The Patients4you SEO Program Includes:

• Keyword Research and Prioritizing
• Competitive Analysis and Ranking Documentation
• Keyword Inclusion Into Content and Code on Your Dental Site
• Ongoing Content Creation About Your Practice and the Local Area
• Google MyBusiness Account Setup and Optimization
• Continuous Site Optimization and Directory Submission
• Ongoing Search Monitoring and Monthly Reports

What is search engine optimization?

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO as it is commonly known, is the practice of optimizing all aspects of a business’ online presence in order to rank as high as possible on search engines, mainly Google by and large. Notice that we mention all aspects of a business’ online presence, not just what is on the website. Optimizing the website itself is very important and known as on-page SEO, but just as important is what is called off-page SEO. Off-page SEO involves things such as what other sites link to yours, mentions of your brand in the media, and even factors like how many people are requesting directions on Google Maps to your practice.

Why should SEO be part of a dental office’s marketing strategy?

Having a website with strong SEO that ranks high organically, is without a doubt, the best way to consistently and reliably get new high value patients in the door at a very reasonable cost. Think of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) as a collection of real estate plots, and the better your SEO is the better real estate you will occupy on the SERP. Just as the physical location of your practice is one of the most important factors in determining your new patient flow (or lack thereof), having strong rankings and a good location in the SERP will not only result in many more visitors to your site, but those visitors are also much more likely to trust you because a high ranking site conveys an implicit sense of authority in the eyes of the prospective patient.

How long does it take to see an improvement in my search rankings?

The one thing you should be aware of is that SEO is a long-term strategy, and results take months to even years to take hold. The reason for this is that Google’s algorithm has gotten extremely sophisticated over the years and they now look at sites holistically to determine their authoritativeness and determine where to rank them. 

What is the difference between Organic SEO and Local SEO?

Organic SEO is the traditional kind of SEO that has been around since search engines started becoming commonplace. This refers to your site’s position in the list of traditional website results on a normal web search. Local SEO refers to the set of generally 3 results that appear in a map on top of the website listings when a user searches for keywords that Google determines to have local relevance. While similar, Local SEO and Organic SEO are two very different practices, they both require different efforts and strategies in order to rank high for both areas. As you may or may not suspect, Local SEO is much more important for a dental practice than Organic SEO for the following reasons:

• Map results show at the top of the SERP, above even the very first organic listing.
• On mobile in particular, map results directly have a Call button that dials the user’s phone directly to the business phone number, significantly reducing friction and increasing conversions.
• In Local SEO, you are competing only within your local market; therefore you have a much better chance of succeeding. You don’t have to beat Aspen Dental as a whole, but you can certainly beat the local Aspen Dental in your area.

I am getting traffic to my site, but the phone is not ringing and I am not getting new patients – what is going on?

Your view of SEO may be tainted from a negative experience in the past where you saw traffic was coming to your site, but it wasn’t actually turning into new patients. There can be two things going on here, and both have reasonable fixes:

• Number One – The traffic coming to your site is consuming informational content, and is not looking to buy at that time. They could be in an early stage of the buying journey and just looking for information to make a buying decision later, or they may actually not be buyers at all, depending on the content. You should always have a mix of content on the site between transactional content meant to convert visitors, and general informational content meant to educate consumers. A good SEO strategy will involve both types of content, and should noticeably result in more leads and phone calls.
• Number Two – Your website is not properly set up for conversions. This is very common and one of the main reasons why we often offer our dental website design services in conjunction with our SEO packages. Little things such as having prominent phone numbers and call to action buttons throughout your website can make a significant difference in conversion rates for visitors.

Will my SEO affect my Pay per Click strategy and costs?

As a general rule, Google’s organic search algorithm and advertisement algorithm don’t really talk to each other. This means that your organic search ranking won’t automatically go down if you stop spending money on ads. Having said that, you should definitely view both as part of a holistic marketing strategy, as they influence each other in indirect ways. For example, no matter how good your Local SEO is, you will have a hard time ranking high outside of a 5 mile radius around your office, and this is especially true after Google’s vicinity update in November 2021. Ads, meanwhile, can be run anywhere in the world and can be highly targeted to the patients you are trying to attract.