If you own dental practice, you probably don't need to be told the importance of increasing your online visibility or creating an effective local SEO campaign to boost that visibility.
As a dentist, we understand that you are usually busier than you would like to be. You may not have the time or resources to focus on local SEO strategies, but if you do, you're missing a huge opportunity! Local SEO for dentists will help you to reach your target audience and generate more revenue.
The days of the phone book are over, and having your dental website at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) is the difference between getting local clients and losing valuable leads. Given the competitive nature of the dental industry, it's certain that your competitors are jockeying for the top rankings and the best patients.
In this blog post, we'll discuss some of the most effective ways for dentists to optimize their websites for local search results so they can attract new patients and grow their dental practice.
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What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of optimizing a website to rank in search engines when people enter their location or city in the search box. This can be done through keywords, optimized content, and links to your website from other websites in the area. Local SEO assists local businesses in taking advantage of search engine results pages (SERPs) by being listed near relevant search results and being displayed higher. It takes a little time and SEO effort on your part, but the investment is worth it.
Why Is Local SEO Important For Dentists?
Local SEO allows your dental practice to gain increased visibility in your area.
This is essential because after searching for local businesses on Google, 72% of consumers will visit a store within 5 miles of their home. That translates into more traffic for your dental website and physical location.
And with less competition for rankings due to geography, local SEO for dentists delivers results faster than standard SEO, making it the ideal SEO strategy for dental practices.
7 Local SEO Tips For Dentists
Research local dental keywords
Researching keywords for your dental practice may seem scary, but it can be as simple as typing the keywords into the Google search bar.
Google automatically returns suggestions for related searches, and these keywords can kick off your keyword research and content strategy.
Start by making a list:
1- Identify the keywords you're already ranking for in search results
2- Take inventory of your competitor keyword rankings
3- Include keywords used by target patients
4- Choose a target keyword and associated keywords that are most relevant to your dental practice.
5- And don't forget seasonal trends when researching keywords.
When researching keywords, try to determine the user intent by examining the ranking content. Are patients looking for information about dental sealants or are they looking to make an appointment?
Understanding the intent behind a patient search is far more important than the exact wording when it comes to keyword targeting and content generation. Google is pretty good at determining the intent behind searches, so take a look at content that is already ranking to decipher the intent behind a keyword or phrase.
After determining the intent of a keyword, start generating content for your patients that matches that intent.
Don't just focus on general terms like "dentist." With general or short-tail keywords, it's hard to know if searchers are looking for a definition, information about the dental profession, or a specific dental service.
General dental terms are also more competitive, so spice up your mix with long-tail keywords such as "best dentist in Tallahassee, FL". Long-tail keywords can help you identify the intent behind the search better than more general searches.
If you're targeting the expression "dental implant services," use a healthy mix of related phrases such as "dental implants" and conversational keywords such as "how much do dental implants cost?" in your piece of content to make it rank for several keywords.
Don't forget to include local keywords with the name of your city and nearby cities to boost local SEO!
Create A Google Business Profile Page
Creating a Google Business Profile (GBP) puts you on Google's radar as a local business. You'll appear on both Google Search and Google Maps after filling out your name, address, and phone number (NAP) in your Google business listing and verifying it.
Your listing will not be fully optimized until you fill in all the information. Include information such as:
- Name
- Address
- Telephone (a local number if possible)
- Hours of operation
- Category
- Website
- Description ( include your services and a unique selling point)
You want to show up relevant to your patients, and Google won't show you if you don't include all the information. Be sure to add your local keywords here as well.
With an optimized GMB profile, your listing has a better chance of ranking and appearing in the Google 3-pack for local SEO, which shows the top three businesses for a local search.
With enough positive reviews, you'll rank even higher, so encourage your customers to share their reviews.
Including your information in various online directories like Yelp will also increase your visibility and credibility in the eyes of Google and local consumers. Make sure your NAP is consistent throughout the HTML code accessible on your site and in these different directories, or your credibility will take a hit.
Optimize your dental website for UX
Google takes user experience (UX) seriously when ranking pages, so providing good UX is a must for any dental SEO strategy.
Start improving your UX by creating content pages that use relevant, frequently asked questions on Google. Answering patient questions on an FAQ page increases your usefulness and relevance to searchers.
Also, write content! Get into blogging and social media. This will make you an involved presence in your community and increase your visibility and credibility. Below are some other ways to optimize your website.
- Build separate service pages for each of your dental services.
- Include a location page and local content
- Create a unique URL, title tag, and meta description for each of your pages.
- Make your website mobile-friendly
- Target local keywords
- Avoid duplicate content
- Include attractive images, graphics, and videos on your pages
- Make your website easier to navigate
- Speed up the loading time of your pages
Optimize your dental website for local search
It's important to optimize your website for local search in order to rank higher on Google maps and search results. Here are some strategies for optimizing your dental website for local search:
- Make sure you have a physical address on your website homepage.
- Maintain an accurate location of your business in Google Maps so that it is accurately reflected in reviews, ratings, and map listings.
- Include dentistry-related keywords, such as dentist or dental office, in prominent areas of your site to promote different aspects of your offering (and use these appropriate keywords in meta descriptions).
- Make sure that both phone numbers on your contact page link back to where they belong - either by fixing broken links or by linking them properly from other pages on your site. But don't include more than one number, unless there is no answer to one of the numbers during business hours.
Yelp listing for your dental practice
Yelp is a famous online directory for local reviews. When you create a Yelp page for your dental practice, patients looking for dental services in your area can easily find information about you. A Yelp listing for your dental practice can help increase awareness of the services you offer. You'll need to provide the following information: general contact information such as an address, phone number, and email address; hours of operation; photos or videos; customer reviews (optional); and services your practice offers (related to dentistry).
Participate in reputable dental forums
Participate in reputable dental forums on the Internet designed to allow dentists to share information and ask questions about their profession. These online communities are a great way to network with other professionals in your field, as well as get up-to-date information that may not be covered by traditional media. In addition, you can also add your dental website URL to the bottom of your comments, which will help drive traffic to your site when forum members click on the link.
Track your dental SEO efforts
A crucial part of any local SEO strategy - don't stop SEO even after you have increased your rank to 1!
While local SEO is not as competitive as standard SEO, any SEO tactic can take time to show results. That's why monitoring the impact - rankings, traffic, conversions, etc. - of your local SEO strategy is crucial.
FAQs About Local SEO For Dentists
Do dentists need SEO?
To stay ahead of the curve, dental practices need referrals to build trust and loyalty with potential patients. Dental care is competitive and you need to let potential patients know that your practice is the best in the area.
What is Dental SEO Marketing?
SEO for dentists, or dental SEO, focuses on optimizing a dental practice website for search engines and users to increase the website visibility in search results on Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. Optimizations may include making the website mobile-friendly, faster, and more useful to potential patients.
