Nowadays, having a good website may not be enough, especially if you’re a dentist seeking to attract more people in your area. The current state of local marketing requires businesses to localize their website, email and social media marketing in order to win over potential customers.

In addition, with Google’s introduction of the Local Search in Maps product, any business can now enter their address, location, and details about their business, such as services, specialties, and customer reviews which means simply optimizing for SEO and incorporating it into your website won’t be enough. If you want your website to appear higher in search results for people looking for a nearby dentist, you must also optimize it for local SEO.

Optimizing dental websites for local SEO is more crucial than what most dentists realize, and while you may have an idea of what you need to accomplish, there are better methods to build your dental website for local SEO. In this article, we will walk you through some ways on how to optimize your website for easy integration of local SEO elements.

Tips on How to Improve Your Website for Local SEO

1. Claim, verify, and optimize your Google Business Profile listing.

By claiming and verifying your listing, you are helping potential clients find your dental practice more easily online. In addition, you are helping provide your website with quality content for Google to consider in their ranking algorithm for dental practice websites. Who doesn’t want that? You will be increasing rankings and visibility on the most popular search engine in the world.

After claiming and verifying your GBP, here are the elements you want to optimize:

• Use your actual business name.
• List a local phone number.
• Make sure your hours of operation are correct.
• Write a compelling description.
• Upload lots of high-resolution photos.

2. Optimize your website with keywords related to your local area.

As with any other business, it’s important to ensure that your dental practice is visible for the search terms that your target audience uses. That’s where local SEO comes into play. Taking a few steps to optimize your site will allow you to tap into this marketing strategy and improve your visibility as a dental practice in the eyes of local patients. Making it easy for consumers to find and contact you early in the sales process can help lead to more opportunities for new patients, repeat customers and brand loyalty.

Not only do you need to optimize it using relevant keywords, but you also have a chance to improve your online reputation in the process. A great first step is an audit that identifies areas of opportunity, so then you can get down to business. With a little effort, you could be on your way to ranking higher than ever before.

3. Build out your social media profiles.

As you can see, social media is a great way to get the word out about your dentist and dental office. Be sure to use it as a way to complement traditional marketing efforts, and make it an important part of your overall strategy. 

Social media marketing efforts go deeper than just using keywords; by using this platform to really connect with people, you can have a truly positive impact on your dental practice’s visibility on the web.

4. Tell patients how they can make an appointment via your website.

You have to understand how critical it is to provide information to users, that is an important aspect of the local SEO perspective. For example, if patients can’t find their way to you, then you’re doing a disservice to your practice. And sites that don’t provide the right kinds of data are missing out on one of the most important aspects of effective local SEO.

Including a simple appointment form on your homepage will benefit your dental site for patients who want immediate directions and a straightforward booking process. Also, ensure that your contact information is easily accessible on every page of your website.

5. Get listed in local directories.

If you want to target the right market, the best way to do so is by getting in front of your ideal patients and reaching out to them directly. An excellent way to do this is by getting listed in health care directories. This gives you an opportunity to advertise your practice, as well as build brand awareness on a local basis. 

A dental practice website is meant to be a guide for your patients, but keep in mind that it’s also a marketing strategy. In order to make sure that your practice gets the attention it deserves, you want to use local SEO tactics so that you can be listed on directory pages when people search for a dentist.

6. Encourage reviews on Google Business Profile and other sites.

Making your dental practice website attractive to potential patients is one of the most effective strategies for upping your local visibility. By encouraging your patients to leave reviews for you, you are giving them a safe place to voice their opinions about their experience with your practice, good or bad.

The fruits of your efforts when you encourage your patients to leave online reviews at sites like Google and Yelp can be quite rewarding. That buzz is what will eventually draw new patients to your practice!

7. Make sure a blog is part of your website.

It might be time to start blogging on your website if you don’t already. Despite the fact that it is simpler than ever, the majority of dentists are still hesitant to begin. With a dental blog, you can talk to your patients in a meaningful way, build community, and offer more than just a service entry.

It is also a great resource for those interested in dentistry and can help you to gather email addresses and increase your search engine optimization techniques.

The world of SEO is endless when it comes to optimizing your website and streamlining your marketing efforts, plus the internet is so vast that it can be difficult to know where to begin. It can be challenging to recognize the impact that Local SEO has on your dental practice at times, but it’s time for dentists to up their game!

Indeed, building a dental website for local SEO is the first thing you need to do if you want to start a dental practice to rank high on search engines like Google. However, while a high rank can bring in organic traffic and aid in the early success of your practice, the majority of SEO experts’ strategies and jargon are beyond comprehension.

Our team specializes in local SEO and is ready to help you develop a dental website for local SEO. Schedule a free social+local audit now.