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Local SEO For Dentists

Follow this local dental SEO guide to find out how to connect with your community and yield more results.
Dentistry

Dental SEO Strategies: Bringing The Patients To You

There are plenty of reasons why patients might look for a new dental practice. Perhaps they are new to the area, have switched insurance plans, or are simply looking for a change. While the reasoning behind looking for a new dental practice can vary widely from patient to patient, the ways they find their new practices are largely the same.

For the most part, patients are finding their new dental practices through search engines. In fact, 86% of patients use search engines for any local business they might need to find. Naturally, users will prioritize the businesses that appear in the SERP, or search engine results page. Not only that, but an overwhelming majority of these searchers actually convert into clients for these businesses - as many as 80%!

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is a set of methods that is designed to improve the visibility of web pages in organic search results. When your future patients need a new dentist, they will often want a practice close to their home, and they will begin their searches on Google. They will be looking through the first page to see helpful information and positive reviews about potential clinics. Your future patients are searching with high intent to purchase and want to be able to contact you easily and conveniently.

Some of the ways that searchers will find your practice include:

  • Online business listings

Your dental practice should have listings on sites like Google My Business and Yelp. They will be looking for information like pictures, videos, hours of operation, and reviews. These listing platforms are also available on apps, so your searchers will be able to find your business even when they are out and about.

  • Voice search

Around 46% of searchers use voice search to look for local businesses at least once every day. This is an especially valuable audience for dentists to reach because voice searchers are often at the beginning of their journey and want a convenient way to find services as quickly as possible.

  • Local search

Local search and dental SEO go hand-in-hand. Potential patients using the term “near me” when searching for a dental practice expect their searches to be localized. In addition to checking on the services your practice offers, they will want to make sure that your clinic will be a convenient place for them to receive the care they need.

Why Is Local SEO So Important For Dentists?

Most of the time, users would not be searching for a local business like a dental practice unless they needed their services. They are searching with the intent to purchase, which is why it is so important for dental practices to use local SEO strategies to meet the patients where they are. Some other reasons why local SEO is important include:

  • Almost a third of consumers search for local businesses on a daily basis

  • Organic search still drives over 10x more website traffic than organic social media

  • 60% of respondents in a SEO survey said that organic results were more relevant than paid ads

In addition to getting your business to appear in the organic results of a SERP, it also matters how far down the page your practice appears. The businesses that appear first on the SERP have a huge advantage.

In fact, the first result is a whopping 11x more likely to be clicked on than the tenth result. Investing both time and effort into local SEO can translate into a meaningful increase in website traffic, which can lead to more patients and revenue for your dental practice.


To learn more about how to use local SEO to grow your dental practice, contact the marketing team at Scorpion. We will help you rank in local searches and improve your reputation as an established dental practice in your community.