Making the most of an SEO strategy in order to augment the volume of traffic to a site that in turn will boost its SERP ranking is always easier said than done. Regardless of the profession, you’re in, you’d have to be tech-savvy to an extent to take advantage of search engine optimization techniques for the purpose of making your site visible to the web world. And this assertion holds true for all categories of medical professionals including dentists.
Many dentists and orthodontists have of late been surprised and alarmed that their dental SEO strategies are not fetching the returns they once did. In fact, these professionals who once were able to rope in many new clients by milking their dentist SEO strategy have witnessed a sharp drop in the number of patients visiting their chambers. These dentists may not be aware that Google, the world’s most popular search engine has always done its bit for maintaining the effectiveness of its website ranking algorithms.
So, if a dentist adopts unscrupulous means for boosting his dental SEO site’s ranking, Google will penalize him by de-indexing his website. Or, if he hires a webmaster that follows unethical practices like buying questionable links or uploading some other site’s blog posts, his portal might be removed from Google’s servers. So, as a dentist what steps can you take to prevent your website being delisted from the search engine’s ranking pages, and breathe life back into your profession?
1. Register your site on Google My Business
If you want more people or patients to schedule an appointment via your site, you’d obviously have to make the portal more visible across the social media platforms. So, the first dental SEO tip would be to get your site registered with Google My Business and with other search engines like Bing or Yahoo. Fill up all the blanks in the questionnaire page and ensure that the info you provide is correct and appropriate.
At the same time, keep your listing page consistently updated with any changes you make in your practice.
2. Seek testimonials and reviews
Positive reviews are essential for gaining the trust of potential clients and also for making the dentist SEO more target-oriented. Don’t feel shy about requesting your patients to post a testimonial or feedback about the quality of service they received at your chamber.
3. Don’t chase keywords that everybody else will
Dental SEO like other search engine optimization strategies is significantly about tempering web page content with keywords. It doesn’t need to be emphasized that businesses and online marketing strategists will use those keywords that are relevant in their respective commercial segments. So, most dentist SEO sites will be chasing generic keywords like ‘dentist’ or ‘dentists in New York City’. If you wish to attract relevant traffic, use keywords specific to your practice. For instance, if your dental clinic is located in the Williamsburg locality of Brooklyn, NYC then use the keyword ‘dentist in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC’.
4. Upload information very specific to your practice
You or your site rather has a better chance of attracting more traffic, niche traffic that is, if you list very specific info regarding your practice. If you excel in providing Invisalign and porcelain implants, then include this info at the top of your listing.
5. Be consistent regarding NAP consistency
Make sure that your chamber’s name, geographical address, and phone or contact numbers are identical everywhere on the web.
6. Write a blog post and update it regularly
Having a page dedicated to blog posts offers you a competitive edge. Write an informative blog about your practice and refresh it periodically.
7. Make your site smartphone friendly
You can bet that majority of your patients got in touch with you after searching on the net via their smartphones. Make your dental SEO site smartphone-friendly.