SEO For Dentists: Proof That You NEED This in Your Marketing Plan
In 2022, it’s all about social media marketing if you want to grow your dental practice. I mean, what results can SEO for dentists really achieve?
I’m glad you asked!
SEO is the only passive avenue you can take to get patients in the door. While social media has its perks, it’s a daily grind that puts you at the mercy of algorithm updates and staying on top of trends.
And haven’t you had just about enough of social media marketing?
So instead of explaining to you how Tik Tok-style videos will land you new patients, I’m going to show you how SEO marketing for dentists can escalate your new patient intake this year.
RELATED: SEO Blogs For Small Business Owners
What Is Dental SEO Marketing?
SEO is Search Engine Optimization. The search engine is something like Google. The optimization is the way copy is written on your website.
Your copy has to contain words that people are searching for on Google. Phrases like “dentist office near me” or “how much does it cost to remove wisdom teeth” are things you would expect patients to search for when looking for a new dentist.
But did you know that 75% of people will never scroll past the first page on a Google search? That means, if your website isn’t in the top results for search inquiries, you’re never going to get new patients passively and organically through your website.
How can your website show up on the first page? You may be thinking “Google ads” but less than 10% of users click on Google Ads.
What you really need are SEO dental blogs.
RELATED: ORDER A SAMPLE DENTAL SEO BLOG!
How SEO Dental Blogs Attract New Patients
Blogs may seem like a prehistoric marketing tactic, but it’s making a comeback in 2022 (probably because everyone is sick of social media).
Why else do you think Instagram and Tik Tok are trying to incorporate SEO into their algorithms?
It’s because there are 5.6 billion searches happening on Google every day. And while Instagram’s 500 million and Tik Tok’s 50 million daily active users are impressive, it still doesn’t hold a candle to how many people use Google every day.
People search for answers on Google. The point of SEO blogs is to get your dental practice to be that answer.
All you need is a handful of SEO keywords, a great writer, and a consistent schedule and your website can get tens of thousands of new visitors every month.
So if you want a following, if you want leads, and if you want more patients, SEO is the way to go.
SEO For Dentists: How Does it Work?
SEO marketing for dentists probably sounds technical, but it’s pretty straightforward. As a Dental SEO Expert, I’ve been able to help my clients achieve:
Multiple front page Google positions
Google Featured Snippet spots
20,000 monthly website visits
31% increase in New Patient Form Sign-ups
New Patient Conversion Rate of 8.8% from SEO
How am I able to do this? I’ll tell you (that’s right, you don’t even have to hire me):
Step 1: SEO Research
I use a combination of
SEMRush
Ubersuggest
Google Search, and
Answer The Public
These programs tell me which dental topics people are searching for the most.
These also allow me to pick SEO keyword phrases that are the “low hanging fruit” which means I can almost definitely get one of your blogs on the first page of Google.
Step 2: Content Strategy
From here, I map out a strategic marketing plan and keyword strategy for your 3-month blog calendar.
Once I know which blog topics have the greatest potential, I write and publish your blogs to be educational and search engine optimized.
These blogs serve 3 purposes. They act as:
A resource portal for your patients: A place where your current patients can find answers to all their oral health questions (which means you don’t have to keep repeating your answers). Just send them the blog link!
A way to get passive leads: SEO dental blogs serve as evergreen content that can attract new patients directly from Google. It can take 3-6 months to see your website at the top of search inquires. But once it’s in position, your blog will call your readers into action by asking them to sign up for your email list or to schedule an appointment.
Content repurposing: All that educational copy from your blogs can be repurposed for social media captions, emails, and even video content!
Step 3: Off-Page SEO
If you want your website to be picked up before that 3-6 month mark, you’ll need off-page SEO.
Off-page SEO marketing for dentists means covering all of your bases: emails, social media, and backlinks from high authority blogs (such as the ADA’s blog).
My favorite way to implement this is through content repurposing. Here’s a brief example of how it works:
Social media repurposing: Ugh, I know. I thought we were better than this! Well, social media marketing is an active marketing strategy that can push readers to your website just a little bit faster.
For example, this client of mine had a patient find them through Instagram. We would repurpose their blog content to create eye-catching graphics, captions, and videos tailored toward their target audience.
Clearly, it worked!
2. Email repurposing: Your blog content can simultaneously be used for email marketing. What better way to leave a good impression on patients than to send them weekly tips on how to whiten their teeth or the best OTC hygiene products?
RELATED: 4 Reasons You Don't Need a Blog
Step 4: SEO Dental Audits
Unfortunately, SEO blogs aren’t a one-and-done deal.
Just like with social media, Google wants to push out new and improved content coming from websites.
If you really want this to work for you, you’ll need a dental SEO expert who can reoptimize and add to your best-performing blogs and conduct SEO audits every month.
Pin it!
3 Examples of Dental SEO and Proof That It Works
Remember earlier when I said I had proof that my SEO strategy for dentists actually works?
You know what they say: a picture’s worth 1,000 words. Here’s what we’ve been able to achieve:
Multiple front page Google positions
My honest opinion when it comes to blogs is that they’re useless without search engine optimization.
Sure, you can repurpose the copy for social media or send the links to your email list, but they won’t get you passive leads.
That’s why my goal is to always get at least one blog on the first page. It may take a few months, but once it’s there, you can expect to get patient leads every single month.
2. Google Featured Snippet spots
Like I said: nobody looks past the first page of Google.
And if you can land a coveted spot like a Google Featured Snippet, your blog will get 8% of all clicks, according to Search Engine Land.
3. 20,000 monthly website visits
How many new patient leads would you expect to get when your website gets 20,000 monthly visitors?
Even at a 1% conversion rate, that would mean my client would get 200 new leads every month from their website visitors.
But we actually have an 8.8% conversion rate from SEO. You do the math.
RELATED: ORDER A SAMPLE DENTAL SEO BLOG!
What To Ask Your Dental SEO Expert
Now that you’re convinced (I’ve convinced you after all this, right?), you need to know how to spot the novice dentist marketers from the dental SEO experts.
Here’s what I would personally ask any SEO expert to figure out if they know what they’re talking about:
How will you determine my content pillars (i.e. topics I want my dental practice to be known for)?
How many blogs per month do you recommend?
How long do you recommend dentists utilize SEO marketing?
What’s the ROI on SEO for dentists? (HINT: It’s leads and brand awareness)
When will I see results from dental SEO marketing?
I would also recommend hiring someone who knows how to utilize SEO and social media. My motto when it comes to digital marketing is to never depend on one platform to grow your business.
