Whether someone is looking to have their teeth cleaned or is experiencing excruciating tooth pain, their search for a dentist often starts with a “near me” search.

People like this make incredibly valuable leads because they’re already actively searching for your dental services online. And the key to driving those leads to your dental practice is to master local search and dentist SEO. Here’s how to get it right and make the most of your dentist marketing efforts.

6 local SEO tips for dentists

#1. Optimize your website for local keywords

Choosing the right keywords to optimize your website for is the first step toward success where SEO (search engine optimization) is concerned. For a business hoping to rank locally, like a dental practice, that means choosing local keywords.

The broader the search terms you try to go after, like “dentist” or “dental care,” the more competition you’ll have and the harder it will be for you to rank. By choosing longer, more specific keywords, like “dentist in Fort Wayne” or “teeth whitening Fort Wayne,” you’ll have an easier time ranking.

Once you identify the right keywords for your dental practice, include them throughout your website, including page titles, title tags, meta descriptions, page content and beyond.

If your practice has multiple locations, make sure that you have dedicated location pages for each of them on your website. Embed a map of your locations on the appropriate pages. This will help you rank higher in all of the areas you serve.

#2. Have an active Google Business Profile listing

On the first SERP (search engine results page) of Google in a local search, the first few organic listings are the Google Maps rankings. In order to rank at the top of Google Maps, you need a Google Business Profile listing that stands out.

Make sure that you claim your Google Business Profile listing and fill it out completely. This includes adding a professional, keyword-rich description of your business and high-quality photos of your dental practice (internal and external), as well as choosing the right business categories.

Sometimes, people may ask you questions about your business on your Google Business Profile. Make it a point to always answer them. And, keep your listing active by posting updates about your business on a regular basis.

#3. Take advantage of listings management software

Google Business Profile is probably the most important directory for your dental practice to have a presence on, but it’s far from the only one.

From Facebook to Top Rated Local®, there are lots of places prospective patients may go to look for a dentist. In order to get in front of them, you need to make sure that you have active, claimed listings on all of them.

The tricky part about local listings management is that all of these listings on local sites, directories and apps need to have consistent, up-to-date information about your business. Your NAP (name, address and phone number) need to appear exactly the same way across everything.

When you have dozens of listings to keep track of, listings management can become an arduous, time-consuming task. Save time and manage all of your listings from one place by using listings management software, like the Marketing 360® Listings app.

#4. Get more reviews

Having optimized local listings across the web is a great first step toward mastering local search, but if you want your listings to stand out from the crowd, you need to make sure that you have lots of five-star reviews.

Review sites and local directories prioritize businesses with the most reviews (and the highest average star rating) over others. The easiest way to make your listings more prominent on these sites and directories is to get reviews and build a strong reputation.

Consider using reputation management software, like the Marketing 360 Reputation app, to streamline the process for your dental practice, allowing you to send out review requests and monitor your reputation from one place.

#5. Create social media profiles for your practice

Social media platforms — particularly Facebook — have become the new frontier for local businesses. People aren’t just using them to socialize anymore. They’re using them to find local businesses, like dental clinics.

Pick the social media platforms your patients spend the most time on (this will depend on their age and interests), and create businesses pages for your business. Like with your Google Business Profile, you’ll want to make your social media profiles stand out with high-quality descriptions and pictures of your business.

Then, make it a point to post on your social profiles on a regular basis, a few times a week (depending on the platform). Use a social media scheduling tool, like the Marketing 360 Social app, to schedule out your social posts in advance.

#6. Publish local content

One of the most important parts of ranking organically on the SERPs is creating content on a regular basis, and local search is no exception. To rank organically for local keywords, you need to start creating local content.

When determining which topics to write about on your blog, think about what matters to people in your community. Write about upcoming events in your area, highlight local charities and nonprofits you believe in and more.

In addition to creating local content for your website, make sure that you post local content on your social media profiles as well. And, when people in your community interact with your content, respond and engage with them.

Get in front of people actively looking for dentists and dental services in your area by mastering local search. Learn how Marketing 360 can help and see our plans and pricing.