SEO Tips for Dental Practices to Attract New Patients
Your dental practice’s website plays a massive role in the success of your business. Many people do thorough research online before selecting their new dentist; for this reason, it is absolutely crucial to ensure that your website is working hard to help attract new patients.
Within this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about optimizing your dental practice website to successfully attract new patients.
Basics of SEO: A Quick Overview
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the base foundation on which most of the search-based internet functions.
To put it simply, Search Engine Optimization helps improve your website’s visibility and improves your Google search ranking through the use of targeted keywords and other tactics. The higher your website ranks on Google, the more likely it is that your website will be discovered and clicked on by prospective new patients. It is currently estimated that 91.5% of online traffic stays on the first page of results to find what they are looking for. This goes to show just how important search ranking is for your practice; if you find yourself ranking on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th pages of search results on Google, it is very unlikely that prospective new patients will discover your website.
The Role of Mobile Optimization for Dental Practices
Mobile SEO is used to optimize websites for viewing on smartphones and tablets. This is one aspect of website development that is incredibly important, but may at first be overlooked.
It is currently estimated that over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. This figure is increasingly growing; in 2015, it was estimated that roughly 31% of website traffic originated from smartphones and tablets. This figure can only be expected to grow as mobile device usage becomes increasingly popular.
With over half of your traffic originating from mobile searches, it becomes increasingly important to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate. The importance of mobile optimization not only stems from audience satisfaction; Google actually registers and ranks mobile-friendly websites higher in order to cater to mobile device users. Consequently, the more mobile-friendly your website is, the better chance you have of it being discovered during mobile searches.
Below are some of the best practices to make your website mobile-friendly:
- Responsive Design and Layout: When you implement a responsive website design, it will automatically rescale itself depending on the device that is being used to view it. This ensures that visitors will have a pleasant and simple experience, whether they are viewing on a desktop computer, mobile phone, or tablet.
- Optimize Website Speed: Your website’s speed plays an immense role in its success. It is currently estimated that 40% of visitors will leave a website and search for another if it takes more than just 3 seconds to load. Google also factors loading speed into ranking.
- Interactive and Tasteful Pop-Ups: We have all encountered a website that bombards the user with annoying pop-ups that are distracting and hard to get rid of. Pop-ups can be effective as a CTA (call-to-action), but it is important to make sure that they are done in a tasteful way.
Set your pop-ups to appear when the reader has scrolled down at least 70% of the page. Make sure that the pop-up itself is mobile-optimized and easy to interact with, placing CTA buttons that are easy to use with the touch of a finger. - Declutter: While you want to create an eye-catching and interactive website design for your dental practice, it is important to remember that a cluttered design can be confusing and difficult to navigate.
When designing your dental website, it is important to create a neat and functional design that is visually pleasing while encouraging quick and simple navigation. Keep it simple! - Large Buttons: Large buttons make it easy for mobile users to navigate the site. Be sure to place large call-to-action buttons that are easy to use. Keep in mind that mobile users are using their fingers to explore your website, not a mouse.
- Perform Mobile Testing: Of course, the best way to test if your website is mobile-friendly is to test the experience yourself. Be sure to regularly test out your website on your own mobile device, being sure to test out all buttons and navigation tools. This can often be the most effective way to ensure that your audience is receiving a simple and enjoyable viewing experience.
4 SEO Tips to Use for Your Dental Practice Website
Below are 4 of the best dental SEO tips to use for your dental practice website:
- Optimize Your Dental Site with Target Keywords Your Patients Search
- Create Quality Online Content for Dental SEO
- Optimize Dental Services Pages
- Strategize Around Local SEO for Dentists
Continue reading for an expansion on each of these vital SEO tips.
Optimize Your Dental Site with Target Keywords Your Patients Search
A high density of SEO keywords can help bolster your search engine rankings and ensure that you are able to attract the attention of people in your local area who are searching the web for a dental practice like yours.
For instance, if you own and operate a pediatric dental facility in Los Angeles, you would use SEO keywords such as:
- Pediatric dentist in Los Angeles
- Pediatric dental cleanings in Los Angeles
- Pediatric dental fillings in Los Angeles
- Pediatric dentist near me
- Best pediatric dentist in Los Angeles
These keywords are designed to target prospective new patients who are in the Los Angeles area and searching for a new pediatric dentist.
Create Quality Online Content for Dental SEO
When you create quality SEO content for your dental practice website, you are ensuring that your site has high-quality, informative, and high-ranking content that works seamlessly with Google’s algorithms.
SEO-optimized content is much more likely to attract more traffic and engagement. Consequently, this means increased patronage and revenue for your practice.
Optimize Dental Services Pages
Your website should feature detailed dental services pages that you can use to provide your patients with information about the services you have to offer in your practice.
Within these pages, your patients will learn everything they need to know about the dental treatment they will need. For many people, this helps provide peace of mind and allows patients to feel like an informed and equal partner in their treatment.
The value of your dental service pages doesn’t stop there; they can also be used for SEO optimization.
By using targeted SEO keywords within your dental service pages, you can help bolster your Google search rankings and dramatically improve the chance that your website will be discovered.
Providing a Call to Action (CTA) at the end of each service page is imperative; be sure to provide your practice’s contact information and encourage readers to schedule an appointment in your office. Finding this valuable information coupled with information on how to move forward with the treatment they need can be absolutely invaluable for prospective patients.
Strategize Around Local SEO for Dentists
As previously mentioned, including your local area within your SEO tactics can be invaluable in improving your website’s visibility.
This tactic helps narrow down who discovers your website. It certainly is much more beneficial for prospective new patients in your local area to discover your site rather than someone who lives several hours away – or even on the other side of the country.
The Role of Google My Business in Local SEO
Google My Business is an effective tool that allows you to manage your Business Profile on Google.
Think of your Business Profile as an interactive and informative directory; it appears in Google searches with information about your business such as:
- Business name
- Location
- Contact information
- Website link
- Hours of operation
- Reviews from existing patrons
- Photos of exterior and interior of business
Your Business Profile will also allow you to directly engage with your patients. You can use your account to answer questions, respond to reviews, and even send direct messages.
A Business Account that boasts high reviews and plenty of photographs is likely to catch the eye of someone who is searching for a reputable dentist. This is also a great way to build rapport and trust as a trusted provider.
What’s more, is that you can incorporate SEO keywords in your Business Profile to improve its search rankings in local results. This is another way to target people in your local area that are searching for specific dental services.
To sign up for Google My Business, simply go to google.com/business and create a free profile.
Tracking SEO Success for Your Dental Practice
It is important to ensure that your SEO efforts are fruitful and successful. Below are some of the best ways to track your SEO success:
- Keyword Rankings: In order to test the effectiveness of your chosen SEO keywords, conduct a Google search using said keywords. The results of this search will help you determine how successful your campaign has been against your competitors.
- Organic Traffic: Your website’s organic traffic is the recollection of visitors that have discovered your site organically through their own Google searches. You can measure the origin of your organic traffic by using Google Analytics.
- CTR: Your CTR (click-through rate) is a recollection of how many people click through to your site after discovering it within their search. The higher your keyword ranking is, the better your chances of seeing your CTR increase.
- Domain Authority: Your website’s domain authority measures how often your website will appear for the keywords that prospective visitors are using. The more relevant keywords your website has, the better your domain authority ranking.
- Bounce Rate: Your bounce rate measures how many people click through to your site, and upon not finding the information that they are looking for, choose to click away and find another site. A high bounce rate typically signifies that you need to work on your mobile-friendliness, keyword density, or informative content.
Learn More About Marketing Your Dental Practice from Safco
The world of website design and SEO implementation may at first seem a bit intimidating for many people. Thankfully, with the information you have learned here, you will be well on your way to creating an informative, responsive, and high-ranking website that helps grow your business.
For more information about growing your practice, be sure to check out some of our informative dental blog posts, such as How to Attract New Dental Patients and How to Start a Dental Practice.
For high-quality dental products, place your trust in Safco Dental Supply. We provide a wide range of products to fit every need, with free shipping on orders over $250. From crown and bridge supplies to endodontic supplies, we have you covered.
We strive to get you your products as fast as possible. All orders placed before 4:30 pm CST (3:30 pm on Friday) are shipped out same-day.
Give us a call at 800.621.2178 to speak with one of our experts about finding the best dental supplies for your practice.