As a dental practice, you serve the people in your area, which is why local search engine optimization (SEO) is so important for dentists. With local SEO for dentists, you can improve your visibility in localized search results, like “dentist near me,” and reach the people you want to serve.
Learn more about local dental SEO, including how to get started, below:
What is local SEO for dentists?
Local SEO for dentists is the process of improving a dental practice’s online visibility in local search results, which contain countries, cities, states, or the phrase “near me,” to help the practice reach more potential patients in their area.
What is the difference between dental SEO and local dental SEO?
The difference between dental SEO and local dental SEO is the types of keywords targeted.
Local SEO focuses on keywords with a local intent, like visiting a nearby restaurant, finding a healthcare practitioner in the area, or planning places to visit on an upcoming trip. In comparison, dental SEO focuses on non-localized keywords, like “how often should you brush your teeth.”
Why is local SEO for dentists important?
Local SEO for dentists is important for a few reasons, including the following:
- Reach: With local search engine optimization, your practice can reach more people in your area. As more users turn to the web to research where to visit, eat, or go, it’s become vital for healthcare providers to have a local search presence. In fact, it’s estimated that 30% of all Google mobile searches are location-related.
- Relevancy: Search engines aim to deliver the most relevant results, including when people are looking for a dentist. You can reach these users at the right time with local SEO for your dental practice.
- Growth: With so many people relying on the web to research their healthcare options, the internet has become a growth gateway for private practices. You can attract more patients by having a presence in local search results related to your practice’s offerings.
While many dentists rely on word-of-mouth to grow their practices, it’s becoming impractical for dental providers to make this their sole strategy. Investing in local dental SEO can help people looking for practices like yours find you and become a patient.
6 strategies for dental local search marketing
Are you ready to get started with dental local search marketing? Here are our six favorite strategies:
1. Claim your Google Business Profile
First, claim your Google Business Profile — check out our walkthrough on how to create a Google Business Profile for getting started.
Your Google Business Profile is critical to local search engine optimization for Google. This profile can appear at the top of localized search results, like “dentist near me,” in a carousel called the local SEO 3-pack.
It also provides vital information to searchers, like:
- Your address
- Your name
- Your hours
- Your phone number
- Your reviews
- And more
P.S. Google Business Profile is free, which makes it a fantastic local SEO tool for dentists.
2. Leverage your Google Posts
Once you’ve claimed and set up your Google Business Profile, start creating Google Posts.
Google Posts appear on your Google Business Profile like a newsfeed so that users can view updates like:
- Promotions
- Practice-specific news, like welcoming a new dentist to your practice
- Upcoming closures, like for a holiday
- Industry-specific information, like an upcoming teeth-whitening technology
With Google Posts, you demonstrate your practice is active on Google Business Profile. Plus, you show off your brand too, which can help searchers determine if your dental practice is a good fit for their needs.
3. Grow your local listings
Besides Google Business Profile, there are other local listings you’ll want to claim and set up, like:
- Bing Places
- Yelp
- Healthgrades
- Angi
- Apple Business Connect
In some cases, you can set up these listings by syncing your Google Business Profile.
Dental practices can also invest in local listing management tools, like Moz, to streamline listing management. This kind of software is helpful if your practice operates several brick-and-mortar locations.
4. Sync your NAP information
Your name, address, and phone number are critical to local search engine optimization for dentists. That’s why you’ll want to sync your NAP information across your local listings and website. If you have differences, you confuse searches and search engines.
5. Manage your online reviews
With your local listings set up, you can start managing your online reviews, which focus on:
- Attracting reviews: You can generate reviews for your practice by asking patients to share their reviews online. It’s important to mention local listings like Google do not endorse incentivizing reviews because they result in biased reviews.
- Responding to reviews: You’ll also need to respond to your reviews. While good reviews are often easy to answer, you might have trouble responding to negative ones. Our advice? Acknowledge the reviewer’s issue and work to resolve it privately.
For ongoing review management, set aside some time each week to check your reviews.
6. Update your site with localized content
Another dental local search marketing strategy we see success with is localized content.
Localized content is content you create on your website that targets local search terms, like:
- “dentist in los angeles”
- “pediatric dentist in seattle”
With this strategy, you can help your business rank twice in localized search results through your Google Business Profile and localized content. This repeated exposure can keep your practice top-of-mind for searchers and make a compelling case for choosing your team.
Optimize your dental practice’s local SEO with SEO experts
Dental local search marketing doesn’t have to be hard. With a team of SEO experts, your practice can optimize, manage, and grow your local SEO strategy without investing your limited time. Learn how our award-winning team can help your local dental SEO by contacting us today!
