If You’re Asking; Patients Can’t Find Your Practice Online.
You need to fix a your sink drain. It’s been on your to-do list for a while, and your partner keeps nagging you about it. Where’s the first place you go?
Google.
You search for a ‘plumber near you’, or if you’re particularly dandy, “how to fix a sink drain”.
Now what if I told you that there is a patient going through that exact process right now for their next dental appointment.
Monthly, there are 3.4 million searches for a dentist on Google, and over 1 million searches for dental clinics. If your practice isn't showing up prominently in those first search results, you're effectively invisible. That means no new patients. Ouch!
A smart digital marketing strategy, powered by expert Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is the best way to consistent patient growth for any dental practice. It's a long-term investment, but one that delivers truly exceptional and lasting returns.
How Successful Dental Clinics Attract New Patients: It's Online, Always.
We consistently see top dentists struggle to fill their appointment schedule. The reason? Intense competition and a fundamental shift in patient behaviour. Your practice needs to instantly appear for searches like "dental cleaning near me" or "dental crowns near me." Without that visibility, you're losing potential new patients daily, regardless of your clinical excellence.
And while lots of 5-star patient reviews help (tremendously in fact), they are still only a part of the picture. One dental clinic we worked with had over 600 5-star reviews and far outpacing their competition, but was over the 20th place rank on Google Maps.
The reason? Poor specialized dental SEO.
Patients make decisions in seconds, based on what they find online. A practice that ranks high on Google, with a professional website, instantly earns trust. If your dental practice isn't visible, your competitors are. A search like "dentist near me" sends patients elsewhere if you're not there. This is the reality today.
SEO vs. Google Ads: Understanding the Core Difference
While both SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Google Ads (Paid Search) aim to get your dental practice found on Google, they operate fundamentally differently and serve distinct purposes for a dental clinic. Understanding this distinction is crucial for your marketing budget.
Google Ads (Paid Search):
Google Ads work by allowing you to bid on keywords to display targeted ads to your ideal customers, aiming to drive more of your ideal patients to your website. If set up effectively, Google Ads can provide more conversions in the short term, however, the cost to run ads can add up quickly.
Think of Google Ads as renting a penthouse apartment with a stunning view.
As long as you pay the high monthly rent, you get immediate access to a prime location, incredible visibility, and all the benefits that come with it. It allows you to experience a premium result today. But the moment you stop paying rent, you're out, and you have zero equity to show for all the money you spent.
In technicality, that means Google Ads works as follows:
Immediate Visibility: Your ads can appear at the very top of Google search results almost instantly. It's like renting a prime billboard spot online.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC): You pay every time someone clicks on your ad. This can lead to high costs, especially for competitive dental keywords.
For example; “Invisalign” costs ~$24/click
Temporary: As soon as your budget runs out or you stop paying, your ads disappear, and so does the traffic. It's a "faucet" – turn it off, and the water stops.
Direct Targeting: Excellent for highly specific services that you want to bring revenue forward on.
SEO (Organic Search):
Unlike paid ads, SEO works over time by building authority and brand power for your website. It involves the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in organic (non-paid) search results, making it more visible to users searching for relevant information or services.
To go back to the real-estate analogy: SEO is like building your own house. It takes much longer and a lot of hard work, but eventually, you own an asset that provides value even when you're not actively working on it.
Earned Visibility: SEO is about earning your spot at the top of search results through website quality, relevance, and authority. It's like owning the prime piece of real estate.
Long-Term Investment: Results take time (months) but accumulate. Once you rank well, that visibility is sustained without direct per-click costs.
Credibility & Trust: Patients often view organic results as more trustworthy than ads, recognizing they are "earned" positions, not paid. This builds stronger long-term patient relationships.
Note: in Canada, only 2.8% of people say they click on paid advertisements.
Sustainable Traffic: Once established, organic traffic is essentially free and continuous. A well-optimized blog post can attract patients for years.
Now what if we told you that, just like a house, you can pay to have your SEO built for you.
That's where DentalRx comes in: Your Dental SEO Specialist.
Think of us as your specialist architect and master construction crew, exclusively for dental practices. You wouldn't see a general practitioner performing a hip replacement, so why trust a general marketing agency to build your practice's most critical asset?
When you partner with DentalRx, you're not doing the work yourself. You're commissioning the construction of a custom-built home on the most valuable street on the internet: the first page of Google.
Here’s how we do it:
The Blueprint: We start with a deep analysis of your local market and ideal patient, creating a strategic blueprint for your practice's success. This is our keyword research and competitive analysis.
The Solid Foundation: We ensure your website is technically sound, fast, and mobile-friendly, meeting Google's strict building codes. This is your technical SEO.
The Framework & Walls: We build out your website with high-quality, authoritative content that answers your patients' questions—individual pages on implants, Invisalign, teeth whitening, emergency services. This establishes you as the expert.
The Curb Appeal & Landscaping: We perfect your local presence, optimizing your Google Business Profile, building citations, and managing your online reviews to make your practice the most attractive choice for local patients.
The result? You're not invisible anymore. You’ll own an asset. A prime piece of digital real estate that appreciates over time, generating a steady stream of new patient appointments on autopilot.
For the DIY Dentist: How to Improve Dental SEO
For the dandy dentist who wants to get their hands dirty, this is for you. SEO isn't magic; it's a series of deliberate, logical steps. Here is your checklist for building a powerful foundation.
1. Master Your Local SEO: The #1 Priority
If you do nothing else, do this. Local search is how patients find you.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP): This is your digital front door.
How-To: Log in to your Google Business Profile and fill out every single field.
Name: Your exact practice name.
Address: Your exact, verifiable address.
Phone: Your primary, local phone number.
Categories: This is critical. Your primary category should be "Dentist" or "Dental Clinic." Add secondary categories like "Cosmetic Dentist," "Pediatric Dentist," or "Emergency Dental Service" if applicable.
Services: List every service you offer, from cleanings to complex surgeries.
Photos: Upload high-quality, recent photos of your office (interior and exterior), your team, and your technology.
Reviews: Actively ask every happy patient for a Google review. Respond to every review, good or bad.
There is also software like MaxAssist that can automate this process.
Ensure NAP Consistency:
What it is: Your Name, Address, and Phone number.
How-To: Make sure this information is 100% identical across your website, your GBP, Yelp, Facebook, and any other online directory. No variations like "St." vs "Street" or "Suite 100" vs "#100". Inconsistencies confuse Google and hurt your ranking.
2. Fortify Your On-Page SEO: The Service Pages
This is how you tell Google what your website is about.
Create Dedicated Service Pages: Don't list all your services on one page. Create a separate, detailed page for each core service (e.g., Dental Implants, Invisalign, Teeth Whitening, Root Canals).
Optimize Page Titles (Title Tags): This is the blue link that shows up in Google search results.
How-To Formula: Primary Service + in + City | Practice Name
Example: Dental Implants in Vancouver | Main Street Dental
Write Compelling Meta Descriptions: This is the short text under the blue Title link on Google.
How-To: Write 1-2 sentences describing the service and include a call to action.
Example: "Restore your smile with permanent dental implants from Main Street Dental in Vancouver. Learn about our process and financing options. Book a consultation today!"
* Try to strike a balance between optimizing for the words you are trying to rank for (like Implants in Vancouver) and user experience (how it reads)
Use Header Tags Logically: Structure your content like a report.
H1 (The Title): Only one H1 per page. It should be the main topic (e.g., "Affordable Dental Implants in Vancouver").
H2s (Sub-headings): Use these for main sections (e.g., "What Are Dental Implants?", "The Dental Implant Process", "Cost of Implants").
H3s (Sub-sub-headings): Use these for further detail within an H2 section.
3. Solidify Your Technical SEO: The Website's Foundation
This ensures Google can easily find, crawl, and understand your site.
Check Your Site Speed: A slow site will kill your rankings.
How-To: Use Google's PageSpeed Insights tool. Enter your website URL. It will give you a score and specific recommendations for improvement (e.g., "compress images").
Be Mobile-Friendly: Most patients search on their phones.
How-To: Use Google's Lighthouse Tool. Your site must be easy to read and navigate on a small screen. One thing we like to do as a quick check is drag the edge of your browser screen to the minimum width to emulate a phone screen size.
Use HTTPS: Your site must be secure.
How-To: Look at your URL. It should start with https://, not http://. If not, contact your web developer to install an SSL certificate. Google flags non-secure sites.
Implement Schema Markup: Speak Google's Language
What it is: Schema markup is code you add to your website to give search engines more detailed information about your practice. Think of it as a virtual business card that explicitly tells Google you're a dentist, where you're located, your hours, and what services you offer.
How-To: Use the
Dentistschema type. You can use a free tool like Schema.org's generator to create the code. Include your NAP, business hours, and a link to your logo. Ask your web developer to add this code to the<head>section of your website. You can validate it using Google's Rich Results Test.
If that all sounds like a lot of work, it’s because it is! But the results are worth it.
If you would like to skip the work and technical-debt, feel free to book a call with us. We’ll help review all the areas you can improve on, and even fix some of them (for free) during our call!
If You’re Asking; Patients Can’t Find Your Practice Online.
You need to fix a your sink drain. It’s been on your to-do list for a while, and your partner keeps nagging you about it. Where’s the first place you go?
Google.
You search for a ‘plumber near you’, or if you’re particularly dandy, “how to fix a sink drain”.
Now what if I told you that there is a patient going through that exact process right now for their next dental appointment.
Monthly, there are 3.4 million searches for a dentist on Google, and over 1 million searches for dental clinics. If your practice isn't showing up prominently in those first search results, you're effectively invisible. That means no new patients. Ouch!
A smart digital marketing strategy, powered by expert Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is the best way to consistent patient growth for any dental practice. It's a long-term investment, but one that delivers truly exceptional and lasting returns.
How Successful Dental Clinics Attract New Patients: It's Online, Always.
We consistently see top dentists struggle to fill their appointment schedule. The reason? Intense competition and a fundamental shift in patient behaviour. Your practice needs to instantly appear for searches like "dental cleaning near me" or "dental crowns near me." Without that visibility, you're losing potential new patients daily, regardless of your clinical excellence.
And while lots of 5-star patient reviews help (tremendously in fact), they are still only a part of the picture. One dental clinic we worked with had over 600 5-star reviews and far outpacing their competition, but was over the 20th place rank on Google Maps.
The reason? Poor specialized dental SEO.
Patients make decisions in seconds, based on what they find online. A practice that ranks high on Google, with a professional website, instantly earns trust. If your dental practice isn't visible, your competitors are. A search like "dentist near me" sends patients elsewhere if you're not there. This is the reality today.
SEO vs. Google Ads: Understanding the Core Difference
While both SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Google Ads (Paid Search) aim to get your dental practice found on Google, they operate fundamentally differently and serve distinct purposes for a dental clinic. Understanding this distinction is crucial for your marketing budget.
Google Ads (Paid Search):
Google Ads work by allowing you to bid on keywords to display targeted ads to your ideal customers, aiming to drive more of your ideal patients to your website. If set up effectively, Google Ads can provide more conversions in the short term, however, the cost to run ads can add up quickly.
Think of Google Ads as renting a penthouse apartment with a stunning view.
As long as you pay the high monthly rent, you get immediate access to a prime location, incredible visibility, and all the benefits that come with it. It allows you to experience a premium result today. But the moment you stop paying rent, you're out, and you have zero equity to show for all the money you spent.
In technicality, that means Google Ads works as follows:
Immediate Visibility: Your ads can appear at the very top of Google search results almost instantly. It's like renting a prime billboard spot online.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC): You pay every time someone clicks on your ad. This can lead to high costs, especially for competitive dental keywords.
For example; “Invisalign” costs ~$24/click
Temporary: As soon as your budget runs out or you stop paying, your ads disappear, and so does the traffic. It's a "faucet" – turn it off, and the water stops.
Direct Targeting: Excellent for highly specific services that you want to bring revenue forward on.
SEO (Organic Search):
Unlike paid ads, SEO works over time by building authority and brand power for your website. It involves the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in organic (non-paid) search results, making it more visible to users searching for relevant information or services.
To go back to the real-estate analogy: SEO is like building your own house. It takes much longer and a lot of hard work, but eventually, you own an asset that provides value even when you're not actively working on it.
Earned Visibility: SEO is about earning your spot at the top of search results through website quality, relevance, and authority. It's like owning the prime piece of real estate.
Long-Term Investment: Results take time (months) but accumulate. Once you rank well, that visibility is sustained without direct per-click costs.
Credibility & Trust: Patients often view organic results as more trustworthy than ads, recognizing they are "earned" positions, not paid. This builds stronger long-term patient relationships.
Note: in Canada, only 2.8% of people say they click on paid advertisements.
Sustainable Traffic: Once established, organic traffic is essentially free and continuous. A well-optimized blog post can attract patients for years.
Now what if we told you that, just like a house, you can pay to have your SEO built for you.
That's where DentalRx comes in: Your Dental SEO Specialist.
Think of us as your specialist architect and master construction crew, exclusively for dental practices. You wouldn't see a general practitioner performing a hip replacement, so why trust a general marketing agency to build your practice's most critical asset?
When you partner with DentalRx, you're not doing the work yourself. You're commissioning the construction of a custom-built home on the most valuable street on the internet: the first page of Google.
Here’s how we do it:
The Blueprint: We start with a deep analysis of your local market and ideal patient, creating a strategic blueprint for your practice's success. This is our keyword research and competitive analysis.
The Solid Foundation: We ensure your website is technically sound, fast, and mobile-friendly, meeting Google's strict building codes. This is your technical SEO.
The Framework & Walls: We build out your website with high-quality, authoritative content that answers your patients' questions—individual pages on implants, Invisalign, teeth whitening, emergency services. This establishes you as the expert.
The Curb Appeal & Landscaping: We perfect your local presence, optimizing your Google Business Profile, building citations, and managing your online reviews to make your practice the most attractive choice for local patients.
The result? You're not invisible anymore. You’ll own an asset. A prime piece of digital real estate that appreciates over time, generating a steady stream of new patient appointments on autopilot.
For the DIY Dentist: How to Improve Dental SEO
For the dandy dentist who wants to get their hands dirty, this is for you. SEO isn't magic; it's a series of deliberate, logical steps. Here is your checklist for building a powerful foundation.
1. Master Your Local SEO: The #1 Priority
If you do nothing else, do this. Local search is how patients find you.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP): This is your digital front door.
How-To: Log in to your Google Business Profile and fill out every single field.
Name: Your exact practice name.
Address: Your exact, verifiable address.
Phone: Your primary, local phone number.
Categories: This is critical. Your primary category should be "Dentist" or "Dental Clinic." Add secondary categories like "Cosmetic Dentist," "Pediatric Dentist," or "Emergency Dental Service" if applicable.
Services: List every service you offer, from cleanings to complex surgeries.
Photos: Upload high-quality, recent photos of your office (interior and exterior), your team, and your technology.
Reviews: Actively ask every happy patient for a Google review. Respond to every review, good or bad.
There is also software like MaxAssist that can automate this process.
Ensure NAP Consistency:
What it is: Your Name, Address, and Phone number.
How-To: Make sure this information is 100% identical across your website, your GBP, Yelp, Facebook, and any other online directory. No variations like "St." vs "Street" or "Suite 100" vs "#100". Inconsistencies confuse Google and hurt your ranking.
2. Fortify Your On-Page SEO: The Service Pages
This is how you tell Google what your website is about.
Create Dedicated Service Pages: Don't list all your services on one page. Create a separate, detailed page for each core service (e.g., Dental Implants, Invisalign, Teeth Whitening, Root Canals).
Optimize Page Titles (Title Tags): This is the blue link that shows up in Google search results.
How-To Formula: Primary Service + in + City | Practice Name
Example: Dental Implants in Vancouver | Main Street Dental
Write Compelling Meta Descriptions: This is the short text under the blue Title link on Google.
How-To: Write 1-2 sentences describing the service and include a call to action.
Example: "Restore your smile with permanent dental implants from Main Street Dental in Vancouver. Learn about our process and financing options. Book a consultation today!"
* Try to strike a balance between optimizing for the words you are trying to rank for (like Implants in Vancouver) and user experience (how it reads)
Use Header Tags Logically: Structure your content like a report.
H1 (The Title): Only one H1 per page. It should be the main topic (e.g., "Affordable Dental Implants in Vancouver").
H2s (Sub-headings): Use these for main sections (e.g., "What Are Dental Implants?", "The Dental Implant Process", "Cost of Implants").
H3s (Sub-sub-headings): Use these for further detail within an H2 section.
3. Solidify Your Technical SEO: The Website's Foundation
This ensures Google can easily find, crawl, and understand your site.
Check Your Site Speed: A slow site will kill your rankings.
How-To: Use Google's PageSpeed Insights tool. Enter your website URL. It will give you a score and specific recommendations for improvement (e.g., "compress images").
Be Mobile-Friendly: Most patients search on their phones.
How-To: Use Google's Lighthouse Tool. Your site must be easy to read and navigate on a small screen. One thing we like to do as a quick check is drag the edge of your browser screen to the minimum width to emulate a phone screen size.
Use HTTPS: Your site must be secure.
How-To: Look at your URL. It should start with https://, not http://. If not, contact your web developer to install an SSL certificate. Google flags non-secure sites.
Implement Schema Markup: Speak Google's Language
What it is: Schema markup is code you add to your website to give search engines more detailed information about your practice. Think of it as a virtual business card that explicitly tells Google you're a dentist, where you're located, your hours, and what services you offer.
How-To: Use the
Dentistschema type. You can use a free tool like Schema.org's generator to create the code. Include your NAP, business hours, and a link to your logo. Ask your web developer to add this code to the<head>section of your website. You can validate it using Google's Rich Results Test.
If that all sounds like a lot of work, it’s because it is! But the results are worth it.
If you would like to skip the work and technical-debt, feel free to book a call with us. We’ll help review all the areas you can improve on, and even fix some of them (for free) during our call!
If You’re Asking; Patients Can’t Find Your Practice Online.
You need to fix a your sink drain. It’s been on your to-do list for a while, and your partner keeps nagging you about it. Where’s the first place you go?
Google.
You search for a ‘plumber near you’, or if you’re particularly dandy, “how to fix a sink drain”.
Now what if I told you that there is a patient going through that exact process right now for their next dental appointment.
Monthly, there are 3.4 million searches for a dentist on Google, and over 1 million searches for dental clinics. If your practice isn't showing up prominently in those first search results, you're effectively invisible. That means no new patients. Ouch!
A smart digital marketing strategy, powered by expert Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is the best way to consistent patient growth for any dental practice. It's a long-term investment, but one that delivers truly exceptional and lasting returns.
How Successful Dental Clinics Attract New Patients: It's Online, Always.
We consistently see top dentists struggle to fill their appointment schedule. The reason? Intense competition and a fundamental shift in patient behaviour. Your practice needs to instantly appear for searches like "dental cleaning near me" or "dental crowns near me." Without that visibility, you're losing potential new patients daily, regardless of your clinical excellence.
And while lots of 5-star patient reviews help (tremendously in fact), they are still only a part of the picture. One dental clinic we worked with had over 600 5-star reviews and far outpacing their competition, but was over the 20th place rank on Google Maps.
The reason? Poor specialized dental SEO.
Patients make decisions in seconds, based on what they find online. A practice that ranks high on Google, with a professional website, instantly earns trust. If your dental practice isn't visible, your competitors are. A search like "dentist near me" sends patients elsewhere if you're not there. This is the reality today.
SEO vs. Google Ads: Understanding the Core Difference
While both SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Google Ads (Paid Search) aim to get your dental practice found on Google, they operate fundamentally differently and serve distinct purposes for a dental clinic. Understanding this distinction is crucial for your marketing budget.
Google Ads (Paid Search):
Google Ads work by allowing you to bid on keywords to display targeted ads to your ideal customers, aiming to drive more of your ideal patients to your website. If set up effectively, Google Ads can provide more conversions in the short term, however, the cost to run ads can add up quickly.
Think of Google Ads as renting a penthouse apartment with a stunning view.
As long as you pay the high monthly rent, you get immediate access to a prime location, incredible visibility, and all the benefits that come with it. It allows you to experience a premium result today. But the moment you stop paying rent, you're out, and you have zero equity to show for all the money you spent.
In technicality, that means Google Ads works as follows:
Immediate Visibility: Your ads can appear at the very top of Google search results almost instantly. It's like renting a prime billboard spot online.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC): You pay every time someone clicks on your ad. This can lead to high costs, especially for competitive dental keywords.
For example; “Invisalign” costs ~$24/click
Temporary: As soon as your budget runs out or you stop paying, your ads disappear, and so does the traffic. It's a "faucet" – turn it off, and the water stops.
Direct Targeting: Excellent for highly specific services that you want to bring revenue forward on.
SEO (Organic Search):
Unlike paid ads, SEO works over time by building authority and brand power for your website. It involves the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in organic (non-paid) search results, making it more visible to users searching for relevant information or services.
To go back to the real-estate analogy: SEO is like building your own house. It takes much longer and a lot of hard work, but eventually, you own an asset that provides value even when you're not actively working on it.
Earned Visibility: SEO is about earning your spot at the top of search results through website quality, relevance, and authority. It's like owning the prime piece of real estate.
Long-Term Investment: Results take time (months) but accumulate. Once you rank well, that visibility is sustained without direct per-click costs.
Credibility & Trust: Patients often view organic results as more trustworthy than ads, recognizing they are "earned" positions, not paid. This builds stronger long-term patient relationships.
Note: in Canada, only 2.8% of people say they click on paid advertisements.
Sustainable Traffic: Once established, organic traffic is essentially free and continuous. A well-optimized blog post can attract patients for years.
Now what if we told you that, just like a house, you can pay to have your SEO built for you.
That's where DentalRx comes in: Your Dental SEO Specialist.
Think of us as your specialist architect and master construction crew, exclusively for dental practices. You wouldn't see a general practitioner performing a hip replacement, so why trust a general marketing agency to build your practice's most critical asset?
When you partner with DentalRx, you're not doing the work yourself. You're commissioning the construction of a custom-built home on the most valuable street on the internet: the first page of Google.
Here’s how we do it:
The Blueprint: We start with a deep analysis of your local market and ideal patient, creating a strategic blueprint for your practice's success. This is our keyword research and competitive analysis.
The Solid Foundation: We ensure your website is technically sound, fast, and mobile-friendly, meeting Google's strict building codes. This is your technical SEO.
The Framework & Walls: We build out your website with high-quality, authoritative content that answers your patients' questions—individual pages on implants, Invisalign, teeth whitening, emergency services. This establishes you as the expert.
The Curb Appeal & Landscaping: We perfect your local presence, optimizing your Google Business Profile, building citations, and managing your online reviews to make your practice the most attractive choice for local patients.
The result? You're not invisible anymore. You’ll own an asset. A prime piece of digital real estate that appreciates over time, generating a steady stream of new patient appointments on autopilot.
For the DIY Dentist: How to Improve Dental SEO
For the dandy dentist who wants to get their hands dirty, this is for you. SEO isn't magic; it's a series of deliberate, logical steps. Here is your checklist for building a powerful foundation.
1. Master Your Local SEO: The #1 Priority
If you do nothing else, do this. Local search is how patients find you.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP): This is your digital front door.
How-To: Log in to your Google Business Profile and fill out every single field.
Name: Your exact practice name.
Address: Your exact, verifiable address.
Phone: Your primary, local phone number.
Categories: This is critical. Your primary category should be "Dentist" or "Dental Clinic." Add secondary categories like "Cosmetic Dentist," "Pediatric Dentist," or "Emergency Dental Service" if applicable.
Services: List every service you offer, from cleanings to complex surgeries.
Photos: Upload high-quality, recent photos of your office (interior and exterior), your team, and your technology.
Reviews: Actively ask every happy patient for a Google review. Respond to every review, good or bad.
There is also software like MaxAssist that can automate this process.
Ensure NAP Consistency:
What it is: Your Name, Address, and Phone number.
How-To: Make sure this information is 100% identical across your website, your GBP, Yelp, Facebook, and any other online directory. No variations like "St." vs "Street" or "Suite 100" vs "#100". Inconsistencies confuse Google and hurt your ranking.
2. Fortify Your On-Page SEO: The Service Pages
This is how you tell Google what your website is about.
Create Dedicated Service Pages: Don't list all your services on one page. Create a separate, detailed page for each core service (e.g., Dental Implants, Invisalign, Teeth Whitening, Root Canals).
Optimize Page Titles (Title Tags): This is the blue link that shows up in Google search results.
How-To Formula: Primary Service + in + City | Practice Name
Example: Dental Implants in Vancouver | Main Street Dental
Write Compelling Meta Descriptions: This is the short text under the blue Title link on Google.
How-To: Write 1-2 sentences describing the service and include a call to action.
Example: "Restore your smile with permanent dental implants from Main Street Dental in Vancouver. Learn about our process and financing options. Book a consultation today!"
* Try to strike a balance between optimizing for the words you are trying to rank for (like Implants in Vancouver) and user experience (how it reads)
Use Header Tags Logically: Structure your content like a report.
H1 (The Title): Only one H1 per page. It should be the main topic (e.g., "Affordable Dental Implants in Vancouver").
H2s (Sub-headings): Use these for main sections (e.g., "What Are Dental Implants?", "The Dental Implant Process", "Cost of Implants").
H3s (Sub-sub-headings): Use these for further detail within an H2 section.
3. Solidify Your Technical SEO: The Website's Foundation
This ensures Google can easily find, crawl, and understand your site.
Check Your Site Speed: A slow site will kill your rankings.
How-To: Use Google's PageSpeed Insights tool. Enter your website URL. It will give you a score and specific recommendations for improvement (e.g., "compress images").
Be Mobile-Friendly: Most patients search on their phones.
How-To: Use Google's Lighthouse Tool. Your site must be easy to read and navigate on a small screen. One thing we like to do as a quick check is drag the edge of your browser screen to the minimum width to emulate a phone screen size.
Use HTTPS: Your site must be secure.
How-To: Look at your URL. It should start with https://, not http://. If not, contact your web developer to install an SSL certificate. Google flags non-secure sites.
Implement Schema Markup: Speak Google's Language
What it is: Schema markup is code you add to your website to give search engines more detailed information about your practice. Think of it as a virtual business card that explicitly tells Google you're a dentist, where you're located, your hours, and what services you offer.
How-To: Use the
Dentistschema type. You can use a free tool like Schema.org's generator to create the code. Include your NAP, business hours, and a link to your logo. Ask your web developer to add this code to the<head>section of your website. You can validate it using Google's Rich Results Test.
If that all sounds like a lot of work, it’s because it is! But the results are worth it.
If you would like to skip the work and technical-debt, feel free to book a call with us. We’ll help review all the areas you can improve on, and even fix some of them (for free) during our call!
