SEO for Orthodontists: Increase Patients with Orthodontist SEO

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Learn how to get better results from SEO for orthodontists in this mini-guide, which explores the basics of search engine optimization and the most effective strategies for practices like yours.

SEO for orthodontists is the work of making your practice easy to find and easy to trust wherever patients look: Google’s organic results, the local map pack, and AI answers like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT. It comes down to a clear website, an accurate Google Business Profile, consistent listings, and content that answers the questions patients and parents ask before booking a consultation.

Those signals decide which practices show up when someone searches “orthodontist near me” or asks an AI assistant which local orthodontists offer clear aligners. Here’s how they work and where to start:

• What is SEO?
• What Are the Benefits of SEO for Orthodontists?
• What Can Orthodontists Do to Boost Their Website Rankings?
• How Do Patients Choose an Orthodontist With AI Search?

Call 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist about SEO plans from WebFX, or keep reading to learn more about how you can start using SEO to attract more visitors and patients.

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What is SEO?

Search engine optimization involves improving or optimizing your website for search engines so your practice ranks as high as possible and shows up accurately in AI-generated answers. At the most basic level, this involves adding keywords, certain words and phrases that people are searching for, to your content.

But search engines use much more than just relevant keywords to determine where websites rank for any given search. They also consider factors like how quickly your website loads, whether it is mobile-friendly, how long visitors stay on your site, the number of links directed at your pages, and so on. This means that optimizing your site requires much more than putting words on a page.

Additionally, SEO becomes more complex when you consider that all of your competitors are implementing it as well. Every other office in your area is researching keywords, acquiring online publicity, and creating content that’s relevant to prospective patients.

Not to mention, the right keywords depend on the type of user you want to reach. People search for orthodontists in a particular area or that perform particular services. Your SEO strategy needs to target the individuals looking for these specific criteria, which you can do with long tail keywords, like, “orthodontists in [your city].”

In short, SEO is an ongoing process that has the potential to be complex and time-consuming. However, the results are absolutely worth it, as we’ll explain next.

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What are the benefits of SEO for orthodontists?

The biggest benefit from orthodontist SEO is the ability to rank higher in search engine results pages and get cited in Google AI Overviews and AI assistant answers.

The higher you rank, the more clicks you will get from people who are searching for orthodontists online. Because a vast majority of people choose to click on the first few search results, it pays off to occupy the top spots for relevant searches.

Here are just a few reasons why search engine rankings and orthodontist SEO should matter to you:

You’ll get more website visitors

Higher rankings in the organic results and the local map pack put your practice in front of more people searching for orthodontic care. Google AI Overviews now answer many treatment questions before anyone clicks, so the practices those answers cite gain visibility, too.

Investing in SEO not only increases your website’s visibility, but also positions your practice as a trusted authority in orthodontics. And with more visitors, you’ll get better opportunities to convert the people browsing your website into patients.

SEO costs less than other methods

SEO isn’t free, but it’s significantly less expensive than paid search, display ads, and many other marketing techniques. Given the traffic that comes into high-ranking sites, your practice could generate more leads with a smaller financial investment.

To see whether it pays off, track calls and booked consultations from organic search against what you spend on SEO.

SEO offers better targeting

Right now, you may be using broad keywords on your website, like “orthodontist” or “braces.” By utilizing orthodontist SEO, you’ll be able to better target the people who are looking for services in your specific area and gain online patients. This may involve updating your keywords to something like “orthodontist in [your city],” or “where to get braces in [your state].”

What can orthodontists do to boost their website rankings?

Now that you know why SEO for orthodontists is so important, you need to start implementing it. Search engine visibility for orthodontic practices doesn’t happen overnight, and even after you’ve achieved your goals, you’ll need to keep working to maintain your standing.

Many orthodontists struggle with attracting new patients. Our orthodontist SEO strategies can help improve your online presence and draw in more clients.

Use sensible URLs

Search engines don’t know what to do with random strings of numbers and letters. If your URLs (that is, the addresses of your pages) don’t contain the words and phrases you want to rank for, you’re missing out on a great SEO opportunity. Check each URL in your website and make sure they clearly explain what the page includes.

For instance, your “About Us” page should be named something like “about-us.html.” But if you write a page about the importance of dental care, it should be something like “why-dental-care-matters.html.” Both of these URLs ensure that the user (and search engines) know exactly what they’ll find on that specific page.

On the other hand, stuffing your URL with too many keywords can hurt your rankings because it makes your website appear spammy. For example, “why-kids-need-braces.html” is an acceptable URL. But “kids-braces-dallas-austin-texas-dental-care.html” is considered “keyword stuffed,” and may actually hurt your rankings. Not to mention, it doesn’t sound like a natural phrase.

Start an orthodontics blog

Of course, you want people to come to your office to take care of their orthodontic needs. That doesn’t mean you can’t provide some free advice before their first visit.

One way to attract new patients who are searching online and showcase your expertise in your industry, is to create content that educates them.

If you don’t know what to write about, answer the questions patients ask about braces, clear aligners, treatment length, and dental hygiene. You’ll gain the trust of new patients, and the large amount of content on your website will catch the attention of search engines.

Question-style searches are also where Google shows AI Overviews most often. In WebFX’s analysis of 130,070 U.S. healthcare search queries, informational health queries triggered an AI Overview 66.9% of the time. Clear, accurate answers on your blog give your practice a chance to be cited in those summaries, not just ranked below them.

Since blog posts typically include a high number of keywords, and you’re likely to write them into your content without even thinking about it, they can offer a huge boost to your SEO.

An added benefit of having a blog on your website is that they are easily shareable on social media. You can simply share the link and your blog can be circulated among your friends, followers, and beyond.

Leverage local SEO

Nobody wants to travel far for orthodontic services, so they’ll narrow their search to local professionals. To be seen by these prospects, make sure your SEO strategy includes local SEO — the same principles apply across dental specialties, as outlined in our guide to attracting nearby patients through search.

Use your town and nearby towns as keywords in your copy, meta descriptions, or even in your domain name and page titles, if it makes sense to do so.

Claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile can significantly enhance your local search presence, making it easier for potential patients to find you.

Reviews on your profile matter just as much, since patients compare practices before they call. As part of a broader local SEO program, Hurst Pediatric Dentistry managed its local listings and reviews to build trust with parents and saw a 540% increase in leads from organic search.

Also, get your practice listed in local directories like Google Maps and Yelp, with the same name, address, and hours everywhere. This helps prospective patients find your practice, which will eventually bring them to your website.

Build links to your orthodontics website

Search engines consider the trustworthiness of a website when ranking it for relevance. That’s why link building is an important part of orthodontist SEO.

When other people add links to your site, it’s a signal to search engines that you have content worth linking, and that your site is trusted by them. This can help improve your rankings dramatically.

Acquiring links takes time, though. Unless you are actively asking other website owners for links, you’ll need to create compelling content that people naturally want to link. In the meantime, try to add internal links, so visitors can quickly travel from one page of your site to another, building up page views and rankings along the way.

How do patients choose an orthodontist with AI search?

Many patients now ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google AI Overviews which orthodontists near them offer braces or clear aligners, then check that answer against Google, your website, and your reviews before they book a consultation. AI tools draw on the same details local SEO depends on, so an orthodontic practice with accurate listings and clear treatment information is easier for them to recommend correctly.

Here’s how to make sure each step points to your practice:

1. Check what AI says about your practice. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews about orthodontists in your city and about your practice by name, and note any wrong hours, locations, or treatments. OmniSEO®, WebFX’s AI search visibility platform, tracks those mentions and citations over time for your practice and up to five competitors, so you can see whether fixes change what the answers say.
2. Make your details match everywhere. Keep your practice name, address, hours, and services identical on your website, Google Business Profile, and directories. Google also recommends choosing the fewest categories that describe your core business, such as “Orthodontist.”
3. Make the double-check easy. Patients who verify an AI recommendation land on your Google Business Profile and website. Recent reviews, a clear list of the treatments you offer, and call and booking buttons a phone user can tap help them move from checking to booking.

Start your orthodontic SEO strategy today

WebFX understands the competitive nature of your industry, and we have professionals who know how to make you stand out in the crowd.

Our team tracks your visibility in Google and AI search with OmniSEO® and uses RevenueCloudFX, WebFX’s marketing platform that connects campaigns to revenue, to show which efforts bring in calls and new patients.

If you don’t think you’ll have the time to optimize your site for searches, we can help!

Contact us today for a free quote and to learn how we can implement SEO for your orthodontic website!