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As a dentist, you understand how important it is to have a successful and thriving dental practice. In order to achieve this level of success, you need patients – which means making your dental business visible and accessible to potential patients in your local area. SEO for Dentists is one of the most effective ways to do this.
What are Dental SEO Services?
Dental SEO focuses on optimising your practice’s website so that it appears higher in local search results. Your site will gain significantly more organic traffic, resulting in more patients and increased revenue.
Why Do Dentists Need a Website?
In order to attract new patients in this day and age, the internet is essential, and you cannot truly thrive without a solid online presence.
- Attract new patients: The internet is the first place people go when searching for services, including dental care. A well-designed website helps attract potential patients who search for terms like “Dental Practice Near Me”
- Visibility and reach: A website as well as an optimal Google Business profile significantly increases your practice’s visibility and reach. It allows you to be found by people searching online, beyond just word-of-mouth referrals.
- Credibility and professionalism: Patients are more likely to trust and choose a practice that has a well-maintained online presence. It gives the impression that your practice is modern, reliable, and patient-focused.
- Information hub: Your website serves as an information hub where patients can learn about your services, read about your team, check your office hours, and find answers to common dental questions.
- Online appointment booking: Many patients prefer the convenience of booking appointments online. A website can provide an easyway for patients to schedule their visits.
- Marketing and Dental SEO: A website is a powerful marketing tool. It allows you to implement dental SEO strategies to improve your search rankings and attract more visitors. Additionally, you can use it for online advertising campaigns and to promote special offers or new services.
- Patient reviews and testimonials: A website can showcase positive patient reviews and testimonials, influencing potential patients’ decisions.
- Educational content: Providing educational content, such as blog posts or articles about dental health, can position your practice as an authority in the field.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of a website or web page in search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s a means of increasing traffic to your website from organic, or unpaid, search results.
In other words, dentist SEO is all about making your website more visible and accessible to potential patients who are using search engines like Google to find dental care providers in their area.
To do this, dentists need to ensure their website is optimised for relevant keywords that potential patients are searching for through dental SEO services. They also need to create high-quality content that is engaging and informative, as well as promote their website through other channels, such as social media.
The Importance of Dental SEO Marketing:
Dental SEO for your business will build trust and credibility with patients.
Before booking an appointment, the patient has to believe in the credibility of your service. Investing in a Dental SEO strategy means your website automatically becomes more reputable with customers online. A trusted practice is a successful practice.
Search engine optimisation drives more traffic to your website, meaning new dental patients.
By attracting a higher number of visitors to your dental website through SEO, the chances of prospective patients booking an appointment also increases. More customers = a more successful business.
The best SEO translates into a better website user experience.
Living in the digital age means getting to grips with the Google experience. The easier it is for dental clients to navigate your website, the more likely they are to recommend your dental practice. It is also essential that you can explain clearly what services are offered, give useful information to customers and encourage them to book an appointment.
Other dental practices are using dental SEO
Dental search engine optimization is becoming increasingly more popular in the dental industry, with many practices realising how important it is to rank highly on search results. In order to compete with other dental services in the industry, it is essential to get on board with local SEO for dentists.
How can a dental practice’s website rank #1 in search results?
On-site ranking factors
On-site ranking factors refer to the information that Google views on your website. For example, related keywords, length, and quality of copy and content are all factors that will affect where your practice stands in search engine rankings.
Off-site ranking factors
Off-site ranking factors refer to the number of sites/ links that reference your dental practice website. These are ranked according to the linked site’s popularity, how recently it was published, as well as credibility of the linked site.
Specialised SEO for dentists
Understanding your client base is key. By hiring an SEO consultant that specialise in Dental SEO marketing, they already know how to prime your site to attract new patients. A Dental SEO strategy will be implemented by them in order to improve your business.
In a different industry, check out our guides here: Check out our tips on SEO for Restaurants, Accountants, Architects, Dentists, Car Dealers, Estate Agents and many more!
Dental Website SEO Tips
Find the Right Keywords for Your Dental Practice
Specific keywords are a must for your dental website as they show potential patients what you do. By refining these specifically to your niche area of ‘Dental Practices’, when a potential patient searches this term on a search engine, they are likely to get relevant information that brings up your practice.
The easiest way this can be achieved is through keyword research. Start by searching ‘Dental Practices’ on Google and see which websites come up first; then note down common words that these sites use on their service page. The chances are there will be several words that come up frequently. These are your relevant keywords.
Use a Keyword Research Tool Like SEMRush
Alternatively, Ignite SEO recommend using advanced tools to perform keyword research tool such as SEMRush, you will be able to easily search for keywords are data on traffic volumes & keyword difficulty will be returned to you.
Location-Specific Keywords
Location-specific keywords are just as important to dental SEO as the content. When a potential new patient searches for ‘Best Dentists in London’ if you are a London-based dentist, then including this as a target keyword is a must. By doing so, you are showing Google that your dental services are located in this area, meaning you are more likely to rank higher for this specific search. This is called Local SEO and helps to attract customers in your specific area.
Ask Patients for Online Reviews
To complete your dental practice’s online presence, reviews are also incredibly important. Not only do they add credibility, but will help your website have external references from other sources on the internet.
Optimise Your Website for Conversions
Ensure that your website is easy to use. The average person usually does not look past the first page of a website, so it is vital to have an option to ‘Book an Appointment or ‘Phone Now’ very early on.
Hire Local SEO agencies
Dental SEO services can be provided by a number of local agencies that specialise in SEO for your industry. Doing some research and finding a specific dental SEO company is invaluable as they understand your specific client base.
How to optimise your practice for off-site ranking factors:
Add your practice to Google Maps
By adding your practice to Google Maps, you are effectively telling Google that your practice is where you say it is, adding to the authenticity of your company. As a result, Google will rank your website higher than other dental websites that haven’t done this.
List your practice on local citation sites and directories
Adding your dental services to a local citation site increases the number of external links to your page. Once again, Google views this as authenticating your practice, pushing your sit higher up than others in the dental industry.
Make your dental website mobile-optimised
For dental websites, optimisation for mobile is more than just keeping abreast of the times—it means going where your patients are. Here is why:
- A mobile-friendly site ensures that any visitor to your website from any device can navigate, read, and engage with its content easily. Smooth navigation will keep potential patients interested and less likely to leave in search of a competitor.
- Google rewards mobile-friendly sites by ranking them higher in local search results. Ensuring that your website complies with optimisation on mobile devices makes sure it has maximum visibility.
- Fast and more navigable mobile sites go hand in hand with better engagement rates. From their phones, patients can find information, book appointments, and even call your practice, thereby maximising convenience and satisfaction.
- A mobile-friendly design guarantees your site will extend its reach to all possible patients, including those who only use their smartphones when browsing. This accessibility will greatly increase the potential pool of patients.
- Few dental practices may still be using mobile-friendly sites. By offering the best mobile experience, you set your practice apart and gain competitive advantage, increase patient attraction, and engagement.
Integrate telehealth services on your dental website
Telehealth is the use of electronic information and digital communication technologies, such as computers and mobile devices, to support or facilitate health care delivery, diagnose, treat, consult, counsel, monitor, and educate patients at a distance.
It gives one the opportunity to consult with health professionals from the comfort of their own home. Video consultation, remote monitoring, and digital communication for follow-up and aftercare are all subcategories that comprise the broader term known as telehealth.
Here are some of its benefits:
- Patient Convenience: Telehealth allows your patients to be connected with you anywhere at home, saving them a lot of time and facilitating those patients who have some kind of issue in moving or their schedule is too tight.
- Greater Reach to Patients: By offering telehealth services, you will attract patients from places other than your immediate area. These patients may want your dental implants or teeth whitening but cannot make it to your office in person.
- Effective Patient Management: Virtually, it is possible to identify individuals who may urgently need in-person care and those that can be treated remotely. This efficiency makes the most of your appointment schedule and reduces excessive office visits.
- Establishing Trust and Loyalty: Offering them telehealth options exemplifies your regard toward patient care and contemporary practice. This commitment instills trust and loyalty, making them more likely to choose your practice over others.
- Continuous Care: Telehealth makes treatment continuous by providing follow-up appointments and consultations if patients are unable to reach the clinic physically. This is most important in ongoing treatments or for post-procedure checkups.
How can dentists know that SEO is working?
Conversions
If you have recently implemented Dental SEO and have seen an increased amount of conversions, it is safe to say that SEO is responsible. When an SEO agency implements a dental SEO strategy, most dental websites see an increase in the amount new patients booking appointments.
Website Traffic
Conversions go hand-in-hand with website traffic. If your dental business has recently seen an increased volume of website visitors, it is likely that you will have seen an increased amount of conversions.
Keyword Rankings
When dental search engine optimization is implemented correctly, target keywords are usually added to the service page of your website. Due to this, your keyword rankings on Google will have improved significantly.
Reviews
More likely than not, increased visibility online means more customers which in turn leads to more reviews. If your practice is suddenly starting to get more reviews online, this is likely due to the work your SEO agency has done to improve digital presence and dental SEO campaign. Not only this, but reviews help your practice rank on other search engines, not just google!
FAQ’S
How can SEO agencies improve my dental practice?
Dental SEO agencies will perform an SEO audit, in which they highlight specific areas your website could be improved and give professional advice. Once this has been completed, they will implement these changes through technical SEO strategies, link-building, off-page and on-page SEO and ensure your practice ranks higher in local searches. It is then likely that you will see increased organic traffic, your site ranks better on Google and as a result, you have an increased amount of new customers.
Why Do Dentists Need Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing campaigns traditionally bring quicker returns than Traditional marketing. If your practice has a marketing budget, it is advisable to try and reach more patients through as many channels as possible, specifically local SEO for dentists. Digital Marketing experts are likely to improve your local search rankings significantly.
How Do You Market a Dental Clinic?
Marketing a dental clinic is not a one-step process. It takes a variety of steps to level up your practice. Hiring a professional that specialises in dental SEO services is advisable, as they will give you personalised advice to improve your rankings in search engines, whilst assisting with any future projects, or dental SEO campaigns, your practice may want to implement.
Here are some aditional useful approaches:
- Get your website optimised: Make it user-friendly, mobile responsive, and dental SEO-optimised. Add some relevant info, such as the services you provide, contact information, and even patient testimonials.
- Content marketing: Publishing useful content on dental health in the form of a blog, videos, or infographics can potentially turn your clinic into an authority in the field and give your dental search engine optimization a boost.
- Local Dental SEO: Make sure to optimise your clinic for local search by listing it on Google My Business and other local directories. Encourage your elated patients to rate you positively.
- Social Media Engagement: Keep engaging with your community on social media platforms through posting dental tips and special offers. The more frequent the engagement, the more loyal a base of patients is built.
- Email Marketing: Design an email marketing campaign that will help in keeping patients updated on new services, dental tips, and upcoming appointments.
What Are the Benefits of Dental SEO for Dentists?
Dental SEO is a great way for dental practices to gain more patients, improve their online presence, and authenticate their practice in the digital world. As opposed to doing this artificially such as paying for Google Ads, it is done organically and attracts relevant customers that could become new patients.
What Is the Goal of Digital Marketing and Local SEO for Dentists?
As with any type of marketing, the main goal in dental SEO is to see an increased amount of customers and revenue. Whereas traditional marketing has a more in-person approach, digital marketing uses dental search terms to achieve these goals.
Through certain dental-related search terms, practices would be able to rank better on search engines for easy discovery. Such digital marketing strategies involve website optimisation, content building for value addition, online review management, and social media for community engagement. It is a holistic approach that works toward increasing the new inflow of more patients and also retaining the existing ones by remaining at the top of mind and accessible.
