SEO for Dentists : 11 Tips to Increase More Leads

When a user searches for a keyword like “dentists near me” or “dental clinic near me” on a search engine like Google, the engine scans the web to find the most relevant results. Ranking your website at the top of these search results is an indication of good SEO.

To stand out in the local search for your dental practice, you need a tailored local SEO strategy. This approach will give search engines like Google more compelling reasons to prioritize displaying your business website over your competitors.

What is SEO for dentists?

SEO for dentists involves optimizing your dental practice’s online presence to achieve higher rankings in search engine results. The goal is to organically secure the top position on a search engine results page (SERP), without paying for advertisements.

“Did you know? When searching for a new dentist online, 77% of people will never get past the first page of a Google search. And in 2023, people are relying on organic results even more than ever before, with 39.9% of people clicking on the top result compared to 39.5% in 2022.”

What are the SEO tips for dentists?

Here are some tips for creating a successful local SEO strategy:

1. Simple Website Layout

Top-notch SEO tips place significant emphasis on enhancing website user experience. Recently, Google introduced an algorithm update that prioritizes content, layout, and design catering to the user (your patients).

For dentists, adhering to user experience SEO best practices involves:

• Ensuring fast page load times
• Implementing a mobile-friendly design
• Using clear headings and subheadings on pages
• Creating compelling and helpful content
• Facilitating easy site navigation

By employing these strategies and tips, potential patients can easily find what they need on your website, resulting in a positive user experience. Google rewards websites that offer such gratifying experiences, making user experience a crucial factor in SEO rankings.

The design of your user-friendly website will be pivotal in determining whether potential patients have a satisfying experience. As discussed earlier, user experience is a ranking factor for SEO.

2. Focus on local SEO

Local SEO optimizes a brand’s online presence for location-specific services and products.

Whenever a search includes “near me,” it becomes a location-specific search.

Conversely, local SEO for dentists enables you to enhance your dentistry practice’s online visibility in the local market, making you the top choice for potential patients.

With local SEO, your competition is primarily limited to other local dental practices in the surrounding area rather than the entire Internet.

As a dentist, having an optimized website persuades Google to provide your practice with more virtual presence, making it easier for new patients to discover you. This virtual presence can be a prominent business listing on Google, a blog article from your site appearing in search results, or being featured in special SERP features.

Benefits of Local SEO:

• Targeted reach: Connect with local patients actively searching for dental services. 
• Increase visibility: Appear prominently in local search results & maps.
• Trust & reputation: Earn credibility & positive reviews from satisfied local patients. 
• Mobile accessibility: Be easily accessible to on-the-go users seeking dental care. 
• Cost-effectiveness: Optimize marketing budget with focused local strategies. 
• Competitive edge: Outperform neighboring dental practices in your area.

3. Optimize your website with keywords used by your patients

One aspect of SEO involves integrating relevant, high-intent keywords into your website, which potential patients use when searching for a new practice on search engines like Google. These keywords provide valuable insights into the interests of your prospective patients and can help increase the traffic to your website.

To begin conducting your keyword research, you can explore a few starting points:

Google Autocomplete: Google Autocomplete is a feature within Google Search that predicts and completes search queries as you type. Using this, you can discover new keyword variations and better understand what users are searching for.

Google Search Console: Google Search Console (GSC) tracks your website’s search traffic and performance. It provides valuable information about how often your site appears for specific keywords, your keyword rankings, and the click-through rates.

Google Trends: Google Trends is a helpful tool for researching the popularity of search terms and topics over time. By using this tool, you can gain insights into the keywords your patients frequently search for, narrow down your focus, and understand search volume trends.

Google Keyword Planner: Google Keyword Planner is a powerful tool for conducting keyword research. It provides valuable insights into search volumes, competition, and keyword suggestions relevant to your dental practice. Using this tool, you can discover high-intent keywords that prospective patients use to find dental services. 

“If your goal is to delve deeper into keyword research and improve your practice’s ranking on the first page of search results, consider scheduling a consultation with our expert to learn more.”

4. Create informative content

Your website content can set you apart from neighboring practices, especially if it addresses questions or phrases your patients commonly search for on Google. It can influence website traffic, increase your search engine rankings, and establish trust with your patients.

Content comes in various forms, such as blog posts, guides, FAQs, newsletters, videos, social media posts, etc. Although the list may seem overwhelming, tackling everything at once is unnecessary. The key is to start small and go slowly.

To get started, follow these three steps:

• Consider the type of information you want to share. This can be about your services, what patients expect during the appointment, or general oral health information for everyone.

• Once you have identified the topics, decide on the format. Start with 1-2 items, such as a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section on your website and blog posts.

• Set a realistic publishing schedule that works for you. Whether it’s a monthly newsletter or a long-form blog every other month, remember that quality and consistency are more important than quantity.

5. Update your Google Business Profile

When was the most recent update made to your Google Business Profile? Having an up-to-date Google Business Profile is a highly effective method to attract more attention to your practice when potential patients conduct searches.

Keeping a profile active after claiming and verifying my business profile on Google includes:

• Complete your profile with accurate information.
• Add high-quality photos of your dental practice.
• Encourage positive reviews from satisfied patients.
• Utilize Google Posts to share updates and promotions.
• Optimize for local SEO with relevant keywords.
• Monitor and respond to messages promptly.
• Engage with potential patients through Google Q&A.
• Use Google My Business Insights to track performance.
• Ensure compliance and accuracy in all details.

These practices ensure that your profile remains active and demonstrates your commitment to providing patients with the necessary information to choose you as their healthcare provider.

6. Optimize your website for a smooth user experience – speed, accessibility, and navigation

A fast-loading, easy-to-navigate, and web-accessible site will attract more patients to your site because you’re making it inclusive for everyone by removing barriers.

Here are some thoughts when evaluating your current website state:

• Is your information organized logically?
• Is it easy for visitors to find the information they’re seeking?
• Does it meet the ADA compliance requirements and web content accessibility guidelines?
• Does your site have headings and subheadings optimized for the Google algorithm?
• Does your site have a sitemap?
• Is it mobile-friendly?
• How fast does your site load?
• Does your site have backlinks?

All these factors can impact your rankings in the search engines. Ensure you or the third party you work with regularly check your website to ensure everything is working correctly.

7. Get more reviews from satisfied patients

Demonstrating the trustworthiness of Google is critical to any dentist’s SEO strategy. A significantly underutilized approach to building this trust is through patient reviews, particularly on Google (the most influential platform!), Facebook, Yelp, or other relevant platforms.

It is essential to have a well-thought-out strategy for requesting patient reviews and diligently following up on those requests. Also, prominently displaying these positive reviews on your website can substantially improve your SEO credibility.

8. Solid internal linking for the website

Establishing a strong search engine ranking for specific keywords related to your dental practice website and Google Business Profile (GBP) account is crucial to signal Google about your targeted keywords. 

One of the most influential signals is through internal website links, which connect different pages within your site. By creating a well-structured internal linking system, you communicate to Google the importance of certain keywords. 

For instance, if you aim to rank for “dental implants,” ensure a dedicated dental implant service page with numerous internal links throughout your website.

12 Internal Linking Best Tips:

• Add internal links wherever it will help your readers.
• Links between pages in the body of the article.
• Link back to old and old to new.
• Link from high authority pages to pages that rank almost as high.
• Link from high-traffic pages to pages with high conversion rates.
• Use descriptive (and keyword-focused) anchor text in the link text.
• Can’t figure out how to use keywords in your anchor text? Add “Related Links”
• Make sure there is a call to action on every sales page.
• Find and fix broken internal links.
• Dofollow links are used on internal links to keep the links flowing.
• Lower the bounce rate.
• Links at the top of the content are valuable.

9. Strong link-building strategy 

A strong link-building strategy encompasses both outbound and inbound external links. Outbound links refer to connections pointing to other websites, while inbound links point to your own website.

When establishing outbound links, it is beneficial to engage with industry-specific sites and local businesses. Linking to authoritative sources like the American Dental Association, state dental board websites, or dental manufacturers’ sites signals relevance within the dental industry to Google.

Some Link-Building Tips That Give Your Website Visibility Great:

• Analyze competitors’ quotes and links to identify opportunities that you can reverse engineer and create for yourself
• Create niche-specific skyscraper content and promote it
• Guest posts on established (and locally relevant) sites
• Partner with other local businesses that appreciate your services.
• Use HARO to build relationships with journalists who cover your local area
• Join the local Chamber of Commerce and any relevant local committees
• Participating and sponsoring an event
• Use classifieds to promote your location-specific services

10. Social media marketing

The impact of social media on our lives is undeniable, as people are more connected than ever, spending an average of four hours on their devices each day. This presents a fantastic digital marketing strategy for dentists to use social media marketing to reach potential new patients. 

Here are some trusted tips on how dental practices can leverage platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with potential clients.

• Share oral health tips & updates
• Use images & videos to engage followers
• Regular schedule builds trust
• Optimize with keywords & location tags
• Showcase happy reviews
• Fun engagement tactics
• Showcase procedures & stories
• Partner with local influencers

11. Create Google Search Console and Google Analytics for tracking results

To enhance your dental practice’s online presence, creating and setting up Google Search Console and Google Analytics is essential. These powerful tools allow you to track and monitor the performance of your website, gaining valuable insights into how users find and interact with your online content. 

Google Search Console provides valuable data on search impressions, click-through rates, and keyword rankings, enabling you to optimize your website’s visibility on search engines. On the other hand, Google Analytics offers in-depth metrics on user behavior, traffic sources, and website performance, helping you make data-driven decisions to improve your overall SEO strategy. 

By leveraging these tools, dentists can gain a competitive edge and ensure their online efforts are on the path to success.

SEO for dentists: Why does it matter?

SEO for dentists is crucial to enhance their online presence, attract potential patients, and grow their practice. By optimizing their website and content, dentists can enjoy several benefits to their long-term success.

Local SEO benefits

For dentists with physical locations, local SEO techniques help them appear in local search results, driving nearby patients to their clinics.

Increased online visibility

With effective SEO, dentists can rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential patients to find them. Improved visibility means more traffic to their website.

Targeted traffic

SEO allows dentists to target specific keywords and phrases that potential patients search for, ensuring the right audience finds their services.

Credibility and trust

High search rankings establish trust among users. Being on the first page of search results makes dentists appear credible and authoritative in their field.

Better user experience

SEO encourages dentists to create user-friendly websites, providing a positive experience for visitors, leading to increased engagement and conversions.

Cost-effectiveness

Compared to traditional advertising, SEO is cost-effective and delivers long-term results, generating a higher return on investment for dentists.

FAQ’s