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Stigan Media has been a leader in dental SEO since 2014, helping dentists increase their online visibility and attract more patients via organic traffic from search engines.
How did we achieve such impressive results? Keep reading this article or save your time contact us for a free SEO audit for your dental clinics.
As proof of our expertise, let me share three of our latest case studies in dental SEO below:
Dental SEO Case Study #1: This case study outlines a Chicago-based dental clinic’s journey with us, where we achieved a 697% increase in organic traffic. After the client partnered with us, we tackled 404 errors, enhanced on-page SEO, and ensured their full range of dental services was represented online. These crucial steps led to a dramatic improvement in their organic search rankings.
Dental SEO Case Study #2: In this dental SEO case study, you can see how we propelled a 45% organic traffic surge on high-converting dental pages, which also resulted in a 30% increase in organic leads. Our SEO team concentrated on content optimization and off-page backlink strategies, paving the way for this notable growth.
Dental SEO Case Study #3: Case Study showcases a dental clinic in Surrey, BC, that saw a meteoric rise in relevant traffic, soaring from 2,010 to 11,735 visits in just 9 months. The clinic aimed to rank highly for dental educational content. Our team delivered by crafting a high-quality, SEO-optimized blog. Moreover, we improved their local SEO, securing them a top-3 position in Google Maps search results.
We’ve shown what we can do with dental SEO. Next, I’ll take you step by step through how we achieve these impressive outcomes for our dental clients:
1. Thorough Keyword Research
Effective SEO for dentists begins with keyword research. It might seem straightforward, but it’s a hard process. We’ve systematized our approach to ensure we find the best keywords for the dental industry:
- Assessing Search Volume: We avoid keywords with zero search volume. For instance, a client ranked #1 for ‘teeth whitening and dental veneers in Portland’ but saw no leads or visits due to the lack of search volume. Such keywords, while relevant, need separation into different pages for each service to drive organic leads.
- Understanding Search Intent: We determine if a keyword’s intent aligns with your business goals. Keywords like ‘dentist in Portland‘ show commercial and local intent, ideal for your business. Conversely, keywords like ‘does Miley Cyrus have veneers‘ might generate traffic but lack business value, as they tend to yield informational results unrelated to a specific location.
- Evaluating Keyword Difficulty: Using tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush, we assess how challenging it would be to rank for each keyword. Our selections are based on your budget, focusing on keywords that are not overly competitive but still effective in driving traffic and leads to your dental clinic.
Keyword research for dentists is like creating a precise treatment plan for a dental patient. If the initial diagnosis and plan aren’t accurate, the entire treatment process may not achieve the desired results. Similarly, if keyword research isn’t conducted properly, the overall SEO strategy may not be effective.
2. Double Checking Web Analytics Before SEO Work
Unlike many dental SEO agencies, we don’t just jump into SEO work after finalizing keywords with our clients.
First, we take an extra step to double-check all web analytics.
This includes making sure Google Analytics 4 is tracking everything correctly, ensuring we have access to the Google Search Console for SEO stats and error tracking, and verifying our access to your Google Business Page.
We also add your dental clinic to Bing and Apple Maps if it’s not there already and use our advanced SEO software, SEMrush, for precise tracking.
Most importantly, we set up goals in Google Analytics 4 to track conversions and leads, like appointment requests or contact form submissions.
This helps us measure the real ROI for your SEO investment, providing clear and honest reporting of the value you get from our SEO optimization.
3. Website SEO Architecture Audit
Our next step is to examine your website’s architecture. This is crucial for dentist SEO, as there’s often room for improvement that benefits both SEO and user experience.
A well-structured dental website, especially in how links are organized, is key.
We focus on the pages that are already drawing traffic and leads for your dental services. These are the pages we optimize first. It’s essential to clearly list every service you offer, like dental crowns, teeth whitening, emergency dentistry, and more, along with clear payment options and information about your dental team.
Many dental websites fall short in SEO because of poor site structure.
We also work on improving inbound links between pages and optimizing the navigation bar and footer. These changes make it easier for both search engines and potential patients to find and use your site effectively.
4. Dental SEO Content Optimization with Advanced Software
Next, we focus on optimizing the content for the dental keywords you’ve chosen. Our process begins with a thorough rewrite of the existing page content. To ensure the content meets Google’s standards, we use Surfer SEO, an advanced tool that analyzes top-ranking pages and calculates the optimal number of keywords.
After this analysis, our skilled SEO copywriting team takes over. We collaborate with our dental clients to determine essential information for each page. Then, our copywriters craft content that’s not only rich in keywords but also engaging and high-converting. Unlike some agencies that might use low-cost writers for content filled with keywords, we prioritize quality. High-quality, engaging content is key to keeping users on your site, and our experienced in-house team of local SEO writers excels in creating just that.
5. Image SEO Optimization in the Dental Industry
Image SEO is often overlooked in the dental industry, and it’s about more than just basic practices like relevant alt tags and image compression.
Firstly, we ensure that the images on your website are visually appealing and appropriate. We avoid images that are graphic or potentially unsettling, like those showing blood or severe injuries. Such images can be flagged by Google as 18+, drastically reducing your site’s ranking.
They can also turn away potential patients and reduce conversions.
Instead, we focus on positive images showing the final results of dental procedures, which are more likely to convert visitors into patients. Remember, users typically prefer not to see the graphic details of dental procedures, so it’s important to keep imagery eye-appealing.
Additionally, we include images of your dental office, the equipment you use, and your dental team. These images add credibility and trustworthiness to your site, appealing to both search engines and potential patients.
6. On-Page SEO Optimization
The next step is refining on-page SEO, not just for specific pages but across your entire dental website. Here’s a quick overview of what’s involved:
- Meta Titles: These should include your main keyword, like ‘dentist in [location]’.
- Meta Descriptions: They don’t directly impact rankings but can improve click-through rates, which helps SEO.
- Alt Tags: Properly describe images using natural language that includes targeted keywords, plus all the points we covered earlier.
- H1 Tags: Crucial for each page, there should only be one H1 that clearly explains the page’s content. Adding a dental keyword, location, and any awards or certifications can be effective.
- H2 to H6 Tags: Use these headings to structure your content for users and search engines. Avoid overstuffing them with keywords.
- Schemas: These help Google understand your site. For dental sites, we include Dentist and Person schemas to highlight qualifications, awards, and reviews.
- SEO-Friendly URLs: Ensure URLs are well-structured and include targeted keywords.
- Internal Linking: Establish a solid internal linking structure across your site, including in navigation and footers.
- NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number): Essential for local businesses like dental clinics. Embed a map with accurate NAP details.
- Customer Testimonials: Add genuine client reviews to reinforce trustworthiness of your dental clinic.
- E-E-A-T: This stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. We showcase your credentials and qualifications, especially important as Google treats dental websites as YMYL (Your Money Your Life) due to their impact on users’ well-being.
By covering these aspects, we ensure your dental website is fully optimized for both search engines and user experience.
7. Local SEO and Google Business Profile Optimization
Local SEO is key for dentists because your practice is tied to a specific location, and you want to be visible to nearby potential clients. We’ve already added Google Maps with your contact info, and now it’s time to fully optimize your Google Business Profile.
We ensure your profile’s URL and all fields are accurately filled, using dental keywords where appropriate.
We also check and add relevant categories and update your profile with quality dental images.
Then, we optimize your service areas to target the most relevant locations and list every dental service you offer. For example, if you provide ‘dental crowns’ in Portland, optimizing for this service can help your business appear in the top-3 search results for ‘dental crowns in Portland’.
Regular updates and posts to your Google Business Profile are also part of our strategy.
However, reviews play a crucial role in ranking, and this is where we rely on our dental clients. Encouraging patients to leave reviews, ideally mentioning specific services, can significantly boost your SEO. We provide templates to help garner effective reviews and also respond to all reviews professionally, enhancing SEO.
Remember, avoid buying fake reviews. Google is getting better at spotting them, and it can lead to profile suspension. Focus on genuine, long-term reputation building.
We also optimize your Bing Business Profile, ensuring a comprehensive approach to local SEO for dentists.
8. Technical SEO for Dentists
Technical SEO can be challenging, but it’s crucial, especially for dental websites. Many agencies overlook this, but we ensure we meet Google’s technical standards.
- Fixing 301 and 404 Pages: We start by using Screaming Frog to crawl your dental website, identifying any 301 redirect pages and 404 errors. We quickly fix these to ensure all pages show a ‘200 OK’ status, indicating they’re functioning properly.
- Speed Optimization: Website speed is vital for both SEO and user experience. Using Google’s PageSpeed Insights, we analyze and enhance your website’s loading speed. We’ve done this successfully for various projects, including dental websites.
- Mobile Version Review: A user-friendly mobile version of your site is essential. We check for issues like small font sizes or cramped elements and work with our web development team to correct any problems.
- SSL Certificate Verification: We verify that your SSL certificate is valid and up to date. An expired certificate can make your site appear unsafe to search engines, affecting your rankings.
- Double Checking Contact Forms: We ensure all contact forms on your site are working correctly. If a form fails, it can prompt users to return to the search engine to find another dentist, signaling to Google that your site might be low quality.
- Verifying Appointment Software Integration: We check the integration of any third-party online appointment booking systems to ensure they are properly linked and don’t detract from your site’s SEO.
By covering these technical aspects, we ensure your dental website not only ranks well in search engines but also provides a secure and efficient user experience.
9. Dental Off-Page SEO
The final and most challenging part of dental SEO is off-page SEO, which primarily involves acquiring quality backlinks. This step can be particularly tough as it’s not just about getting any backlinks, but securing them from reputable and relevant domains. Low-quality backlinks from services like Fiverr can harm your site’s SEO.
At Stigan Media, we’ve developed a systematic approach to building backlinks for dental businesses:
- Directory Listings: We start by listing your business in both local and dental directories. These listings not only link back to your site but also reinforce local SEO signals to Google, clarifying your location and contact details.
- Building Relationships for Valued Partners: Over the years, we’ve established relationships with owners of over 1000 reputable websites. These connections allow us to create posts on their sites, providing valuable backlinks to our dental clients.
- Disavowing Harmful Links: We rigorously inspect the quality of every backlink to your website. If we find harmful links, possibly from spam or competitors, we add them to a disavow file and submit it to search engines, essentially disassociating your site from these links.
This comprehensive off-page SEO strategy helps in boosting your dental website’s authority and organic ranking.
Conclusion
SEO can make a big difference for your dental practice, helping you stand out online and attract more patients. Our approach covers everything from choosing the right keywords to improving your website and building strong online connections. If you’re looking to get more patients through your door, we know just what to do.
Feeling overwhelmed by SEO? Let Stigan Media handle it. We specialize in dental SEO and can create a plan that’s just right for your practice. Contact us for a quote, and let’s start growing your dental business today.
Stigan Media specializes in SEO for dental services. If implementing SEO is a challenge, we offer a free SEO audit to enhance your website.
More SEO Cases Studies by Stigan Media
Oleg is an experienced SEO specialist with a career beginning in 2014. He joined Stigan Media in 2017 and has been leading their SEO team since 2019. With a track record of successful SEO strategies, both traditional and local SEO, Oleg has contributed numerous case studies. His insights are shared on the Stigan Media Blog, his personal website (OlegG.ca), LinkedIn profile, and YouTube channel, showcasing his expertise and results in the field of SEO.
