You must rank at the top Google search result page if you want to be able to compete with your competitors. Period.
SEO is essential for any dentist, no matter how experienced or new. It will help you grow your practice and attract new patients. Many dentists recognize the importance of dental search engine optimization, and they are actively investing in it.
There is still little knowledge about search engine optimization. For example, when can you expect to see a rise in your rankings. What are the top ranking factors? Do you need to be concerned if your rankings fall?
This post will answer all your questions.
What Dental SEO Ranking Factors should dentists pay attention to?
Comprehensive SEO strategies are required to ensure your website ranks high in search engine results pages. Google algorithm updates are constant, so you need to keep your SEO strategy current. Some of the most important ranking factors that can boost your rankings haven’t changed in a while. We will now take a look at some of these ranking factors:
- Secure and Accessible Website
You must first ensure that Google can access your website and crawl it. Otherwise, Google cannot index the pages and determine the value and relevancy to search queries.
You need the correct URL type to be found by Google’s bots. You must use the best website building tools and a secure domain.
- Mobile Compatibility
Today, more than half of web browsing happens on mobile devices and less on desktop computers. Google algorithms give mobile-friendly websites a higher ranking than those that aren’t optimized for mobile browsing. This is because more people are using mobile devices to search the web, so they will prefer to see a mobile-friendly website.
- Domain Age
It is important to consider your domain age as it can take Google algorithms a few years to get your website to the top of search results. An ahrefs study found that only 22% have a domain age less than one year.
- Content
Google and the audience know that content is the king. Google ranks websites according to the quality of their content. Correct Keyword-enriched Informative content always wins over poorly written content. Google will give you a higher ranking if your content is valuable to the reader.
You should be careful not to keyword stuff too much, as this could result in a Google penalty.
- Backlinks
Backlinks can be thought of as upvotes or endorsements for your website content. Google will be impressed by the number of backlinks to your website from authoritative websites. This is a great way for you to show them that your website has valuable content and is trustworthy.
Make sure that you only receive backlinks from trusted, authoritative sites related to the dental industry and not spammy sites. Spammy backlinks will hurt your rankings more than they do good. Find out more information on internal and external backlinks .
- User Experience
Your website’s ranking is determined by user metrics such as click-through rates and dwell time. Your website will rank higher if more people visit it and spend more time there.
Seven Local SEO Ranking Factors Dentists Should Never Neglect
Local businesses are the majority of dental practices. Therefore, you need to be aware of where your rank in local searches. Because local patients search for dentists and other services within their area, it is important to consider how you rank. Local SEO requires a Google My Business Page and other listings. This will ensure that patients can find you online.
Here’s a list of factors which can influence the rankings of your local dental SEO.
- On Page Signals
These keywords are used by search engines to determine whether a user is looking for services in a particular area. In your title tags, you should include information about your services, including the name of your business.
- Link Signals
These are backlinks that link to your website from other websites. Backlinks are viewed by search engines as potential references to your website. Quality backlinks should be from websites relevant to your area and the dental industry.
- External Location Signs
These directories include Yelp, Manta and Yellow pages. Search engines look at these directories to verify your NAP (name. address. phone number). Check what local SEO does to increase patient appointments at a clinic.
- Personalization Signals
To attract patients, dentists can use Dental PPC and pay per click to secure their first page ranking.
- Mob Signs
This is the number of people who click on your link in organic search results. This is dependent on your Meta descriptions, title tags, and is responsible to driving traffic to a dentist website.
- Social Signs
Social media activity about your brand and your profiles can send strong social signals that positively impact your local SEO ranking.
- Review Signs
Your practice’s reliability can be determined by patient reviews. Google states that positive reviews from patients can help you climb the ranks ladder.
When should you expect to start seeing ranking improvement?
Domain age is one of the key criteria for ranking search results. Before your dental website can be considered relevant for search engine ranking, it must have spent enough time on the internet. You must also accumulate many ranking factors such as traffic, dwell time and click-through rates over a reasonable period of time.
It can take a few iterations for dental SEO to be a dynamic activity. There are many factors that affect the rate at which rankings improve. It is simple to move up the rankings in the initial stages of SEO. However, as your SEO position improves it becomes more difficult to climb higher. It could take up to a year for rankings to improve depending on the rung your website is at.
What is the reason my SEO rankings have dropped but my revenue has increased?
Many businesses believe that a decrease in rankings is cause for concern. While we understand the reasons why businesses might be concerned about a drop in rankings, we advise against worrying if it is a single event. Rankings can fluctuate quite a bit, so it is possible for your website to rank one or two rungs higher each week. This is normal and shouldn’t alarm anyone.
If there’s a consistent and persistent drop in rankings, the fear will be justified. This would indicate that something is fundamentally wrong with your SEO strategy.
The first step in determining the reason for the ranking decline and the impact it has on revenue is to determine the root cause. Ask your Dental marketing agency why your rankings or revenue have dropped. They should be able give you a reason.
You should also ask them what corrective actions they are taking in order to bring the dental SEO ranking up to the level it was before. If they are unable to provide clear answers, it is worth investigating further. They might be using questionable SEO techniques (black hat SEO), and could be penalized by Google algorithms.