About 51% of all website traffic starts from a search engine results page (SERP). With search engine optimization (SEO), you can improve your rankings. Higher rankings will help more patients find your dental practice during a search. In fact, leads from SEO are 8x more likely to become customers than those through ads. Not sure how to use SEO for dentists?
Here are nine essential tips to help you get started.
With dental SEO, you can boost your online presence, reach more patients, and set your practice up to grow. Establish your SEO strategy with these tips today!
1. Research Your Patients
Google looks for content that aligns with each consumer’s distinct search intent. The consumer’s search intent indicates what they expect to find during a search.
For example, some patients might want directions to your dental practice. Others might want to learn about your services. Perhaps they have questions about their oral health instead.
Before planning the rest of your SEO strategy, it’s important to consider the user’s search intent. Then, you can create content that appeals to their needs and interests.
As you begin answering questions, more patients might begin to rely on your experience and expertise. Demonstrating your expertise can help brand trust grow.
You might have an easier time converting website visitors into leads and patients if they trust your dental practice.
Start by looking at your current clients and website’s Google Analytics. Consider demographics like age, gender, and location.
Then, think about the problems your patients experience and the solutions you can offer. What keywords would they search when looking for answers?
You can use keyword research tools like Answer the Public, SEMRush, and Google Trends to get started. Find longtail keywords (made up of four or more words). Look for keywords that are phrased as questions, too.
Longtail keywords are precise, which can make it easier for you to determine the user’s search intent.
You’ll use this keyword research to create personalized content with your patients in mind.
2. Improve Your Website’s UX
Google also prioritizes websites that offer a positive user experience (UX). In fact, it also uses mobile-first indexing to determine SERP rankings. To improve the UX on your site, make sure it’s:
- Fast
- Secure
- Easy to navigate
- Mobile-optimized/responsive
Use white space to give your content space to breathe. Otherwise, clutter might overwhelm readers.
Review your forms, too. Make sure forms are easy to complete on all devices. Remove any unnecessary fields to simplify the process.
A positive UX can increase your website dwell times. It can also encourage people to explore your content further. Higher dwell times can cause your bounce rate to drop.
Otherwise, a high bounce rate can hurt your SEO rankings.
If you need help improving your website, consider hiring an agency with experience handling SEO for dentists. They’ll know how to update your website with search engine optimization in mind.
3. Optimize for Local Search
Make sure nearby patients can find your dental practice online without stress. Get started by updating your Google Business profile. Your profile will take up prominent space at the top of SERPs.
Your Google Business profile can display your dental practice’s:
- Address
- Business hours
- Patient reviews
- Website
- Phone number
Make sure the information on your profile matches what appears on your website exactly. Google looks for consistency when confirming your information.
4. Show EAT With Quality Content
EAT stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Establishing EAT can boost your credibility further. You can demonstrate EAT by creating high-quality, engaging, informative content.
With each blog post you create, make sure you’re providing readers with something of value.
Use your keyword research to answer the questions your patients are already asking. Then, optimize your content by adding the focus keyword to the:
- Page title
- URL
- Opening and closing paragraphs
- An H1 header
- Image file name
- Image alt text
- Body text
- SEO title
- Meta description
Make sure your meta descriptions are interesting and engaging. Meta descriptions will appear on SERPs. Engaging descriptions can boost your clickthrough rate, helping you attract more web traffic.
5. Gather Reviews
Improve your dental SEO rankings by gathering patient reviews, too. Ask your patients to post their reviews on your Google Business profile. Testimonials can help boost your practice’s credibility.
Establishing your credibility could help future patients trust your brand further. Reading positive reviews might encourage them to contact your dental practice.
In fact, over 90% of consumers read reviews of local businesses to determine their quality.
6. Generate Links
As part of your dental SEO strategy, you’ll need to consider three different types of links.
Internal links send readers to other pages and posts on your site. These links can boost your dwell times.
External links send readers to other sites. You can link to studies and research to boost your credibility.
Backlinks are essential for stronger SEO rankings. These links appear on other websites. Another blog might link to your content, helping you generate more traffic.
Generate backlinks by guest blogging. Otherwise, create quality content other blogs will want to reference in their posts.
7. Use Schema
Schema markup can help Google better understand your content. Google will better understand how to categorize your content on SERPs.
An experienced SEO marketing agency can help you add schema to your pages.
8. Analyze Your Data
Once you begin using SEO marketing for dentists, review your website analytics.
Determine which posts are helping you generate traffic and leads. Then, create similar content in the future.
If your posts aren’t generating traffic, reevaluate your keyword research. Reformat old posts into new formats, too.
9. Hire an Agency
You don’t have to start using SEO for dentists alone. Instead, consider hiring an experienced search engine optimization agency. Their experience and expertise can help boost your rankings.
Look for an agency that offers the services you need, such as content creation and link-building. Make sure they’re up-to-date with the latest SEO trends, too.
Brush Up: 9 Ways to Effectively Use SEO for Dentists
Help your dental practice grow this year. Get started by using SEO for dentists. Applying these dental SEO strategies will boost your organic rankings.
Higher rankings will help you reach more patients than ever before.
Need help developing your SEO strategy? We’re happy to lend a hand.
Boost your free SEO strategy call today to get started.























