As a dentist you have an enormous customer base, every single person out there is a potential customer. Link building can be your key to reaching them all as part of a comprehensive dental marketing strategy. It will help you rank higher in search engines and attract more customers.
Let me give you an idea of how big your customer base could be if you use link building.
Dental Statistics.
What You Will Learn in This Article• Dental SEO boosts visibility: Optimize your dental website to increase its exposure in search engine results, making it easier for potential customers to find your clinic online. • Link building enhances credibility: Get quality backlinks to build your website’s authority and credibility, attracting more relevant traffic and future clients. • SEO drives traffic: Employ SEO strategies such as optimizing for local keywords, networking with other professionals, and sponsoring local events to help improve your clinic’s ranking in searches and attract more patients to your practice. |
With the population becoming more internet-savvy by the day, your future clients are just a stone’s throw away. When people need a dentist in their area, they usually reach for their phones, do a Google search, and type in something like ‘best dentists near me’ or ‘how to treat tooth impaction’ for more info.
When people need a dentist in their area they reach for their phones, do a Google search and type in something like ‘best dentists near me’ or ‘how to treat tooth impaction’ to get more info.
Most times they’ll just click on the first website that shows up in the search results and ignore the others.
If you’re not seeing many people visiting your dental office website, booking appointments using an online scheduling app, or coming back for follow-ups, it might be time to call an SEO specialist to look into it.
What is Dental SEO?🦷
So you have your dental site up and running; how do you get the word out?
Dental SEO, or search engine optimization, is fine tuning your dental website so it shows up at the top when someone searches for dental services. By applying SEO to your site you’re building a strong defence against competitors stealing your patients.
Google search for ‘dentist in dallas’
SEO can get your website to the top of Google SERPs for dental keywords so you can attract customers fairly and square!
In simpler terms when your website is optimised for SEO getting noticed for popular searches like ‘dentists near me’, ‘dental office’ and ‘dental implant in < GEO>’ is a breeze.
Benefits of Link Building for Dentists
Having a good dental clinic is one thing but how do you become easily discoverable online? Let’s talk about why dental website link building is important:
- Stay Ahead in the Dental Game: Effective link building gives your website an edge so patients can find you among the competition.
- Trust is Key: Quality backlinks from reputable sources help build trust with potential patients and establish you as a top-notch dental provider.
Benefits of link building for dentists.
3. Drive Relevant Traffic: More quality links means more future patients landing on your site and more chances of converting leads into loyal patients.
4. Rule Local Dental Searches: Get higher in local searches so locals turn to you when they need dental care.
5. Strong Backlinks: Strong links can lead to partnerships or referrals from other dentists and expand your patient base.
In short, dental website link building is the digital backbone of a successful dental practice. When done right you’ll see your clinic boom like never before.
SEO Factors Affecting the Rankings of Your Dental Website🏆
When it comes to ranking a website, Google takes into account various SEO factors. Search engine crawlers play a crucial role in this process by ‘reading’ your website. Ensuring your site is easy for search engine crawlers to navigate can significantly boost your dentistry SEO practices and improve user experience (UX).
On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization is the foundation of your dental website. It’s about making sure your site’s content, titles and descriptions are clear and relevant to what people are searching for.
On-page SEO factors
When your on-page SEO is optimised, search engines can understand what your website is about. This clarity makes it more likely for other websites to link back to yours because they can see you’re a trusted and authoritative source of information.
This is how your site gets crawled and indexed by Google:
When you put a sitemap on Google’s Search Console (or if you don’t have one Google’s bots will find you through other means), they go through your page and then add it to their index.
While they’re indexing Google’s algorithm tries to understand what your content is about. This helps it to categorise your content in its massive knowledge graph and show it to users when they search for related topics.
How Google builds its search index.
For you, this means Google’s algorithm can see your site is about dentistry based on your content and metadata.
The more relevant your content and metadata appears to Google’s bot, the better chance your site and its pages will rank higher in search results.
Establishing E.E.A.T. Authority for YMYL Site🎯
E.E.A.T and YMYL.
Google’s Medic update in 2018 targeted sites in the YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) industry to improve the quality and trustworthiness of the information presented to users through these sites.
There have been cases where people got into trouble by following steps from average health websites that ranked high on Google. That’s why Google emphasizes following the E.E.A.T. guidelines for any site in the YMYL category (Your Money, Your Life).
YMYL sites impact users’ health, wellness, life and financial security. To rank higher these sites must demonstrate the highest level of expertise, authority and trustworthiness.
YMYL Topics.
Since your dental website falls into this category, I strongly suggest optimizing on-site factors such as author bios, team profiles, about us sections, and awards to showcase your credibility. These should be prominently displayed across the site where necessary.
Link Building Strategies for Dental Care Websites📊
Since your dental website falls into this category I highly recommend optimising on-site factors such as author bios, team profiles, about us sections and awards to show your credibility. These should be displayed prominently across the site where necessary.
Here are some effective link building techniques not to overlook:
Guest Post on Dental Topics✍️
For those dedicated to dental well-being, informative articles can act as a bridge connecting curious readers with skilled dentists.
As a dentist, you’re not just educating a wider audience when you share your expertise on respected dental or health platforms. You’re also guiding them back to your clinic through valuable links and boosting your online presence.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Find Your Targets: Explore popular dental or health blogs, forums, or websites that welcome guest contributions. Make sure they have an established readership and a solid reputation.
- Pitch Your Ideas: With your list ready, approach these platforms with topic suggestions. Customize each pitch to the platform’s ethos.
Do’s and don’ts of blogging for businesses. Source: The Small biz expert
3. Prioritise Quality: Focus on delivering real expertise when writing your piece. Whether it’s the latest dental news or tips for preventative care, make sure it’s valuable to the reader.
4. Add Relevant Links: Include links to relevant content on your website so they enhance the reader’s journey.
By providing high-quality content, you get valuable backlinks and strengthen your position in the dental community.
Guest posts can be very beneficial to attract referral traffic, however, it is not an easy process. A Reddit user has perfectly summed up the pros and cons of guest posting in his post:
What are the benefits and challenges of using guest posting as a link building tactic?
byu/jennithomas321 inclientseo
Local Dental Directory Listings
Dental directories are tools for dental SEO by increasing online visibility and credibility through local listings. Optimizing your Google Business Profile can also significantly improve your search result rankings, especially for local healthcare businesses.
Here are the steps and tips to optimise your local listings:
- Research Reputable Directories: Start by finding local dental or health directories. I recommend targeting those with a good reputation and active users in your country.
- Be Accurate: When listing your clinic make sure to be detailed. Ensure your clinic’s name, address, phone number and opening hours are consistent across all directories.
Registering with local directories.
- Add the Personal Touch: In addition to the basics include patient reviews, high quality images of your clinic and a brief summary of your services. This will give potential patients a better understanding of what you offer.
- Stay Up to Date: Review and update your listings regularly. Keeping your listing current and accurate is crucial whether it’s changes to your opening hours or new services.
By listing your clinic in local dental directories you’re increasing your online visibility and making it easier for local patients to find your practice.
Tip: A Twitter user shares a useful insight on how to know how many citations your business should have:
2. Build citations and directory links for the business in city-wide directories listing businesses, niche-relevant directories, etc.
He doesn’t say how many, but you can look in BrightLocal to find out how many citations your competitors have. Just beat that number.
— Matt Edward | Local SEO | Niche Sites (@mattedwardseo) February 17, 2023
Networking is Key🌐
Networking is the key to getting valuable backlinks. By partnering with dental associations you get access to a network of professionals, educational resources and a platform to showcase your expertise.
One of the simplest ways to do it is by attending relevant conferences, seminars and workshops to connect with others in your niche. A Reddit user has explained simple steps he took to widen his SEO network:
Find associations that match your speciality, whether local or national. Approach them with clear proposals such as contributing to publications or offering member only services. Participate in events, discussions and community activities to maintain an active partnership.
Patient Testimonials and Reviews😊📝
Patient testimonials are endorsements for the quality of your services. By simply asking your happy patients to share their experience on different platforms you’re building a real endorsement network that resonates with future patients.
Source: Wyzowl.
Find health and dental review sites that your potential patients visit that are popular in your area. After treatments or consultations ask your patients to share their experience on these platforms. A gentle nudge follow up email with a link to the review page can go a long way.
Tip: Be sure to interact with the testimonials, whether positive or negative!
Sponsorships and Donations💸
Consider sponsoring events or donating to local charities. You can sponsor dental events, church organisations, NGOs or homeless shelters.
If sponsoring an entire event is too pricey for you, you can contribute by donating something to an event or local charity, such as free check-ups, consultations or oral health products. This will get you backlinks for your dental business while supporting your community.
Source: Globex Outreach.
Finding sponsorship and donation opportunities in your neighborhood is easier than you might think. For example, if you live in Virginia, you can search for terms like ‘Virginia donors,’ ‘Virginia sponsors,’ and ‘Virginia donations’ to explore opportunities in your area.
Create Quality Content
When you create content people want to share and find useful, you’ll naturally attract inbound links without extra effort. This could be videos answering common dental questions, helpful blog posts, tips for oral hygiene, updates on new dental tech, interesting infographics or dental news.
Example of a Dental Blog.
Once you’re confident your content is valuable, share it through email newsletters, social media and ads. This will increase your chances of getting more backlinks.
Collecting .edu Links
We all know that websites with a .edu extension (think universities, dental colleges etc.) have higher domain authority. This is because they’re seen as trusted sources of scholarly information.
So, if you want your content or work shared on .edu domains, create instructional and informative content that appeals to academic institutions. You can also build links by providing scholarships to dental university students.
Consider giving a speech or lecture at a university and include a backlink on any promotional material. You could also lend a hand to students who are posting research findings or articles on their campus website. Just make sure they link back to your practice’s website.
Interested in how SEO can boost other local businesses like financial firms? Don’t miss our detailed guide on SEO for Financial Advisors.
Why Collaborating with Influencers is a Game-Changer for Your Dental SEO: My Hot TakeInfluencers are all the hype these days. Fortunately or unfortunately, people value influencers’ opinions, which could be leveraged in your favor.
Beauty pageants frequently have influencers as participants, and a perfect smile is often a must-have. Collaborate with renowned pageants and their participants by offering complimentary services to get your name out there and showcase your expertise. Tip: Don’t hesitate to ask influencers to share your content with their followers. This approach will drive more traffic to your website and expand your reach. |
Final Thoughts
As dental professionals, your potential customer base is vast, with every person a potential new patient. Effective link building can improve your rankings on SERPs (search engine results page) and attract a larger audience.
With the population increasingly turning to online searches for dental services, using digital marketing tactics and optimizing your website for SEO and employing strategic link building techniques are essential for staying competitive and expanding your practice.
FAQs
1. What is Dental SEO and why is it important for my dental practice?
Dental SEO refers to optimizing your dental website to appear higher in search engine results when people search for dental services online. It’s important for your dental practice because it helps potential patients find your website easily, increases visibility among competitors, and ultimately drives more traffic to your clinic.
2. How does link building benefit my dental clinic’s online presence?
Link building is essential for enhancing your dental clinic’s digital presence in several ways. It helps improve your website’s authority and credibility, attracts more relevant traffic, increases visibility in search engine results, and can lead to partnerships or referrals from other dental professionals.
3. What are some effective strategies for improving my dental website’s ranking in local searches?
To improve your dental website’s ranking in local searches, you can employ various local SEO strategies such as optimizing your website’s content and metadata for local keywords, networking with other dental professionals and organizations, encouraging patient testimonials and reviews, sponsoring local events or charities, collaborating with influencers, and creating high-quality content that resonates with your local audience.
