• Dental Marketing ,
• 27 Nov

Dental practices usually become stabile after getting a certain number of patients.

But it’s not always easy getting there. Similar to other services that are built on trust, such as advocacy and accounting, people are not inclined to trust the first dentist they come across. Instead, acquiring new clients usually comes down to word of mouth.

Because of this, it takes time to build a reputation and start getting more clients. Sometimes, this process may take years. Instead of waiting for this to happen, it is much better to start investing in dental internet marketing. 

Among the various approaches available to us, SEO or search engine optimization is usually considered as the best long-term solution.

In this article, we will talk more about dental SEO, its benefits and flaws, and how they can help your business flourish.

Let’s dive right in!

What is SEO?

Simply put, SEO represents a set of processes that help improve your website. The ultimate goal of optimization is to reach top positions for various terms.

When browsing the web, most people will focus on the first five results in Google while completely disregarding everything else.

If your pages cannot reach the top 5 positions, no one will see them. Not only will this render your work meaningless, but it will also force you to miss a great promotional opportunity.

Unlike some other internet marketing activities, SEO is usually regarded as a long term approach. Other methods such as Google or Facebook ads can bring you instant traffic, but they also tend to cost a lot. Worst of all, once you stop paying, ads will stop, and there will be nothing to show for.

On the other hand, SEO focuses on improving your domain as a whole. All the changes are permanent, and unless Google changes its algorithm, you are likely to keep relatively similar positions for specific keywords.

While dental SEO might not seem like an ideal approach for people who need instant profit, it is a great way to build a brand over time. Optimization helps you establish your clinic as one of the best in the area.

Furthermore, it will help out all other promotional activities.

How does dental SEO boost your business?

Most people focus on SEO as a process that can bring more traffic. However, there is much more to it.

Search engine optimization is, first and foremost, a branding process. While it’s often said that optimization is meant to get you among top sites in a particular niche, there are various primary and secondary benefits to it.

Here are the most important advantages of  SEO for dental offices:

• Getting more visibility

Visibility refers to how many people will notice your company. Even though visibility doesn’t always lead to increased revenues, it is something that will remain in people’s minds. Besides new clients, better visibility can also affect your other activities.

• Building trust

Trust is essential for new clients as potential patients are usually reluctant to give unknown dentists a chance. Being placed on the top of the search tells them that you’re a premier company. It instantly builds trust and sets you apart from the competition.

• Setting up the field for other projects

Search engine optimization can also have an impact on other marketing activities. If you properly build your site and use the right topics, it will help out the relevancy of your dental Facebook ads and Google Ads. Furthermore, if you ever consider expanding the business or adding more services, this will give you a proper basis from which you can go.

• Helps you build contacts with other professionals

Besides regular users, other medical professionals will also start noticing your company. Because of that, there is a good chance they will start approaching you with various offers. They might want to cooperate with you, share costs, or perhaps start multiple events. Even if you don’t want to collaborate with others, it is good to have such an option.

• Allows you to save money in the future

It isn’t always easy investing in marketing, especially if you’re a young dentist. However, it doesn’t mean that by not investing in it, you’re saving money. Even if you break even, your site will remain optimized for years to come.

So, as long as there is no negative impact, SEO for dental practices will have a significant long term impact on your clinic. Site optimization will be very valuable going forward as the costs will disappear and the profits will increase or at least remain the same.

Because of all of this, optimization is often referred to as the best branding tool on the web.

While you do pay for it, it isn’t actually an ad, but still, it does attract new clients and builds your reputation. The only issue with it is the fact that the results are not as quick as with some other forms of advertising.

However, the approach is much better for companies that wish to increase their offer or practice, or that wish to branch out.

Basic SEO tips for dental practices

Dental SEO is quite hard, and it takes years to master. But, there are some things that almost everyone can do.

Here are some quick, easy tips that you can use to optimize your dental website today. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to achieve the same results as professionals, and you might even make some mistakes.

Nevertheless, it might be a good starting point.

• Adding your company to local directories

Links from local directories can prove to be very valuable and will also provide some extra exposure. All you have to do is add your company to local directories and get benefits.

• Blogging for links

Writing articles for other blogs can give you some powerful backlinks. It can also help you establish some valuable contacts. Hyperlinks are a valuable tool and will quickly improve the authority of your pages.

• Keyword research

Each article you create has to revolve around particular topics or keywords. Your main task is to find keywords that are easy to rank for and at the same time, give you lots of traffic. Basically, you can presume what the main phrases people are browsing are, so try to create posts about them.

• Creating wholesome content

Creating articles just for the sake of creating them will lead you nowhere. Instead, you need to focus on solving people’s problems and providing an exciting read. Always remember: you don’t have to be the most excellent writer in the world, but you do have to answer users’ questions.

Some of these things may seem a bit too much for you, especially if you don’t have any experience with the topic. Still, by simply browsing the web, you can find some great articles that will teach you how to perform each one of these actions. Alternatively, you can always contact our dental marketing company, and we will provide you with some hints and instructions.

Final words

If you’re serious about your dental practice, you should at least consider hiring a dental SEO company.

Unfortunately, most dentists use their website as nothing more than a virtual business card. But it can be so much more. It can be an interactive portal that will help you connect with others, promote your service, and establish yourself as the local authority.

Although the costs might seem high for some, they will lead to some fantastic long term benefits.