How to get more patients for a small practice: a 30-day plan

Week 1: start where new patients look first, on Google

When someone searches for “dentist near me” or for your practice name, Google usually shows your Business Profile before your website: your hours, photos, reviews, phone number and a map. For many people, that box is the first impression of your practice.

Google says local results depend on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the person searching) and prominence (how well known you are, including how many reviews you have and how many websites link to you). You can’t change distance. You can improve the other two in an afternoon.

• Claim and verify your profile, then check every field. Google asks you to use your real-world practice name, with nothing added to it.
• Pick the most specific main category (for example “Pediatric dentist” rather than only “Dentist”) and list your services in plain words.
• Set your normal hours and add holiday hours before each holiday.
• Add real photos: the entrance, the waiting room, the team. They help a first-time patient recognise the place.
• Link to the page that answers new-patient questions, not only to your homepage.
• Make sure your name, address and phone number are written the same way on your website and other directories.

Week 2: make your website answer the questions people call about

Think about the questions your front desk answers every day: Are you taking new patients? Do you take my insurance, or what does a visit cost? Where do I park? How do I book? If your website hides those answers, people either call, which takes your team’s time, or they leave and pick the next practice on the list.

You don’t need a big website. Five to eight clear pages that answer those questions, work well on a phone and show one obvious way to book will do more than a fancy design.

• Say clearly whether you are accepting new patients, near the top of the homepage.
• Add a new-patient page: what the first visit looks like, how long it takes, what to bring and any forms.
• Explain insurance and fees in plain language. If you can show prices, show them.
• Put one booking or request button on every page, in the same place.
• Check the site on your own phone: can you find the phone number and the booking button in five seconds?

Week 3: ask every patient for a review, the same way

Reviews do two jobs at once. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and new patients read them before they choose. The practices with the most reviews are usually not the best ones; they are the ones that ask every time.

Healthcare has two traps here. First, rewards: Google does not allow discounts, gifts or payments for reviews, and the FTC’s rule on fake reviews, in force since October 2024, bans buying reviews and rewards that depend on a positive review. Second, replies: the US Department of Health and Human Services has reached settlements with dental practices that revealed patient information in replies to online reviews. Thank people without confirming they are your patients or mentioning their care.

• Ask everyone, not only the patients you think are happy. Google does not allow you to collect only positive reviews.
• Make it one step: a short link or a QR code at checkout, and a follow-up message with the same link.
• Never offer anything in return, and don’t ask staff or family to review the practice.
• Reply to every review with a short, generic thank-you. Move complaints to a private phone call.

Week 4: turn referrals and current patients into new visits

Your cheapest new appointments often come from people who already know you: existing patients who are overdue for a visit, and other clinicians nearby who could send you the right patients.

Make a short list of practices that see the same people at a different moment: a pediatrician for a pediatric dentist, a physical therapist for a chiropractor, a family doctor for a counselor. Introduce yourself, explain who you are a good fit for and make referring easy. Don’t pay or reward anyone for referrals; in healthcare that can break the law, so keep it to good communication.

• Each month, pull a list of patients who are overdue for a recall or follow-up and contact them.
• Send five nearby providers a short introduction with your contact details and what you treat.
• When someone refers a patient, send a quick thank-you and, with the patient’s permission, an update.

Every week: measure one number

Pick one number and write it down every Monday: new-patient enquiries. Count calls from new patients, website forms and online bookings. Your Google Business Profile also shows calls, website clicks and direction requests that came from your listing.

One number tracked every week tells you more than a big report once a year. If it goes up after you fix your listing or add a new-patient page, keep going. If it doesn’t, look at the step people are skipping.

• New-patient calls, forms and bookings, counted separately.
• Google listing calls, website clicks and direction requests.
• New reviews this week, and your average rating.

A 30-day plan you can copy

Here is how the four steps fit into one month for a small practice. Adjust it to your hours and your team.