6 Dentist SEO Tips to Help You Get Found
Most of the time, when someone needs a dental cleaning or has a toothache, their search for a local dentist starts on a search engine, like Google or Bing. And, more often than not, they’ll choose the dental clinic that pops up at the top of the search results.
Dentist marketing is crucial. If your dental clinic doesn’t show up on the first page — or even in the first few results — of a search engine query, then you’re missing out on potential customers. That’s why it’s important for dental clinics to get found on search engines.
When it comes to dentist leads, you won’t find anyone more likely to convert than people actively searching for the dental services you offer in your area. The best part is that you don’t have to pay for organic clicks or leads, like with search ads or LSA (Local Services Ads). That makes SEO and content marketing perfect for driving low-cost, high-quality leads.
Getting found locally is essential for any local business, and dentists are no exception. Here are six dentist SEO and content marketing tips to help you get found in local searches:
#1. Do research to find the right keywords
In order to rank in relevant searches, you need to know what keywords potential patients are using to search for dental clinics and services in your area. The best way to do this is with keyword research.
Using keyword research tools, like Google’s Keyword Planner, can help you identify the best keywords for your dental clinic. It also gives you valuable insights into how much competition you’re up against for each keyword and what kind of search volume you can expect.
When doing keyword research, look for long-tail keywords, which are usually longer and more specific. These keywords are usually less competitive, which means you’ll have an easier time ranking for them.
Plus, people doing more specific searches are more likely to know what they’re looking for. That means they’re more likely to actually book an appointment.
#2. Optimize your website for relevant keywords
Once you have the right keywords, you need to make sure your website is optimized for them. That means including your keywords in the page titles, meta descriptions, headings and content on your dentist website.
Be sure to always use keywords naturally. If you force them into your content, it will make it sound awkward and unnatural. Plus, search engines reward well-written, natural-sounding content.
In addition to including relevant keywords, it’s also important that your dentist website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly. Both of these factors can influence your search engine rankings.
#3. Create local content
Content is king when it comes to dentist SEO. And when it comes to local content, it’s even more important. Creating content about local events, news and issues in your area can help you connect with people in your community.
You can also create content about dental-related topics that are relevant to your local audience. This is a great way to build trust with potential patients and show that you’re an expert in your field.
Writing blogs for your dentist website is a great way to increase your keyword rankings, and by creating community-centric content, you can build a trusted name for your dental clinic in your community.
#4. Claim your local listings
Google and Bing aren’t the only places people go to look for local dental care. There are dozens of other local listing sites, like Yelp and Top Rated Local®, where people go to read reviews and find local businesses.
Be sure to claim your listings on all of these sites, as well as any other local directories in your area. This will help ensure that potential patients can find you no matter where they’re looking.
Plus, ensuring consistency across listings can help to increase your organic visibility, while also building trust and authority with potential patients.
#5. Get reviews
Reviews are one of the best ways to build trust with potential patients. When people are looking for a new dentist, they often turn to reviews to get an idea of what the experience is like.
Encourage your existing patients to leave reviews on your local listings, as well as on Google and Facebook. The best way to do this is by sending out a follow-up email after dental care.
You should also consider embedding a reviews widget on your dentist website. This will help to increase trust and make it easier for potential patients to find reviews — and for existing patients to write them.
#6. Utilize social media
Social media is a great way to reach local patients and build a relationship with them. Utilizing platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, can help you to promote your dental clinic and connect with potential patients in your area.
Content-wise, focus on posting helpful, informative content about dental care, as well as engaging with other local businesses and organizations. This can help to build relationships and trust with potential patients.
You can also use targeted social media advertising to reach local audiences and promote your dental clinic. This is a great way to increase brand awareness and get more leads.
Bonus tip: Back your organic strategy with LSA and search advertising
Organic SEO and content marketing are great ways to get found in local searches — but dentist marketing tends to work better when you combine strategies and channels.
Local Service Ads and search ads are great ways to supplement your organic lead generation efforts. These ads are highly targeted, so you can be sure that you’re reaching the right people at the right time.
Plus, search ads and LSAs are great for getting found quickly. Dentist SEO and content marketing tend to be long-term strategies and don’t often drive immediate results.
By combining organic and paid strategies, you’ll be able to get more leads and increase your visibility in local searches.
Local visibility is key for any dentist clinic. By utilizing the right keywords, optimizing your website, creating local content, claiming local listings, getting reviews and utilizing social media, you can increase your visibility in local searches and get more leads. Plus, combining your organic efforts with search and LSA ads can help to increase your results even more.
The Marketing 360® all-in-one dentist marketing platform has everything you need to get found in local searches. Plus, you can build a convertible website, drive exclusive leads, connect with your community on social media and so much more.
