What is SEO for Dentists?
Dental search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of helping your dental practice rank higher in search engine results. For example, someone could be looking to get a cavity filled, so they use a search engine like Google and type in "dentist near me". Your goal is to be one of the top results that pops up when they press enter.
An effective Dental SEO strategy helps your website rank higher, drives more traffic to your website, and allows your business to be found online easily by potential patients. Dental SEO is a must for any dentists looking to get ahead, and this guide will outline steps you can take to improve your business as well as some extra tips. By first, let's talk a bit about the importance of SEO for dentists.
Why is Dental SEO Necessary?
1. You build trust and credibility with patients
People believe that the best dentists are those who appear in the top search results. This is why ranking high is so important. The higher your ranking, the more potential patients will trust you and view your website. Google will also trust you more as a credible source as your number of clicks increases. As a result, you get pushed closer to the top and the cycle repeats itself.
2. SEO brings more traffic to your site
SEO is an inbound marketing tactic, meaning that it makes it easy for patients to find you when they need you rather than you having to reach out to them. The more visitors to your website, the more chances you have to persuade someone to schedule an appointment. The result is better conversion rates.
3. A better website user experience
Websites that produce a good user experience include things like:
- Mobile-friendly design
- Compelling content
- Easy site navigation
All these strategies will improve your SEO ranking because they make is easier for patients to find what they are looking for on your website.
4. SEO gives you a better fight against the competition
The internet is a super competitive place. Creating a Dental SEO strategy for your company will surely allow you to keep up with other dentist offices, especially others in your city. Better yet, you'll be able to stand out more amongst your competitors.
How Long Does Dental SEO Take?
Usually, dental search engine optimization only takes at least 6 months to start delivering results. Regardless of how long it takes, your practice should start to see increased traffic, phone calls, and more scheduled appointments. Dental SEO is a long-term strategy, so it is common for everything to take a few months.
What is the Cost of SEO for Dentists?
Prices for developing dental website SEO depend on a number of factors, but the average cost is$1500 to $5000 per month. If you choose to work with a consultant or dental SEO expert, the average rate is $100 to $300 per hour.
Optimizing Your Dental Website for SEO
Make sure to use the following practices in your Dental SEO strategy.
Create a brand that reflects your businesses core values
A strong brand tells people what makes your practice different from others. It also communicates the experience patients will have at your office as well as the services they'll get there. A company's brand includes the logo, your company colors, and whatever typography you may use. It's pretty much the personality of your company and how customers will view you. A good brand is engaging and trustworthy, increasing your number of patients.
Design your website thoughtfully
As previously mentioned, user experience is an important ranking factor for SEO. Therefore, one should pay close attention to the design of their dental website. The goal is to make a good first impression that keeps views wanting to come back. Make sure to find someone that can create a professional and modern website catered to your needs. Another major factor to take into account in regards to website design and development is accessibility.
Develop compelling, keyword-optimized content
Good content will always educate viewers as well as encourage them to take whatever action you desire. Try not to copy-and-paste. Writing your own content makes you look more original and shows the unique voice of your company. Your content should also be compelling enough to grab and keep the viewers’ attention. Your website shouldn't be all about you but rather your patients. You can achieve this by answering questions and showing reviews.
Choosing the right keyword for your website is vital in optimizing for Dental SEO. Conduct thorough research before selecting keywords. Consider these things when looking for keywords:
- Search Volume: It is important to know just how many people are looking for a certain term. The more prospects searching for a term, the bigger the audience you'll have to target. On the other hand, if no one is searching for a keyword, there is no potential audience available to discover your material.
- Relevance: Staying relevant ensures that you are not appearing in searches unrelated to your company.Your keywords should describe all the services you offer. For example, using words like "root canal" may be more helpful that just using words like "dentist" everywhere. Be sure to also list your location throughout the website.
Once you have created your keyword list, make sure those words are included in headings, meta info, and copy.
Include an article or two
Frequent posting articles on dental websites increases the likelihood of being listed on Google's first page for a relevant search phrase. A good article shows patients that you are trustworthy and a credible source of information. Remember, articles that are more in-depth will produce better results. Use original content, provide credible information, and keep the focus on potential patients. A tip would be to add engaging content like YouTube videos as another way to convey information.
Display reviews from current patients
Google's algorithm uses reviews to rank sites, so it's smart to include some within your own website. Reviews are also social proof to viewers that current patients are happy with your work. When people are stuck on whether they should use a particular service, they often read reviews to help them make a decision. Patients highly trust reviews, so make sure to list a few testimonials and include a review request in your website.
Always include useful content
When your potential patients arrive on your dental website's homepage or other web pages, they want to either book an appointment, learn more about the services you offer, or even read a few of your articles. No matter what you have on your website, just make sure it is actually useful to the patient and answers any possible questions.
Try link building
It's critical to have links on your website in order to increase credibility and prove that your site is worth recommending to users. The more links you build from other high-authority sites, the more search engines will trust the quality of your site. Publishing and sharing high-quality content will naturally attract links that tell search engines your content’s trusted and therefore seen as valuable to customers. Keep in mind that the quality of the link is more important that the quantity. As you write your content, make sure you use interlinks. Also, your backlinks should be attached to other sites that offer accurate information, unless your own website may be viewed as untrustworthy.
- Interlinking is the process of linking parts of a website's content to other articles on your site, and it's an important element in Google SEO. For each article, there must be at least one link traveling either to another article or a separate page.
- Backlinks are the links on other sites that lead back to your own website. SEMrush has a great guide to Link Building to check out.
Don’t forget to take a look at competitor sites
A way to make sure you are better than your competitors is by watching what they do. Pay attention to the content that they publish and the keywords they use. If what they are doing is working, create yourown version of it and use it yourself. If you need to find a competitor site, you can simply google a keyword related to dentistry.
Utilize Google My Business
Setting up a Google Business Profile will surely help you rank higher in search results. Google My Business displays local businesses on Google Maps, which makes it much easier for prospective patients to find you. The key with a Google Business Profile is to have as much positive and consistent engagement as possible. Not only from you and your staff as managers of the account but also from past, current and future patients. Reach out to as many past and current clients to leave reviews as possible.
Remember to Stay Consistent
SEO is definitely the long game, especially in a difficult niche like dentistry work. Success will most likely not come from doing everything we just covered for a couple of months. It typically takes 6 - 8 months doing dedicated SEO to see significant changes. It's all about volume and consistency, good luck.
