Orthodontists specialize in using devices and technologies that can permanently improve the position of your teeth. Their services can help correct issues, ease pain, and create a more beautiful smile. With time, the right care can bring long-term benefits for your health and wellness.
Just with orthodontia, local SEO (search engine optimization) can help garner significant long-term benefits for businesses. It can increase your brand exposure, drive traffic, and improve your clientele. In this article, we’ll discuss the ways local SEO for orthodontists can boost online visibility. Let’s get started!
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO refers to the process of improving search engine rankings and visibility in a local city or area. It provides a way for local businesses to effectively promote their business online to their local target market. In contrast, national SEO refers to targeting a broad, national audience – often with the use of high-volume search terms.
Local SEO is often more affordable than national and other large-scale SEO campaigns. You typically compete against other local businesses with similar sized companies and budgets. Some of the key aspects of an effective local SEO campaign include improving your website, optimizing your Google Business Profile, and creating an effective link building strategy. The combination of these strategies can help your website rank higher on Google Search and Maps.
Reasons Why Orthodontists Need Local SEO
It’s a low-cost, high ROI marketing strategy to help orthodontists and practices achieve success through improved visibility. Here are a few key reasons why local SEO for orthodontists is important:
Provides a Local Marketing Solution
Local SEO provides local marketing solutions for local orthodontists. With orthodontic care, it’s extremely probable that clients receive in-person care, at a local office. In turn, this provides a huge opportunity for orthodontists to expand their business through local SEO. If you want to reach a specific area within your region, SEO provides precise targeting to promote your services.
Improves Traffic and Phone Calls
Orthodontists often rely on word-of-mouth and referral marketing to grow their business. Although this may work for some practices, having a reliable stream of new prospective clients provides a safe way to grow. Local SEO helps improve the amount of both website traffic phone calls your orthodontic practice receives.
When your potential customers need orthodontic services, it’s likely they will take their search to the internet. With an effective local SEO strategy, customers should be able to find your orthodontic practice online. Once they type in keywords like “invisalign near me” or “orthodontic office”, your business’ information should appear. Individuals will often look at both the organic (non-paid) search results and the local map pack. This can result in more visibility for your business, improved website traffic, and increased phone calls.
Long-Term Success
It’s typical for orthodontists to attend years of dental school to build a solid career. With much opportunity in the industry, It’s likely they’re in a career for the long term. In turn, it’s important your practice utilizes a solid, long-term marketing strategy to grow and sustain your long-term business. An effective local SEO strategy can take some time to see results but there are significant benefits in the long run. Once you reach the top of Search and Maps, with some maintenance, your orthodontic practice is there to stay. Local SEO is a perfect way to grow your business and turn a career into the dream job.
Local SEO for Orthodontists: 5 Strategies to Boost Your Online Visibility
1. Optimize your Website for Local Search
Create localized website content along with an easy-to-use layout that both customers and search engines can easily understand.
It’s best to create “location” website pages that include the target service areas for your orthodontic practice. Within those website pages, include the target location within the metadata and the website copy (text). For example, if your orthodontic practice is in San Marcos CA, you could create a “areas served” page titled “San Marcos”. This will help search engines easily understand which areas you service. In turn, this helps you rank higher within the SERPs (search engine result pages).
Within your main navigation bar, consider adding a “Locations” or “Areas Served” menu option. You can link your newly created location pages underneath this menu tab. Additionally, it’s best SEO practice to always list your NAP (name, address, and phone number) on your website.
These different strategies will optimize your website for local search – boosting your online visibility.
2. Create a User-Friendly Website Experience
Once you have an optimized website for local search, it’s important to create and maintain a user-friendly experience. UX (user experience) continues to be a focus in recent search engine algorithm updates. Edit your website so it includes easy-to-understand information about your business. Use engaging text and colors on your website that will look great on both desktop and mobile. Ensure your contact information is accessible so customers can easily contact you. Your website design, layout, and content should be the cornerstone of your digital marketing strategy.
3. Verify and Improve your Google Business Profile
One of the most important strategies you can use to boost your visibility is to verify and optimize your Google Business Profile. Google Business Profile is a free service that is designed to help individuals find local businesses within their geographic area. If you want your orthodontic business to show up on Google Maps or within the Local Map Pack, verifying and optimizing a profile is essential.
It’s great for your overall strategy, and can easily make a quick impact for your orthodontic practice. Business Profiles are often the first thing when users perform a search on Google. Once they see your business profile, they can easily visit your website or make a call. Overall, it provides a great opportunity to improve your visibility at a very small cost.
4. Gather Quality Reviews
Positive customer reviews can make the world of difference for your practice. According to a recent study, 86% of individuals choose a dentist based specifically on their reviews. It’s critical for your business to gather quality, positive reviews so that your website traffic will convert into actual customers.
Use review sites like Google, Facebook, and Healthgrades to help inform customers what your practice is all about. This ensures your potential customers see great information about your practice across the board. In addition, Google reviews can also help improve your business profile rankings. It’s one of the most important factors that Google considers when displaying local results. The combination of great reviews with great SEO should result in a winning formula for your orthodontic practice.
5. Build a Backlink Strategy
Along with onsite content and business profile optimizations, it’s important to build a solid backlink strategy. Backlinks refer to when another website links back to your website within their site content. It helps establish E-A-T (expertise, trust, and authority) for your orthodontic website, helping to improve online rankings. Also referred to as “link-building”, it’s a process that can take time but can reap significant benefits.
One of the best places to start for your backlink strategy is to list your business online on directories. Start listing your practice on sites like Healthgrades or ADA to position yourself as a trusted source of information. As you incorporate backlinks and local listings into your local SEO strategy, it will help position you as a trusted business within your local industry.
Grow with greatinflux’s Local SEO Services
If you don’t have a local SEO strategy in place for your orthodontic practice, start the process of creating one today! greatinflux offers top-notch local marketing services to help your orthodontic practice grow. We offer the following digital marketing services to help you further improve your strategy:
With over 20 years of marketing experience in the dental industry, you can trust our team to help boost your online visibility.
