Building a thriving dental practice doesn’t simply require offering quality services and treatment. Although generating positive word-of-mouth among your patients is vital, to develop a strong reputation, you need to continue attracting patients in the first place.
Search engine optimization (SEO) can help a dentist achieve this major goal. Generally, SEO for dentists consists of managing various components of a dental practice’s web presence to improve rankings in Google searches. To better appreciate the value of investing in SEO as a dentist, consider the following points:
According to a 2018 survey of nearly 2,000 adults in the United States, about 80% of patients will turn to the internet when seeking answers to healthcare questions. Perhaps more significantly, about 63% of survey participants indicated they would choose to see a healthcare provider with a strong online presence over one with a limited online presence.
Research such as this confirms that patients often use the internet to find dentists in the digital age. Thus, a proper SEO strategy can improve a dentist’s chances of attracting new patients naturally.
Be aware that the next generation of patients has never known a world without the internet. Attracting younger patients requires adapting to their means of finding brands, services, and healthcare providers.
A thorough SEO strategy features several components. Content marketing is often one of them.
For example, one aspect of a dentist’s SEO strategy may involve regularly posting blogs offering valuable dental health information to potential patients. Such blogs don’t merely improve the odds that a patient will find a particular dentist when performing a relevant online search—they also allow a dentist to establish themselves as an expert in their field.
If a new patient learns something useful from a dentist’s SEO content, they might be more inclined to conclude said dentist is an expert. A user who considers a dentist to be a qualified professional may be more likely to schedule an appointment.
Understanding a user’s intent when performing a Google search is vital to SEO. If a user performs a search with local intent, that means they are searching for results that account for geographic location.
A user searching for a dentist will virtually always have local intent. Rather than searching for any dentist in any location, they will search for a dentist treating patients in their geographic area.
Research indicates nearly half of all Google searches involve local intent. As such, SEO can play a major role in the way any business that serves those in a specific geographic area attracts new customers. A dental practice is a prime example of such a business.
As far back as 2016, mobile internet browsing was more common than desktop browsing. SEO professionals account for this when planning campaigns, ensuring that the mobile versions of websites they create boast mobile-friendly layouts and function reliably on mobile devices.
When compared to more traditional marketing strategies, such as radio or print ad campaigns, SEO has the potential to deliver a strong ROI for one very basic but critical reason - an SEO campaign can attract those who are actively seeking dentists.
A radio ad on a popular local station may, theoretically, cast a wide net for a dental practice. However, there’s no guarantee that those who hear the ad will be in the market for a new dentist.
An SEO strategy is different. With SEO, a dental practice’s online presence will naturally garner the attention of those who are seeking dental services. Therefore, a dentist who invests in SEO can be confident they aren’t needlessly spending their marketing budget reaching those who have no interest in the services and treatments they offer.
For dentists, building a robust online presence through a multi-faceted SEO strategy isn’t a task you need to handle on your own. While you focus on treating your existing patients, our team at DentalFone can help you attract new patients with effective digital marketing. Learn more about how our dental practice SEO experts can help by calling us at 855-385-3663 or contacting us online to schedule a meeting.