You have your dental clinic, you have your epic dental team, and you have your website. So, why aren’t you getting patients?
There are many potential reasons. The first is that your SEO and marketing plan may need going over. The second is that you don’t have an SEO or marketing plan! Or it may be due to an issue or a misunderstanding of the use of local SEO.
Local SEO refers to the practice of optimising a website and online presence to increase visibility and attract patients within a specific geographic area. It involves implementing strategies to improve search engine rankings for local search queries, such as “dentist near me” or “dentist in [city].” As you can see, this will play a huge part in attracting patients, especially as the use of voice searches and AI-based assistants goes up.
So, how can you and your dental clinic dominate local SEO and get as many patients as possible to visit your dental clinic?
Table of Contents
Claim and optimise Google My Business (GMB) listing
One of the most critical steps in local dental SEO is claiming and optimising their Google My Business listing. This tool enables businesses to manage their online presence. By claiming your GMB listing, you can provide accurate and up-to-date information about your dental clinic, such as contact details, address, working hours, and website link. Make sure to include relevant keywords in your business description and select the appropriate category for your practice. Regularly updating your GMB profile with posts, photos, and patient reviews can also enhance your local SEO performance.
Focus on local keywords
To dominate local SEO, your dental clinic must target relevant local keywords. Aim to regularly conduct keyword research, as this will help you to identify commonly searched terms related to dental services in your area. Strategically integrate these keywords into your website content, as well as into meta tags, headings, and alt tags for images. For instance, if you run a dental clinic in Boston, target keywords like “dentist in Boston,” “teeth cleaning Boston,” or “cosmetic dentistry Boston.” By optimising your website with local keywords, you will up the chances of appearing in search results when potential patients look for dental services in your area.
This will also be useful when patients search for nearby dental clinics using an AI assistant like Siri, as it is more likely that they will use a phrase like ‘find a dentist near me’ or ‘find a dentist in Boston that offers emergency care.’
Build high-quality local citations
Local citations pertain to the mentions of your dental clinic online. This includes the name, address, and phone number (NAP) of your business on different platforms like directories, review sites, and social media. Consistency and accuracy of NAP information across different platforms are crucial for local SEO. Ensure that your NAP details are consistent across all directories and platforms you’re listed on. Claim your listings on popular online directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Healthgrades, and optimise them with relevant information and keywords.
Generate positive patient reviews
Online reviews have an obvious and significant impact on a dental clinic’s reputation and local SEO performance. Encourage satisfied patients to leave positive reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Respond to positive and negative reviews in a timely and professional manner to show your engagement and commitment to patient satisfaction. Positive reviews not only attract new patients but will also improve your credibility and search engine rankings. Additionally, you can consider incorporating a testimonials page on your website to showcase positive patient experiences.
While it can be hard to receive a bad review, be sure to respond positively, as this will showcase that you care about your patients.
Develop localised content
Creating localised content will greatly enhance your dental clinic’s local SEO efforts. Publish blog posts, articles, or videos that address specific dental issues, treatments, or oral health tips relevant to your local audience. Just be sure that your dental clinic is also able to offer them, though!
For example, you can write a blog post on “Top Dental Implant Solutions in [Your City]” or create a video on “Oral Care Tips for Residents of [Your Region].” By producing informative and engaging content with local relevance, you increase the likelihood of ranking higher in local search results and capturing the attention of potential patients in your area. If you can offer more specialised services, such as the help of a PAT dog for nervous dental patients or no-prep veneers, then it is best to focus a lot of your content on this, as it will help to distinguish you from other dental clinics in the area.
