If you are a dentist in California and want to grow your business, you have to grow your online presence. Today’s world is a digital world, and by creating an online presence, you can attract new patients. Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is one tool that can help you do so.
You want to make sure that when people look for services like “dentist near me” or “cosmetic dentistry,” your clinic pops up. However, dentists are not SEO experts and end up making mistakes. This can negatively affect their online visibility and result in loss of money.
Common mistakes include not optimizing their website for local searches, skipping keyword research, and ignoring the importance of making their website easy to use. This blog will explore these errors and how they can affect your dental business.
To make sure you get a high return on investment, it is important to work with a Dental SEO expert.
Top SEO mistakes to avoid for dentists in California
While you might be good at what you do, that is, provide dental services, you may unintentionally make certain mistakes that can cost your business. It is important to know what these are in order to avoid them.
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Not optimizing for local search results.
Local optimization is one of the first things you need to learn when you are getting into SEO. Since your dental practice mostly attracts patients from your local area, you want to make sure you appear in their local search results.
If you do not optimize your business’s online presence, you could lose clients when they search for things like “dentist near me” or “best dentist in [city].”
You can avoid this mistake. The key is to use local keywords and make sure that your business is listed on Google Business Profile and other relevant online directories. Also, include your location in key parts of your website, such as title tags, meta descriptions, and content, to boost your ranking in local searches.
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Not doing keyword research.
Keyword research, the one mentioned in the first point, is an important part of SEO. Some dentists believe that they already know the best local keywords to use. Then, they end up choosing generic terms that their potential patients do not look for.
Instead of using broad terms like “dental services,” it is better to research specific keywords that patients commonly use. These include “cosmetic dentist in California” or “emergency dental care California.” You can use Google Keyword Planner to find better keywords or hire an expert.
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Creating content with poor quality.
If you are going to use SEO to boost your business’s online presence, the most important thing is creating quality content that potential clients will engage with. Low-quality content not only does not receive any engagements, such as likes and shares but also decreases your ranking on search engines.
To avoid this, think about what the patient is looking for and focus on addressing their concerns. For example, if they are curious about a certain procedure, you can explain procedures, share patient testimonials, or offer dental care tips.
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Overlooking mobile optimization.
Last but not least, most of your patients will be using their mobile phones to search for nearby dentists. Therefore, it is important to optimize your website for the same. This reduces the likelihood of high bounce rates and frustrated clients. Google takes into consideration whether a site has a good user experience and a mobile-responsive design.
To make sure your website works fine on all devices, test them on different screen sizes. Check for three things: whether the site loads quickly, buttons are easy to find and click, and content is readable without having to zoom in or out.
Optimize your dental clinic’s online presence today!
SEO can be complex to understand, but it can be the difference between two and 20 patient bookings a day. Hire an SEO expert in California today!