Many dentists feel that gaining new patients from Google is a nebulous, enigmatic endeavour.

 

You get a cold call and sign up for the sales pitch. Or maybe they came recommended by another dentist you trust. Either way, no one ever asked exactly what’s being done.

 

But should you?

 

If you consider SEO in the way I do, you know it’s a race to gain new patients. The number of new patients you earn from search engines has as much to do with how determined other dental offices in your community are, as it does with your ability to move quickly, yourself.

While lower competition areas may only necessitate buying an optimized domain name like “anchorageinvisaligndentaloffice.com,” combined with a few Google reviews and citation building, many dental offices in more competitive areas are demanding more information on the overall strategy.

Except, they aren’t.

 

“Most dentists don’t know what to ask regarding SEO” says Dr. Mike Barr, who has a blog called the dental warrior, where he discusses many aspects of dental marketing and his experiences as a dentist.

“I took it upon myself to lift my own Google rankings, researching the topic endlessly after my former SEO company seemed to be out of ideas” says Dr. Stephen Kuzmak who ranks #1 on Google for Towson Dentist.

Both these dentists, who post regularly on the Dental Town forums, have found out that when you examine them as thoroughly as a dental patient, many SEO companies are not doing anything magical. This realization has lead them, and thousands of other dentists to believe there aren’t that many dental SEO experts who will show you their cards.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

 

You’re entitled to two pieces of information that dictate what has caused a 147% lift in Google rankings within 2 weeks for websites such as www.pearlcharlotte.com:

1. Where are you building your backlinks?

SEO companies which don’t specialize in content marketing will have a tough time showing you progress in this area. Simply put, authorities in the dental industry (like the website you’re reading right now) are able to help you earn your stripes with Google much faster than some random website linking to you.

This is because Google has publicly stated that backlinks which are editorially granted and relevant are useful, and even warns against trying to force backlink building.

 

So with all the risks involved in building inappropriate non-dental related backlinks, where does this leave a generalist SEO company for earning your dental website backlinks?

This is an excellent question that your SEO company, if they say link building is part of their SEO strategy, should answer directly.

The point is, you deserve to know.

 

2. What content have you contributed to my website or blog?

It’s important for you to have your finger on the pulse of the message on your website. If your SEO company says that content creation is part of their SEO strategy, you deserve to know what that message is.

Be sure to work with someone who knows how to create content in a way that is authentic to your brand and represents you well.  Writing blog posts might seem less important than the photography on the homepage of your dental website, but every detail counts.

 

If creating content is part of your SEO strategy, it needs to be useful and engaging.

 

Work with an SEO company that understands your unique voice. Make sure to vet them well and ensure they understand the business of dentistry. 

 

Justin Morgan is an SEO expert who has the first and only step-by-step SEO course for dental professionals who want to use the power of search engines to attract more patients at www.dentalmarketingguy.com/seo-course/