What is Dentist Local SEO?
If you open up Google and search for “dentist”, you’ll see a variety of results on the page. It displays dental articles, dental wiki pages, national dental directories such as Yelp and Healthgrades, dental publications, and websites. A Google ad appears at the top and a Google map with local dental listings below.
Why is my Google Maps Local SEO listing so high on my page? I used to underperform many of my website’s organic search results. This is because Google and other search engines know that most people are looking for local results. Local Dental SEO gives dental offices a huge advantage in search results. Local SEO allows individual clinics to compete for search rankings with large, well-funded online brands, directories, publications, dental software companies, and medical journals.
Why is Local SEO Important?
You might be surprised to learn that more than half of all online searches are local searches. In fact, Google reports that he has seen up to a 900% increase in local search-related terms since 2018. These terms are greatly augmented with words like “open now,” “near me,” and “open.” Additionally, searches for local businesses on the Google Maps mobile app are growing his 50% faster than general Google searches. Potential patients may be searching Google Maps directly. That means you’re not even seeing Google Ads (pay per click) or organic website search results.
Interesting, what exactly is local SEO for dentists?
Tips: It’s a google map.
Here’s why you want to rank high on Google Maps:
- Inexpensive compared to other forms of digital marketing.
- This is where potential patients look for new dentists.
- Searches on the Google Maps app are growing faster than regular Google searches.
- Research studies show that 75% of consumers searching locally land in a store within 24 hours, and 28% make a purchase.
- Google Maps listings have more relevant information than website results, which gives consumers more trust. For example, lists include consumer reviews, clinic phone numbers, addresses, directions, and FAQs.
- Local practices take precedence over national and international dental companies and brands. For example, Yelp doesn’t rank in your local Google Maps because it doesn’t have a location in your city.
Here are five easy, non-technical ways to improve your SEO for dentist rankings.
Applying, verifying and improving your GMB account
All businesses can set up a free Google My Business (GMB) account. This is for listing your business in the Google database. If you already have a business, you may have created one or one created automatically by Google. Applying seems to be the most difficult step. This video shows you how to find listings and see if they’re claimed. How to bill and verify your GMB account
Check your ranking on Google Maps
You need to think about ranking on Google Maps differently than other types of marketing. Local SEO rankings fluctuate depending on the location of the person searching. If someone searches for ‘Dentist near me’ on their smartphone while they’re standing across from your practice, they’re more likely to show up on Google Maps than if they were five miles away. increase.
Before you start optimizing, you need to see how well you rank for your city and for which keywords. I don’t know if it’s already ranked high or not. Watch this video Dentist Ranking Local SEO for an in-depth look at how Google Maps ranking works. After watching the video, you’ll want to know how to run a local SEO report. You can do it here.
Download the Google My Business app and refresh the info tab
Go to the app store on your phone and search for “Google My Business”. The icon looks like this.
There are two things I want to emphasize when updating the info tab.
Primary category: You can have one primary category and multiple secondary categories. A good rule of thumb is no more than three (first category and second category).
service area: You can enter up to 20 service areas. Use all 20. Try to stick to a practice radius of about 3 to 7 miles unless you’re on a stick. If so, go further out.
Here’s a quick video explaining the primary categories and service areas in more detail.His SEO for Dentists — Choosing Primary Categories and Service Areas
Update your GMB cover photo
You can take a photo and import it directly from the My Business app to your GMB account. Upload an attractive cover photo that will appear in the Knowledge Graph search results. Google My Business allows you to upload as many photos as you like. Research shows that more photos improve rankings. We typically add 100+ photos to our clients with our dental SEO service. A great place to start is with this free His GMB Photo Checklist. It tells you which photos to take and where to upload them.
Start a blog and post your blog to GMB
I know you don’t want to blog. who has time? However, this is essential for local dental SEO rankings.
This task has two steps:
- Write a blog and post it on your website. If you don’t have a blog or don’t know how to do it, contact your website hosting company. If you get stuck there, call us.
- Write a paragraph about your blog, post it on your GMB account, and create a link to the full blog post on your website.
You probably didn’t know you could post to your GMB account. I’ve circled posts in the My Social Practice Knowledge Graph. Your GMB posts will show up in search results and help your GMB account rank higher. Be consistent with this. Depending on how competitive your area is, you should write 1-4 blog posts per month.
I hope you find this information helpful. For dental marketing gurus looking to take this to the next level, check out his SEO article on this two-part Dentist.
