Most new patients find a dentist the same way. They search Google, compare the practices in the map results and read the reviews. If your practice isn’t on the first page for those searches, the bookings go to a practice that is.
This guide covers the 10 things I’d work on first for a dental practice that wants more patients from search without paying for ads.
How I work with dental practices
I build each SEO plan around your location, your competitors and the treatments you most want to grow. I only use white-hat methods, so your rankings don’t depend on tactics Google could penalise. I do the work, and every month you get a report and a strategy call so you can see what changed.
If you’d rather skip the reading, book a free strategy call.
1. Create a page for each treatment in your area
One “Our services” page can’t rank for every treatment. A dedicated page for each treatment, with your city in it, can. For example:
- Teeth whitening in [City]
- Invisalign provider in [City]
- Emergency dentist in [City]
On each page:
- Put the city in the URL, title, headings and body copy, for example “Invisalign provider in Dallas”.
- Add before-and-after photos, answers to the questions patients ask, and a clear way to book.
2. Make your website clearly local
Patients search for a dentist near them, with phrases like “best dentist in [city]”, “teeth cleaning near me” and “emergency dental care in [city]”.
- Mention your city and state on your homepage, service pages and page titles.
- Keep your practice name, address and phone number identical on your site and in every directory listing.
- Embed a Google Map on your contact page.
3. Claim and fill out your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile decides whether you appear in the map results, and for most local searches that’s where patients click first.
- Claim and verify your listing on Google Business Profile.
- Upload photos of your practice, your team and, with their consent, your patients.
- List every treatment you offer, such as implants, orthodontics and cleaning.
- Ask happy patients for Google reviews. Practices with more reviews tend to rank higher.
4. Get more five-star reviews
Patients compare star ratings before they call. A practice with a handful of reviews, or a few bad ones, loses those calls to the practice down the road.
- Ask satisfied patients to review you on Google, Facebook and Yelp.
- Reply to every review, good and bad.
- Put a QR code at reception that opens your review page.
5. Target the searches patients make when they’re ready to book
Some searches come from people ready to book. Others come from people who are only reading. Put your effort into the first kind.
Searches from patients ready to book:
- “Emergency dentist in [city]”
- “Invisalign provider near me”
- “Pediatric dentist in [city]”
Treatment searches to target on your service pages:
- “Best dental implants in [city]”
- “Affordable teeth whitening in [city]”
- “Root canal specialist near me”
Use Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to see which local terms get the most searches, then work them into your homepage, service pages and meta descriptions.
6. Speed up your site on mobile
Most patients will look you up on their phone, and a slow site sends them straight back to the search results. Google also ranks fast, mobile-friendly sites higher.
- Test your site with Google PageSpeed Insights.
- Compress images and videos so pages load faster.
- Make sure patients can book an appointment easily on a phone.
7. Earn links from other websites
When other websites link to yours, Google takes it as a sign your site can be trusted.
- Pitch stories to local health and news sites.
- Write guest posts for dental industry websites.
- Ask local businesses you work with to link to your site.
8. Use social media and video
Social media keeps current patients engaged and shows new ones what you do.
- Post before-and-after photos of whitening and cosmetic work.
- Share patient testimonials, with permission.
- Run offers for new patients, such as a discount on whitening.
9. Track what’s working
Rankings shift as competitors change their sites and Google updates its results, so check your numbers every month.
- Track rankings and clicks in Google Search Console, and visits in Google Analytics.
- See which service pages bring in the most enquiries.
- Move your effort toward the pages and treatments that bring in patients.
10. Hand the work to someone who does it every day
Every hour you spend on SEO is an hour away from your patients. If you’d rather focus on dentistry, I can take the SEO off your hands.
Book a free strategy call and we’ll look at where your practice ranks today and what it would take to reach the first page.