According to a survey by BrightLocal, 91% of people aged 18–34 trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This trend indicates that in 2024, the question “Can you recommend a good dentist?” is increasingly being replaced by “I’ll find a good dentist online.”
In fact, around 70,000 people Google “dentists near me” every month, according to Ahrefs data. Convincing even 10% of those people to book a visit to your dental clinic can keep your practice busy for months. The provided screenshot shows search data for dental-related keywords. The term ‘find a dentist’ has a search volume of 4.6K per month, ‘delta dental find a dentist’ has 3.9K searches, ‘find a dentist near me’ has 1.6K searches, ‘find a dentist by insurance’ has 1.5K searches, and ‘metlife find a dentist’ has 1.3K searches. This data highlights a significant demand for dental services across various search terms.
A Proven Dentist SEO Strategy
1. Conduct Local & Broad Keyword Research
When beginning your dentist SEO strategy, the primary advice is to focus on ranking for local and high-intent keywords. These keywords typically include either a service (e.g., dental implants, teeth whitening) or a location (e.g., near me, city name).
For instance, keywords like ‘Dentist + Atlanta’, ‘dental implants + Atlanta’, ‘Dental near me’, ‘emergency dentist + Atlanta’, and ‘dental care + Atlanta’ are great examples. If the search volume for these keywords is high and the keyword difficulty is low, you have a strong chance of ranking well in these SERPs with proper optimization.
The value of these keywords lies in the intent behind them—potential patients are searching with the goal of booking an appointment. Optimizing your website for these high-intent keywords can significantly increase your chances of attracting new patients and growing your dental practice.
2. Analyze Competitor Keywords and Variations
If there are no metrics for the proposed keywords, check competitor keywords or matching phrases to see what people are searching for in your area. Sometimes, even slight variations in keywords can show different metrics and potential opportunities.
For example, searches like ‘dentist Atlanta’ show a variety of local results in the traditional SERP, Google Ads, and the local pack. Ensuring your Google My Business profile is optimized can help you appear in the ‘Places’ section, while targeted content can help you rank in the traditional SERP.
3. Target Less Commercial Keywords for Blog Content
Once your local keyword strategy is in place, expand to less commercial keywords for creating informative blog posts. These posts should educate readers and subtly promote your services by sharing expertise and linking to your service pages. Ensure these keywords are relevant to your clinic and audience.
Examples of such keywords include:
- ‘Is teeth whitening safe?’
- ‘How many good dental clinics are there in Denver?’
These longer blog posts can help attract a broader audience, establish your authority in the field, and drive traffic to your site.
Example of Metrics for Dental Keywords
The provided screenshots show metrics for dental-related keywords. For instance, ‘find a dentist’ has a search volume of 4.6K and a keyword difficulty of 38, while ‘delta dental find a dentist’ has 3.9K searches and a keyword difficulty of 12. Other keywords like ‘how to find a good dentist’ have 900 searches with a keyword difficulty of 32.
For example, targeting these high-volume, manageable difficulty keywords in Denver allowed a dental clinic to rank for 32 local keywords in the top 10 positions, with six of these keywords ranking in the top position.
Appearing in Local and Traditional SERPs
Local keywords can help your dental clinic appear in three main places on Google:
- Google Ads Campaigns: Running targeted ads can place your clinic at the very top of the search results in the sponsored section.
- Google My Business Local Pack: An optimized Google My Business profile can help your clinic appear in the ‘Places’ section, also known as the local pack.
- Traditional SERPs: Targeting keywords with your service pages, listicles, or blog posts can help your clinic rank in the traditional search results.
Make sure everything is up to date so that patients can book an appointment via “Places.” Here is how to sign up for a Business Profile on Google:
- Go to Google My Business: Visit the Google My Business website and click on “Manage now.”
- Sign in to your Google Account: Use your existing Google account or create a new one.
- Enter Your Business Name: Add the name of your dental practice.
- Enter Your Business Address: Provide the precise location of your dental clinic.
- Choose Your Business Category: Select the category that best fits your services (e.g., dentist).
- Add Your Contact Information: Include your phone number and website URL.
- Finish and Verify: Complete the setup process and verify your business to make it live on Google.
By ensuring your Google Business Profile is complete and accurate, you enhance your visibility in local searches and make it easier for patients to find and choose your dental services.
Evaluating the Success of Your Dentist SEO Strategy
You’ve implemented several SEO best practices for your dental business, but what comes next? Without tracking the outcomes, all your hard work and investment might be wasted.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Monitor:
- Conversions
- Keyword Rankings
- Traffic
- Clicks
- Links Built
Conversions
In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you can set up events to track your conversions. An event can be anything from a click on a CTA (e.g., booking an appointment, filling out a form, or making a direct call from the website). Since the ultimate goal is to secure more appointments and paying customers, this is the most crucial metric to monitor.
GA4 also offers insights into your customer demographics and behavior, showing you what aspects of your website resonate with visitors. This data enables you to fine-tune your SEO strategy based on actual user interaction.
Keyword Rankings
Using keyword tracking tools like Ahrefs, you can monitor how many keywords your website ranks for. The more keywords you rank for, the more search engine result pages (SERPs) you will appear on, leading to increased visibility and potential traffic. It’s also essential to keep an eye on your ranking positions, as being closer to the top spot significantly boosts traffic and potential leads.
Traffic & Clicks
Google Search Console allows you to view the total number of impressions, which indicates how often your webpage appears in search results. The more keywords you rank for and the higher their positions, the more impressions you will garner.
Clicks represent the number of users who visit your webpage after seeing it in the SERP. Tracking clicks is vital for understanding conversions, as each click is a potential lead. Ensuring your webpage matches the search intent and has an enticing title can increase clicks.
Links Built
Tracking the number of backlinks acquired over time is essential. Backlinks increase your site’s authority in Google’s eyes. However, it’s not just about quantity—quality matters too. Regularly filter out and remove spam links while focusing on building organic, high-quality backlinks.
Why Hire a Specialized SEO Agency for Dentists?
While the outlined SEO strategy is proven to work for dental clinics, Google’s ever-evolving algorithms and intense competition require ongoing adjustments to stay ahead. Partnering with a specialized SEO agency, such as Lengreo, allows you to focus on managing appointments while experts handle all aspects of online marketing.
Lengreo has the expertise and tools necessary to deliver consistent results and adapt strategies based on current trends and algorithm changes. With regular monitoring and reports, you’ll know exactly how your investment is being utilized to enhance your online presence and ROI.
Choosing the Right SEO Company
Here are some of the dental SEO services provided by Lengreo to improve your search rankings and online visibility:
- Link Placement: Securing links on reputable medical and dental websites.
- SEO-Optimized Content: Creating content that helps your website rank for more keywords on Google.
- Page Optimization: Ensuring existing pages comply with Google’s best practices and guidelines.
- Keyword Research and Page Creation: Developing new pages and conducting keyword research to attract maximum organic traffic.
Conclusion
This article has shared practical tips and best practices for SEO in the dental industry. By implementing these steps, you can attract more patients online and stand out in a highly competitive market.
While you could handle SEO independently using the tools and steps provided, partnering with an experienced dental SEO expert can save you time and increase the effectiveness of your strategy. Lengreo works with over 100 businesses—book a call to speak with one of our experts and elevate your dental practice’s online presence.
