46% of search traffic on Google are for local results. People that search for local businesses are likely to visit that business within two hours. If you are still relying solely on foot traffic in the digital age, your customers are passing you by.
To discover how local dentists grow their foot traffic with SEO tactics, keep reading.
Focus on Your Why
First, let’s discuss why you do what you do.
When you perform a search for Family Dentist Fishers IN, for example, you’ll get a page full of options.
What sets the top three practices apart? Why would a customer choose one over the other? If each dentist is a medical practitioner, what makes them unique?
What will set them apart is the culture and story of their business. Shared values are what builds relationships with customers.
People want to work with a brand they can trust and relate to. Your website, content, and marketing efforts should all reflect your brand values. It informs everything from the photos you choose to the way you treat your customers.
To find the ‘why’ of your business, consider these three questions:
- What are the issues facing your target market and what are their values?
- What do you stand for?
- What are the specific services you offer?
When you have identified these create a mission statement to display on your website. Then, be consistent and honest in your implementation.
Keywords
A popular way to draw customers to your blog and rank high in Google is to create content. This is called content marketing. Videos, podcasts, and blogs fall under this category. To create quality content, you will use words your target customers are searching for.
Video and audio are on the rise but blogging is still the most popular content method for websites. To find what your audience is searching for, use tools like Google Trends or Ranking Check.
When looking at keywords, consider user intent. User intent is the reasoning behind a search. For example, if the keyword is ‘teeth whitening’ they may be looking to hire a dentist. Words like ‘teeth whitening DIY’ however, are not going to land the customer in your chair.
The intent behind the words will help you wade through thousands of keywords.
Use keywords in bios and on service pages also. This will improve your ranking in search results. Avoid keyword stuffing. Doing so will negatively impact your website.
Google My Business Listing
Your GMB listing is the first thing customers see about your business on the map. It’s a completely free profile offered by Google to improve customer searches.
When creating your profile, you can choose one primary category and up to five secondary ones. You should choose every category for your practice that applies. From there, you can add a blurb about your business.
The blurb is where you want to stick the brand statement you created from your ‘why’.
Also, encourage your customers to leave reviews. The more positive reviews you have, the better your search ranking. Post positive reviews on your site.
Respond to all reviews quickly. Seeing how you handle issues creates more trust among future customers.
How to Rank High Among Local Dentists
A strong SEO strategy will transform your business. The key is to stick with it. Climbing the Google search engine ranks is generally at least a year-long endeavor. You can start to see the results in 4-6 months depending on the competitiveness of your market.
Create content for your customers and the services you offer. Your clients are more willing to stick around for a brand they can relate to.
When they are served as happy customers, encourage them to leave reviews. This will help you rank better in Google search results.
Click here to discover more ways local dentists can grow with SEO.
