Promoting your dental practice, especially as a newcomer, is anything but easy. Depending on where you live, you may be competing against dozens or hundreds of other dental practices with a loyal clientele. That’s where search engine optimization, or SEO, can help.
Nearly half of all Google searches are local. Furthermore, the world’s most popular search engine processes around 40,000 search queries per second. By optimizing your website for Google, you’ll get more traffic and exposure.
SEO is an integral part of marketing for dentists — and any other professional. Getting started is the hardest part.
So, should you first add more content to your site or set up a Facebook page? Perhaps you should start with keyword research? Read on to find out.
SEO Starts with Keyword Research
What’s the first thing you do when searching for a business or product online? You head over to Google and type a few words related to the company or services you’re interested in.
These search terms are called keywords and play a crucial role in any SEO campaign.
Use a free keyword research tool like Google Analytics or a paid tool, such as Ahrefs, SEMRush, or Majestic to find relevant keywords in your niche. Google Analytics is just as good as most premium tools. The latter services, though, offer more features.
Think about search terms your audience could be using.
For example, if your dental office is located in Miami, Florida, you may use something like “Miami dental center,” “best Miami dentists,” “cosmetic dentist Miami,” and so on. Try to find keywords that are related to your services and target audience, such as “pediatric dentist in (city name or neighborhood)”.
Create Local Search Listings
Next, create and maintain listings for your dental practice in Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other local directories.
Most platforms require users to submit a brief description of their business along with their website URLs, business name, category, logo, and contact information. Include your targeted keywords in the listing — just make sure it sounds natural.
Your business listing should be consistent across all platforms. Remember to update it whenever you change your location or contact details.
Optimize Your Website
Entire books have been written about website optimization, so it’s not easy to summarize it in a few words. This process includes everything from metadata optimization to link building and content writing.
Your website pages, titles, links, and content should revolve around your target keywords.
Pay special attention your home page, services page, contact page, and other primary pages on your dental site or blog. Create quality content that highlights your services and gives you a competitive advantage.
If you’re a pediatric dentist, for example, emphasize the fact that your practice is child-friendly and uses non-invasive treatments. Highlight your selling proposition and show prospects what they should choose you over other dental practices.
Include your keywords in page titles, URLs, copy, metadata, and social media posts.
Local Marketing for Dentists Drives Business Growth
As you see, there’s a lot that goes into local SEO marketing for dentists. This process is ongoing and can take months to generate results. You can’t just set up a website, post your contact info, and promote your services on social media.
When it comes to SEO, consistency is the key. Don’t hesitate to hire a local marketing expert if you need one. In this digital era, SEO can make or break a business.
For more tips, check out our business section. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about digital technology, SEO, and much more.
