Local SEO for 2017: How to Modernize Search Marketing for your Dental Practice

What is one of the most important digital marketing categories that you need to be focusing on? SEO… Search Engine Optimization. Why, you ask? Because if someone is looking for a dentist, they will typically do one of two things… Ask their friends and family, and head over to Google to search it out for themselves. And even if they do go to their friends and family first, regardless, it is likely that they will still search Google later. As you may be developing your dental marketing strategies it is important to over your practice’s search marketing first.

There are 3 different ways that your business can be potentially ranked on Google: paid results, local results, and organic results.

As for paid results, this is by means of Google placing your ad in a top list of results according to the keywords that were searched. Local results are based on the obvious, location. If someone searches for “Dentist in Dallas Texas,” then Google will then show a list of 3 results [underneath the paid results] of dentists that are located in Dallas, Texas. If the person who is searching has their location turned on, then Google will select those results based on that exact location in Dallas, Texas. Finally, organic results, are based on the sites that the person searching will find most relevant, location can still be included in these results but it is no longer the dominant factor. With organic results, the main factor is that of the authority of the website, which is typically why you will then see sites like Facebook, Yelp, or other relevant review-based blogs, etc.

As for a dental practice, it would usually be a little more important to focus on the local results category. This is because it’s more likely for a dental practice to show up in the local results than the organic results because it can be pretty difficult and take a bit longer to see results if you are focused only on the organic results region. But, you really should consider both when it comes to SEO, so don’t neglect one or the other.

The main things you need to remember are quality content, links, and likes. You can achieve recognition in this section by having more sites out there that link to yours. If blogs, etc., contain links to your site, then it is more likely to show up in the organic results section. The way to achieve this is by having quality content on your site. Start a blog that has well-written and creative content that will be likely to be referenced on other sites. As for likes, we are talking about Facebook. There are newly developed algorithms that will lead a person to a particular page based on their friend’s Facebook likes. As it has been shown that people trust their friends and family for recommendations as to what they like, so it has been implemented in SEO that those likes will factor into your results. So, your goal? Get Facebook likes.

Mainly, there are several important things you need to focus on for the SEO of your brand: keywords, Google My Business page, your website, and reviews.

  • Keywords: Sign up for Google AdWords where you will be able to get access to Google’s keyword planner. When you are coming up with keywords, try and see things from the [potential] customer’s perspective… “If I am the person searching for a dentist in my area, what would I type in the search bar?”
  • Google My Business page: You need to make sure that you claim your Google My Business page, in order to ensure rankings and accurate results for your practice. This will make sure that you at least have the opportunity to be ranked in the local results, and that you won’t be beat out by the practices that do have one if you don’t. It is also important to make sure all the information on this page is consistently accurate and updated.
  • Your website: Make sure that your site incorporates the important keywords that people will be searching for. Make sure that each page of your site includes your business name, location, and phone number (also make sure that this information is not displayed as an image but as actual text so that Google can pick it up). Also, don’t forget to include an embedded Google Map on your “Contact” page.
  • Reviews: People are way more likely to visit your website and contact your practice if it has good reviews. Make sure to encourage your patients to leave reviews, as well as to stay on top of your reviews and immediately address any that are negative (as well as those that are positive!)

We know it can be overwhelming trying to manage all of your digital marketing on your own, and that’s why most practices are turning to agencies for dental marketing in Dallas and the surrounding areas. If you are looking for some help from an SEO agency for dentists in DFW, look no further. Here at Dental Critic, we are an innovative team of experts that are excited to help you grow your practice! Please, contact us today, and let us show you your true potential.

Comments

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