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If you’ve been around long enough to remember the Yellow Pages (and if not, just humor me), you know that they were once the go-to source for finding local businesses. For dentists, that meant that if you wanted your phone to ring and get new patients in your schedule, you had to not only be included in the Dentists section but somehow stand out from all of your competition. That was easy to do in those alphabetical listings if the name of your dental practice started with the letter A. Otherwise, you had to shell out extra money for a bold listing or a display ad.
In today’s digital age, Google and (to a lesser degree) other search engines have replaced the Yellow Pages, and the top of the list no longer belongs to the AAA Dentals of the world. Being the first dental office that patients see in the search engine results pages (SERPs) has become much more of a science. That science is known as search engine optimization (SEO).
What Is Local SEO and Why Is It Important for Dental Offices?
Within the broad categories of digital marketing and SEO lies local SEO, which focuses on a search user’s intent to find a business that is physically located nearby. For a brick-and-mortar business like a dental office, local search is far more important than general SEO, since it directly contributes to the inflow of new patients into the practice.
Google is smart enough to know when you are searching for general information and when you are looking for a local place or service based on the search query you type in. “Best dentists near me” would be an obvious clue, but even “local dentists who accept insurance” will likely return a Google Map cluster of results. In contrast, a query like “what kind of dentist does root canals” will probably return more general information about endodontics.
To prioritize its results in a way that is presumably most useful to the person searching, Google search algorithms use relevance, distance, and prominence as the three core factors to determine your website’s local ranking. If you did absolutely nothing in terms of search optimization, you’d probably still end up somewhere on the local search results, but just how low would depend on how many local competitors you have. So, unless you’re in a small town where dental offices are few and far between, you’d better put some effort into your local SEO.
What Is Most Important for Local SEO?
Local SEO isn’t that complicated if you know what to focus on. Here are some specific things you should be aware of if you want to boost your local ranking.
Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) page is one of the biggest ranking signals for Google, so fully optimizing your profile is essential if you’re serious about your SEO. You’ll want to log into your GBP dashboard and complete your profile top to bottom, with a few sections deserving special attention.
Business Category
It may seem obvious, but most dental practices should select “Dentist” as the primary business category. Then, depending on your specialty, you can add extra categories such as Cosmetic Dentist or Pediatric Dentist to specify what you do.
Services
With your categories selected, you can detail the services you offer. Some (like Tooth Whitening) are automatically suggested as options to choose from, but you can also type in your custom services.
“From the Business” Description
Don’t confuse this with the short description that appears that Google automatically generates near the top of your Google Business profile page. You’ll find your self-written description beneath your Reviews section at the bottom of the page. To make the most of it, do the following:
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Use keyword research to help you use the phrases people use to find new dental services.
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Share your most important information within the first 250 characters. You have another 500 characters to work with after that, but they’ll be hidden unless people click the “More” link.
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Don’t repeat information that is already included somewhere else on your page. Identify what’s missing that is important to share. Your dental website can be a good source of quality content to help people understand who you are and what makes you different from your competitors.
Photos
Including photos on your profile page will get more online searchers to click through to your practice website. Adding photos frequently will also show Google that you’re engaged. Keep in mind that anyone can add photos to your listing, so try to retain as much control over the overall quality as possible.
Questions and Answers
This isn’t done through the Google Business profile dashboard, but you can go to your profile page and add your own commonly asked questions and answers (or answer real questions posted by visitors). Remember that if you don’t provide an answer to their question, they’ll probably move on and look elsewhere namely your competition’s website.
Google Reviews
Getting positive reviews is also important to boost the local search engine rankings for your dental website. Not only do they affect whether or not you’ll make it into the local pack, but your star rating also appears within your listing, which will greatly influence whether or not people click on your link. Make every effort to get as many 4 and 5-star reviews as possible, since more than half of the people reading your reviews will pass you by if you have a rating of 3 stars or lower.
On-Page SEO
Google will also check your website for clues about your local online presence. In addition to keyword usage and other standard on-page dental SEO practices, your NAP information (name, address, phone number) should be prominent and consistent throughout your website to make your local ties clear to Google.
Inbound backlinks
The quality and quantity of inbound links help to establish the prominence of your website. Having links from the websites of neighborhood organizations can be especially beneficial for dental industry SEO.
Citations
Citations are similar to backlinks but specifically contain your dental NAP information. Listings like Yelp and the online Yellow Pages (yes, the online version still exists) or other similar service directories would be perfect examples of online citations. As with your own website’s NAPs, make sure your listings on these directories are accurate and consistent. The best thing about link building through high-quality business listings is that it’s free and one of the easiest ways to appear on the first page.
Behavioral Signals
The amount of interaction your website generates, in the form of click-throughs, mobile clicks to calls, and check-ins, can signal to Google how much people value your website, and how high it should be ranked.
Social Engagement
Google also looks at the amount of social engagement your website receives through channels like Facebook and Twitter to weigh its popularity. If you were on the fence about using social media, you may want to consider it as part of your dental marketing strategy.
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What Can You Do to Improve Your Local SEO?
There are certain steps you can take on your own to improve your local search rankings, but to get the most from your SEO efforts, it’s usually best to consult an expert in search engine optimization who thoroughly knows the latest trends and ranking factors.
Keep in mind that even with thorough optimization, for much of your local search ranking success, it’s not you–it’s them. Where the person searching is located, as well as their language, device, and web history are all factors Google considers to personalize the search results they are provided with. But with solid local SEO, your dental office will stand a much better chance of appearing at the top of their search results.