In the era of digitalization, we understand how important smartphones are and how much we rely on them even for simple queries. The ubiquity of search engines and web practices affects us both as individuals and professionals, and dental practices are not exempt from this.
Until yesterday, dentists were considered a local service, and patients chose them solely based on proximity. However, this is no longer the case. The “proximity” factor now offers significant opportunities in the online world through Local SEO for dental offices.
Firstly, let’s define SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as all the activities that enable a website, page, image, or other internet resource to be easily found through search engines.
In practice, anything published on the web becomes invisible if it is not “caught” by search engines to be brought to the attention of users.
What is the connection between SEO for dental offices, the web world, and local activities?
Local activities are those businesses that have a physical location and are frequented by their customers. Similarly, a dental practice is a physical location visited by patients for appointments, dental treatments, etc.
Just as people search for products and services on the web, they also search for physical locations using search engines on computers and smartphones.
Therefore, the web and search engines are consulted not only to search for generic services available for online purchase but also to find information about a physical establishment like a dental practice.
Local SEO is a set of activities that allow your dental practice to appear among the top results for these types of local searches.
Dental SEO marketing: How do local searches work?
As you may have experienced before, when typing a term on Google that identifies a local activity, the search engine suggests auto-completion with the query “near me.” This means that the algorithms can recognize this type of search through geolocation systems and understand the area we are connecting from (Rome, Milan, Turin, etc.), regardless of whether the user explicitly states it.
Such searches generate results, including Google Maps with a list of highlighted businesses. This is the Local Pack (or local 3 pack, as usually only the first 3 results are shown on the map).
From here, the user can view various information and perform a range of activities:
- Identify the precise address.
- Evaluate the route and time required to reach the dental practice
- Make a phone call
- View opening hours and holidays
- See the types of treatments offered
The user can even use a filter and make selections based on ratings (number of stars from 0 to 5) or opening hours (open now or on specific days).
It’s also essential to consider many other factors: the results are increasingly personalised, i.e., ordered based on our preferences, previous searches, places visited, etc.
In such a complex scenario, it is essential to be aware of the tools that dentists have at their disposal to position their dental practice through local SEO strategies. The two main tools are:
- Google My Business listing (Business Profile)
- The website
Local SEO for dental offices with Google My Business listing
A local SEO strategy for a dental practice begins with creating a “Google Business Profile” (formerly known as Google My Business).
The goal is to improve your rankings among dentists appearing on Google Maps and in local search results. Achieving top positions results in greater visibility, a stronger sense of authority, and consequently, more opportunities for natural clicks to your website, incoming calls, message contacts, and appointment bookings (in fact, for many activities, the GMB profile allows displaying a “book an appointment” button).
How to achieve top positions in local searches with SEO for dental offices?
Every time we perform a search on Google or Google Maps, we receive a list of results organised by relevance. The page that displays the results is called SERP: Search Engine Results Page, and in the case of local searches, it organises these results based on certain factors.
Relevance
Relevance indicates the level of match between a local business profile and a user’s search.
So, in the case of searches for terms like “dentist,” “dental practice,” “dental surgeon,” or “dental implants,” only relevant results of dental practices will be shown, and not other types of businesses.
Distance
Another positioning factor is proximity to the location from which the search is performed (or the location explicitly specified). For example:
- If I’m in Rome and search for “dentist” without specifying the location, the search engine will return all the places closest to where I am, based on the data it has about the user’s location. So, I will get different results if I perform the search while in the Eur area compared to the Monteverde area.
- Similarly, if I’m in Rome and search for “dentist in Milan,” the search engine will not show results close to me but rather close to the area I specified: Milan.
Prominence
Beyond these first two factors, there are many other factors according to which Google algorithms will organise the results. Based on these factors, your dental practice may be ranked among the top results or on the second or third page. In general, this is called “prominence.”
Prominence refers to the level of recognition of a business. Some places are more well-known in the real world, and search results try to reflect this in the positioning of local search results.
In more detail, prominence is determined by a series of factors:
- Presence of links, articles, and directories
- Number and rating of reviews
- Number of people who actually visit the location (indicating real recognition of the place)
SEO for dentists: Optimising the GMB listing
The fundamental steps to achieve a good position in local searches and appear among the top results in SERP are:
- Claim your business on Google (link to the Google guide).
- Verify your ownership through one of the systems indicated by Google (link to the guide).
- Optimise your business profile. This point is a bit more complex as it requires you to have already identified a series of keywords and selected the most relevant ones based on search volume and intent. At this point, you must pay great attention to filling in all the fields and required information, particularly:
- Verify the relevance of NAP (Name Address Phone): your name must be the same as it appears on your website, social profiles, other directories, and mentions on other websites. The same applies to the address: make sure there are no errors and that it is always up to date. Verify the correct positioning of the Google Maps pointer at the exact location on the map where your dental practice is located. The same goes for the phone number.
- Fill in general information: choose the right business categories and create a list of services. In each of these descriptions, use keywords naturally, without force.
- Include additional information: opening hours, closing days, holidays, parking availability, additional services, etc. These aspects, though they may seem insignificant, can make a difference in the case of searches like “dentist open now” or for future search features.
- Add representative and original images. Images can also be uploaded by users, so you can’t have full control over them. Therefore, it’s better to have more images uploaded by you. Additionally, patients who are researching would want to have an idea of the practice, so provide as much material as possible.
- Get reviews. Your GMB profile allows you to interact and explicitly request reviews: do it. Don’t fear negative reviews; although they might be from competitors or dissatisfied customers, you have the opportunity to manage them effectively with a good internal policy. Furthermore, remember: it’s better to have 100 reviews with 10 negatives than 10 reviews all positive. Moreover, the presence of negative reviews appears more natural to users, while profiles that have only 5-star reviews may raise suspicions about the authenticity of the feedback.
- Engage: show that your GMB profile is not static. Respond to comments, reply to reviews.
- Publish updates with posts and images.
Local SEO strategy for dentists
Needless to say, a local SEO strategy must also consider other tools. We have already mentioned:
- The website: use keywords in the right places and to the appropriate extent, connect structured data with GMB data, include a map, acquire links (network and list your dental practice in the main local directories).
- Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and social media platforms are also search engines in themselves: create your pages, interact, and make sure to include the NAP of your dental practice correctly. Reviews are also critical here.
SEO for dental offices: conclusion
As you can understand, setting up and following a SEO positioning strategy for local searches for dental practices is an activity that requires skills, time, and perseverance. We want to dispel the myth that everything on the web is free and easy: results are the outcome of hard work, dedication, and strategy.
Your potential patients go through their personal buying journey before choosing a dental practice: the customer experience of a dental patient. During this process, they conduct numerous searches across different platforms, and each of these searches is a unique opportunity for your dental practice to interact with them and maintain a positive image. Taking care of your reputation both in the physical world and on the web allows dentists to create a brand that is consistent in both realms, and this is one of the determining factors when people choose a dental practice. Potential customers need all the necessary information and social proof to make the best choice that meets their expectations.
Do you want to stand out from the crowd? Be unique? Have an effective and engaging brand identity for your audience? Attract clients and grow your dental clinic’s business?
Ideandum has helped more than 1000 professionals since 2013 to grow their business through strategy and digital marketing.