Local SEO for Dentists: Your Guide to Attracting More Patients

How to use this local SEO guide for dentists

This local SEO guide for dentists provides an all-in-one resource for understanding:

• How local search engine optimization can attract patients
• How to use local SEO to serve more patients in your community
• How to get professional help with local SEO (if needed)

The basics of local SEO for dental practices

Learn the basics of local SEO for dental practices now:

What is local SEO for dentists?

Local SEO for dentists is the process of improving a dental practice’s visibility in localized search results, like ‘pediatric dentist near me,’ so the practice can reach — and serve — more patients. Common strategies include optimizing local listings, creating localized content, and more.

How can local SEO benefit dental practices?

There are several benefits to using local SEO as a dental practice, including the following:

1. Broaden online reach: People search 24/7 for solutions, whether finding a new dentist or discovering gift ideas. With local search engine optimization (SEO), people can discover your practice and take the next step, like by requesting or booking an appointment online.
2. Market specialized procedures: Dentists can also use local search marketing to promote specialized procedures, like teeth whitening, dental implants, or Botox. You can even use local SEO to attract users looking for practices that accept a specific insurance provider.
3. Improve lead quality: Local SEO can also improve lead quality. That’s because local SEO helps people discover the practices most relevant to their location, needs, and wants, like a dentist based in Riverside, CA that accepts Medicaid.
4. Increase patient acquisition rates: Creating a thriving practice is possible with local search engine optimization. That’s because local SEO for dental practices focuses on reaching the people who need your care — and align with your ideal patient.
5. Strengthen online reputation: People look to others when searching for medical care, and that includes reading online reviews. With local SEO marketing, practices build their online reputation via online reviews across platforms, like Healthgrades.

Is local SEO better than traditional SEO for dentists?

When it comes to dental marketing, there are multiple options, including:

• Local SEO, which focuses on growing your visibility in localized search results.
• Traditional SEO, which grows your visibility in non-localized search results.

From our experience as a dental marketing company (which encompasses thousands of hours of experience), practices benefit from local and traditional SEO because the two contribute to one another’s performance while also maximizing your visibility in online search results.

Here’s an example of how that could look:

When someone searches for a pediatric dentist in the Brooklyn, NY area, they can see:

1. Your local listing, plus…
2. Your website’s localized content

This increased real estate in search results makes users more likely to check out your practice. Even better, AI search engines like Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot can use this information to generate personalized results for users.

That’s why it’s worth investing in both local SEO and traditional SEO as a dentist.

How long does local dental SEO take to work?

For most practices, local dental SEO takes three to six months to work. However, timelines can vary depending on the practice’s existing search engine optimization efforts and the number of competitors in their service area.

Note: Before starting local search engine optimization, define what success means to your practice. For example, our dental marketing agency defines local SEO as ‘working’ when it’s attracting qualified patients to our client’s practices.

Getting started with local SEO for dentists

Learn how to get started with local SEO for dentists now:

How much does local SEO for dentists cost?

On average, local SEO for dentists costs $100 to $3,000 per month. How much local search engine optimization costs depends on a few factors, including the number of locations, whether the strategy includes traditional SEO optimizations, and whether it’s managed in-house or outsourced.

How do I measure my practice’s local rankings?

Dentists can measure their practice’s local rankings or local search performance by:

• Using URL parameters on local listings
• Using a rank tracking tool like Google Search Console or SEO.com
• Using a local listing platform’s analytics, like Google Business Profile

While it’s helpful to track rankings for localized terms, like ‘pediatric dentist Brooklyn ny,’ it’s important to understand that several user-specific factors affect local search rankings, like the user’s current location and past interactions, which can make local rank tracking ineffective.

That’s why it’s worth expanding to lead tracking. With lead tracking, practices can understand the number — and quality — of leads coming in via local search efforts. This approach, however, requires marketing automation software to link marketing and patient acquisition data.

Platforms like MarketingCloudFX are some of the most affordable for dental practices.

What are the best tools for local dental SEO?

Some of the best tools for local dental SEO include:

• Google Analytics 4 for tracking website analytics.
• Google Search Console for tracking organic impressions, clicks, and rankings.
• Moz Local for managing local listings.

If partnering with a dental marketing agency, expect them to have access to more advanced platforms (which are often outside the budget for practices managing their local SEO efforts in-house) for optimizing and tracking your performance.

What are the most effective local SEO strategies for dental practices?

The most effective local SEO strategies for dental practices include:

1. Local listing optimization (including Google Business Profile)
2. Localized content
3. Review management

Learn more about these strategies (and others) below:

1. Local listing optimization

What it is: Local listings range from Google Business Profile and Bing Places to Yelp and Healthgrades. Most local listings highlight a dental center’s services, reviews, and operating hours and can appear as cards in localized search results or as traditional listings in search results.

Why it matters: When it comes to local SEO for dental practices, local listings matter because they appear in localized and branded search results. Certain listings, like Google Business Profile, also appear at the top of these search results — maximizing your visibility.

How to get started: Create or claim your practice’s local listing on Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Yelp, and similar sites. Then, add or update your name, address, phone number, website, and business hours. Upload photos (if possible) to showcase your location, team, and work.

2. Google Business Profile

What it is: Google Business Profile is one of the most popular local listings. Viewable in Google Search and Google Maps, these listings appear for localized searches, like ‘emergency dentist near me’ or ‘dentist for tmj queens ny.’

Why it matters: Google Business Profile is a must-have local listing because of its placement in Google Search. These listings appear at the top of localized search results, highlighting the practice’s ratings, services, hours, and location to users.

How to get started: Like other local listings, claim or create your Google Business Profile. Then, add essential information about your practice, like its name, address, phone number, and business hours. Next, optimize it — add services or products, FAQs, relevant categories, and more.

3. Website optimization

What it is: A website is like your business’s physical location, but online. With a dedicated site, dental practices can provide helpful information, outline services or products, answer common patient questions, and even support online scheduling, payments, and more.

Why it matters: A website is invaluable to local SEO for dental practices because it’s where local listings (like Google Business Profile) will direct users looking to learn more. Plus, it serves as a platform for practicing traditional SEO.

How to get started: Use a website builder or professional web design agency to create your site. Build essential pages, like a homepage, contact page, and about page, and consider expanding with SEO-optimized pages for targeting localized search terms.

4. Localized content

What it is: Localized content is website content that targets localized search terms relevant to a dental practice. For example, a pediatric dental practice based in Brooklyn, NY, could create localized content on its site that targets keywords like ‘brooklyn, ny pediatric dentist.’

Why it matters: When it comes to local SEO for dentists, localized content increases a practice’s visibility in search results. A Google result, for example, could contain a local 3-pack of Google Business Profiles, plus relevant localized content, giving practices two touchpoints with users.

How to get started: Discover potential search terms to target using a keyword research tool like SEO.com. Then, use the search results for those terms to create relevant content for your website. Optimize this content with SEO best practices, like including the target keyword in your title tag.

5. Schema markup

What it is: Schema markup gives search engines more context about a URL. For example, dental practices can use LocalBusiness markup to help search engines understand the practice’s location, services, and more, which can improve local search rankings.

Why it matters: Local SEO for dentists depends on being understood by search engines. With schema markup, dental practices can provide search engines like Google and Bing with additional information that improves their existing rankings.

How to get started: Use free online tools or website plugins, like Yoast SEO, to generate relevant schema markup. In most cases, LocalBusiness markup offers the most value to dental practices, though, Product and Service markup can also help on product or service pages.

6. Review management

What it is: Review management focuses on attracting new reviews and managing existing ones across platforms, from Google Business Profile to Facebook, to build trust and confidence with future patients.

Why it matters: Without trust signals like reviews, people can (and will) hesitate about using a specific dental practice. So, it’s important to attract reviews from patients that share what makes going to your practice worth it.

How to get started: Use office signage, business cards, and more to invite patients to leave a review online. For the best results, avoid incentivizing reviews (which goes against Google Business Profile’s guidelines). Remember to respond to reviews, both good and bad, too.

7. Online scheduling and/or contact form optimization

What it is: With online scheduling or contact forms, dental practices make life convenient for future or existing patients while also complying with healthcare standards. However, design and user experience choices can impact patient acquisition or conversion rates.

Why it matters: A poor user experience when scheduling an online appointment or completing a contact form can result in lower patient acquisition rates, which hurts the practice’s goal of using local dental SEO to grow.

How to get started: Use software like Microsoft Clarity (which will hide sensitive user data) to understand how people use a form or scheduling tool now. You can also ask a family member or friend to test the experience to discover issues — and fix them with the help of a developer.

How do I get started with local SEO dental marketing?

Get started with local SEO dental marketing with these tips:

1. Understand the goal, or what the practice wants to accomplish with local search
2. Develop a realistic budget for developing, managing, and maintaining local SEO
3. Determine the metrics to measure, like rankings, views, or appointments
4. Outline responsibilities, like who will manage local listings or content creation
5. Create measurable goals, like getting X appointments for the quarter
6. Set up the tech, like Google Analytics 4, for measuring performance

Learn More: How to Create an SEO Strategy

Outsourcing local SEO for dentists

Learn how to outsource local SEO for dentists below:

When should I outsource my dental practice’s local SEO marketing?

Consider outsourcing your dental practice’s local SEO marketing when:

• You aren’t familiar enough with local SEO
• You don’t have the time to practice local SEO
• You aren’t seeing the expected results from local SEO
• You want to scale performance across multiple locations

With professional help, whether via an agency, contractor, or freelancer, your practice can improve its visibility in relevant search results — and attract new patients, giving you the fuel to grow your dental center.

How much do local SEO services for dentists cost?

Local SEO services for dentists cost $100 – $1,500 per month. Costs depend on several factors, from the number of locations optimized and managed to the local SEO service provider’s location. For the most accurate numbers, request a quote.

How do I choose a dental SEO company?

When choosing a dental SEO company, consider the following tips:

1. Does the agency work with your competitors?
2. What metrics does the agency use to measure success?
3. Does the agency have case studies to share?
4. How do clients rate their experience, from support to results to strategy?
5. Is the agency willing to share pricing and deliverables before signing?

Learn More: How to Hire an SEO Company

Grow your practice with local dental SEO pros

Congrats! You’ve learned how to use local search to attract more patients to your practice.

If you’re looking for professional help getting started with local SEO, though, WebFX can help. With thousands of hours of experience (and more than 24 million qualified leads generated), we’re a trusted partner for dental practices worldwide.

Browse our local SEO plans now or contact us online for a custom proposal!

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