Local SEO is becoming increasingly important for dental practices looking to attract new patients and stay visible within the competitive landscape. We know there is a lot of focus on the generic SEO, however local SEO sometimes slips through the net.
Here, we break down exactly how dental practices can improve their local search presence to generate new leads.
What is local SEO?
Local search engine optimisation is where you optimise your business’s visibility through unpaid, location-based search results on Google and other search engines. The focus is on reaching people in more specific locations i.e. cities, towns etc.
Building your local SEO can help your dental practice rank on Google and other search engines for both organic results and maps.
It’s important to remember that local SEO is not the same as regular SEO as Google uses a different system and criteria. Regular SEO focuses more on blogging and website content, whereas local SEO focuses on Google Business Profile optimisation and location-based keywords.
Why is local SEO important?
Making time to focus on local SEO within your marketing plan is important for dental practices because, when done correctly, it will help increase your practice’s visibility in local search results helping to attract new customers.
Google shows local results when it believes users are searching for nearby services, products or amenities in a specific location. For example:
- “Teeth whitening services near me”
- “Dentist in Oswestry”
- “Emergency dentist near me”.
The stronger your local search presence, the higher you’re likely to rank for those keywords, which will, hopefully, result in more users visiting your website and potentially booking appointments.
How does local SEO benefit dental practices
Since a dental practice’s customer base tends to be people from the local area, implementing local SEO throughout your website allows you to rank on those location-based searches.
Local search traffic is more likely to convert compared to general traffic as patients are usually ready to act instead of researching. This means you can drive patients to your website who are more likely ready to book an appointment.
Another benefit of local SEO is that it is free, however, it can take up to three months to see any changes in your rankings because Google needs to crawl your website and then index the pages you’ve updated.
How to carry out local SEO
Similar to general SEO, you need to carry out keyword research, but specifically local keywords. Using tools such as Google Keyword Planner, or other similar resources, you can discover terms that people search for when looking for dental practices or services. This can help to create relevant pages on your website and incorporate these keywords.
If your dental practice’s website is ranking for location-based keywords, it will see a drive in highly targeted local traffic which can lead to potential new customers.
Top tip: Start with a short list of keywords of 5-10 and write them naturally into your content. You want to avoid keyword stuffing as Google will notice and it can harm your rankings, user trust and performance.
Optimise your Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a free tool that allows businesses to manage how they appear in local search results and Google Maps. Similarly to your website, optimising your profile helps to increase the likelihood of ranking highly for location-based search terms.
To build your Google Business Profile, you need to provide:
- Contact information (email and/or phone number)
- Opening hours
- Business address
- High quality images and videos
- Any business attributes (free parking, Wi-Fi etc).
Make sure that the information you include on your business profile is consistent across your website, social media and other listing sites. If you have any changes within your practice, make sure to update your profile. This could include holiday opening times or a new address.
It’s important to keep your Google Business Profile active; this shows users that you’re an engaged business owner which can improve your rankings and attract more customers.
Google reviews: How to manage and respond
Reviews play a significant role in your practice’s search rankings and reputation. They help Google assess your trustworthiness, as well as being a great form of marketing to attract new customers.
Receiving positive reviews is always rewarding, however, the same can’t always be said for negative reviews. Regularly responding to reviews, positive or negative, shows that your practice is customer orientated, attentive and engaging.
When a negative review comes through, it’s important not to dismiss the reviewer. Instead acknowledge the concern professionally and respond accordingly. Even though a negative review isn’t great, your response will reflect on your dental practice and can be seen by new customers, and in some cases a helpful response back offering support can in time, turn a negative review into a positive one.
To sum up, local SEO should play a big role in your marketing plan as it helps to attract local based patients and strengthen your online presence for location-based searches. Through local keyword research, setting up your Google Business Profile and monitoring and responding to reviews, you can build your ranking and attract