs a full-fledged agency to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy, a simple Internet search for “medical marketing agencies” is a great way to get started. You might also check out Position Results’ list of the top 11 best medical marketing companies in the U.S. (positionresults.com/best-medical-marketing-companies) to help you find the right marketing partner to help your practice.