Social media marketing can put the right spotlight on your dental practice effectively and Dental SEO has a huge role to play in that. It is not enough to just have a dental website detailing your practice. You also need to ensure that it ranks high in the result pages of search engines consistently.
So what is Dental SEO you may ask? It is the process of making your dental office appear higher in the search engine results and it involves getting the top spot on the search engine result page without paying for an ad.
A good example is: If a potential patient googles “Dentist near me’ or “Dentist in New York City” then a successful SEO strategy will make sure that it is your dental office that appears in the top results. So, if you want to be found online by patients then you need an SEO dental marketing strategy.
In this article, we discuss everything about dental SEO and marketing. If you are not still convinced of the power of SEO then let’s discuss its impact on your dental practice in the next section.
Why is Dental SEO and marketing important for Dentists?
The most common argument for an SEO strategy is that it is an effective way to draw new patients to your practice. But there is more to it than just this. SEO is the backbone of modern online marketing strategies and in 2022 dentists cannot market their practice effectively without good SEO.
So, without further ado let’s discuss the importance
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SEO builds trust and credibility with patients
It is a well known fact that people believe the dentists that appear in top positions are better and apparently Google thinks so too. It is a cycle – the higher your rank in searches the more potential patients will click your website. And when more people click your website Google trusts you as a trustworthy source and will continue to push you to the top of the results page.
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Search Engine Optimization drives more traffic to your website.
It is no secret that SEO strategies are organic in nature. 53% of traffic to all websites comes from organic (no paid) search according to the latest research. This is very significant because:
- The more traffic to your dental website the more opportunities you get to convince someone to book an appointment with your dental office
- SEO is an inbound marketing tactic as it makes it easy for potential patients to find you when they need you. This results in higher quality leads and better conversion rates.
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SEO Strategies emphasize on Website user experience
Good SEO strategies emphasize website user experience a lot and their best practices include things like
- Mobile Friendly design
- Compelling, original content
- Fast Page load time
- Easy site navigation
- Headings and subheadings on pages
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Other Dental practices are using SEO
SEO might be new to you, but we guarantee it is not new to other dental offices in your city. The internet is a global phenomenon making it a crowded and competitive place. With an SEO strategy of your own, you can keep your competitors in check, or even rise to the top and stand out as the best dental practice to potential patients.
Now that you know the importance of SEO and the wonders it can do for your dental practice, in the next section, we have discussed how to harness it.
How to harness the power of Dental SEO?
Dental SEO is a vast topic and any effective SEO strategy stems from the website. So, let’s first focus on your website.
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Build and design a beautiful website
Build your website on WordPress. They are flexible, scalable and they perform well on both desktop and mobile devices. Make sure search engines not only find your site but they are also able to read it. That means no flash, Silverlight, or other outdated media heavy tactics.
The design of your website is a game changer. Focus on creating websites that make a great first impression quickly. Make sure your dental website is also mobile friendly and your age loads fast. Make the site navigation simple and straightforward.
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Develop keyword optimized content
Your content should be original, unique, and compelling with optimized keywords. This means that your content should contain keywords that ensure a higher ranking on the search results page. Make sure you include such keywords in the headings, meta info, and copy of the content.
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Create a brand that reflects your core business values
When designing your dental website make sure you include your dental office’s logo, use the same themed colors, and ensure the typography used on your website is the same as the one in your dental practice. This is very essential in building your brand.
A good brand will engage your patients and help your SEO efforts at the same time, enabling you to build trust with potential new patients visiting your website.
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Add your dental office on Google Maps
It is very essential to add your practice on Google Maps and ensure that it is optimized to rank as high as possible. You can do this by adding as much information as possible regarding your dental practice. List your dental office’s local phone number. Add photos of your practice to give it a human touch.
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List your dental practice on citation sites and directories
You can list your dental office in local directories and citation sites. A local citation is a mention of your practice on the web and it must include your name, address, and phone number.
These are some of the practices you can follow to make SEO strategies work for your dental practice.
The Final Take away
SEO is a great way to get organic traffic to your dental practice. And while it may be easy to understand as a concept many dentists find it difficult to implement. Optimizing your online presence takes a comprehensive, detail oriented approach that requires a lot of time and effort. If you are finding it difficult to implement a successful SEO strategy then don’t worry.
Just give us, Helenzys Dent a call and our team of Dental SEO experts will use their many years of experience to keep your dental practice ahead of the competition.