Dentists are constantly pestered with emails about how they should go with a shiny new SEO strategy for first page Google results. If you’re looking for the facts, this blog should help you. The text in italics was sent to a dentist by an SEO company promising page one results. I’ve included the company’s comments in italics. My response to the issues are in straight text. If you have further questions, feel free to email me for answers! I’m shauna — @ — moderndentalmarketing.com.

…here are some keywords people were typing in you area as of yesterday and how many people were searching…

CONSIDERATIONS: Where did this information come from? I’m not getting the same results from Google Adwords Tool, and Google holds over 90% of the search engine market and 95% of the mobile search market. The keywords indicated below are not geo-targeted. Furthermore, if a local search was conducted (he was signed into his Google account and specifically searching Corona, CA), his own unique user data would be a factor, which completely negates the data.

Dental implants 512 – My research on Google Adwords Tool shows that competition is high, and there are thousands of local searches for this term. High competition means that a ton of dentists are fighting for page-one results.

BETTER – implant dentist corona, corona implant dentist, dental implants corona, corona dental implants, implant dentures corona, corona implant dentures

Invisalign 815 – My research shows competition as medium, thousands of local searches.

BETTER – corona Invisalign, corona clear braces, adult braces corona, teen braces corona, removable braces corona

Cosmetic Dentist 836 – Research shows competition as high, thousands of local searches.

BETTER – corona cosmetic dentist, cosmetic dentist corona, corona cosmetic dentists, cosmetic dentists corona, dental makeover corona, smile makeover corona

Veneers 625 – high, thousands of local searches

BETTER – corona porcelain veneers, corona dental veneers, dental veneers corona

Dentist 1,056 – Medium competition, but over a million local searches.

BETTER – corona dentist, medium with 2400 local searches a month

Also, dentist corona, dentists corona, corona dentists, corona general dentist, corona family dentist, family dentist corona, general dentist corona

…and these would be clients calling you if you were on the first page – This is simply not true. A fraction may call you IF you are the result they are looking for. Example: “veneers” is listed above. This word can refer to carpentry, flooring, and many other types of veneers. Without the qualifier “dental,” the results may not be what the searcher wants. Who cares if you’re on page-one for veneers if the people searching for veneers are in the market for a wooden veneer for their closet door?

Success comes to those who follow Google’s suggestions for SEO: produce a ton of original content, stocked with keyword phrases that relate to your services. Some experts will tell you that Google doesn’t tell us what to do – they keep secrets. While we don’t get the full story, Google DOES tell us what to do on their Webmaster Tools Blog and support forums.

In addition to original, keyword-rich content, backlinks TO the content from other websites can significantly help with SEO. (This is the philosophy behind having a separate blog and website domain.) The more content you produce, the more keyword variations you’ll hit, meaning that whether a potential cosmetic dentistry patient is searching for whiter teeth, porcelain veneers, veneers, smile makeover, corona cosmetic dentist, or “how to get a beautiful smile like Julia Roberts,” your blog will come up in the results. The more testimonials you have on Yelp!, Google Places, and Facebook, the more content is associated with you, then the higher you’ll rank for various keyword phrases.

You have to look at the overall picture, NOT just your website’s SEO. At MDPM, we check rankings for all domains that hold sites or blogs, plus results from social networks, maps, and review sites. All of these results factor in when considering a doctor’s web presence.

Having multiple websites and blogs will allow your name to come up multiple times on page one for targeted keywords. Our clients often show up 5, 6, 7 times on page one because we maintain their Google Places listing, Facebook page, blog, website, etc.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, NO ONE – that’s N O  O N E—can guarantee page-one results. They can work hard to get page one results for certain keyword phrases, and they may have great success overall, but unless they ARE Google, they cannot predict what Google will do. Same goes for Facebook, etc. Listings will change as new algorithm changes are rolled out. Your SEO company has to stay in tune with the nuances of the changes in order for you to successfully compete online.

Partner Up: Regardless of whether you live in the same town where you practice, get to know small business owners around your office. I’m not suggesting you join the chamber of commerce. Take a more grass-roots approach. Plan a day when you go into businesses and introduce yourself. You might ask business owners if they’d like to submit a guest blog for your blogsite. Perhaps the owner would link swap with you—post your website link on their site, you post theirs on your site. Getting to know other business owners can ground you within your community and put a face behind your brand.

Plan an Event: Everyone loves to have fun, so plan to host an event at your office. The type of event should be determined by seasonal influences, weather, and your location. For instance, if you have a small office that’s on the third floor of an office building, you can’t very well host a family fun day or dog show. However, you could host a private wine-and-cheese mixer for local realtors. Why? Because realtors know EVERYONE!

Volunteer Locally: Many dentists are philanthropists, sharing their services with underprivileged populations across the globe. However, opportunities for local volunteerism are all around you. Sponsor a team workday, gardening for an elderly patient. Or, if you prefer, host a dental care day at your local elementary school. When you do volunteer locally, be sure to blog about it, post photos on Facebook, and distribute a press release to local newspapers.

Call On the Kids: Connect with your community’s high-school booster clubs for band, football, cheerleading, and other sports. Find out how you can support the teams and get your name in front of students and parents. You might rent a space on the football stadium’s score board, provide free athletic Mouthguards for the soccer team, or donate lunch during a cheerleader workshop. Get photos with your team at school sports events and competitions, and pepper your office walls with them. People LOVE to see their kids and neighbors in photographs.

Get Visible: Savvy dentists invest in a memorable logo. They also make sure that logo, and their brand, is highly visible on signage. In addition to signs, though, your logo should be scattered about town. Consider your options: newspaper, magazines, rented space for a sign (football scoreboard, grocery store carts), movie theater advertisements, t-shirts for patients, ads in the school paper and yearbook. What’s the most effective? The answer depends on your community’s demographics and trends. Bottom line is, the more your logo is out there, the more people will know who you are.

Modern Dental Practice Marketing offers comprehensive Internet marketing for dentists. We provide completely custom websites, as well as blogsites, blog content, content marketing, social networking, and search engine optimization. However, we’re always happy to share advice and ideas to help our clients improve their overall marketing strategies, on-line and off!

There are pros and cons to self branding your dental practice. One positive point is, no other dentist in your area is likely to have the same practice name. However, what if you want to sell your practice in the future? If you don’t plan to sell your name along with the practice, then a complete rebranding will be necessary. In short, your practice would be worth more to a potential buyer if your name isn’t in the brand.

Here are a few questions for you to consider before ordering signs and business cards:

• Do you want your city or location name in your dental practice name?
  The benefit would be that consumers would know your location by your practice name, the practice name could easily accompany the business in a sale, and the name would do well for local Internet searches.
• What do you envision for a logo?
  A brand is more than a name. It’s the impression people have in their mind when they think of your business. What image could accompany your practice name?
• Is it important to you that your name be in the practice name?
  If your father and grandfather practiced dentistry in the town where you now practice, having the family name in your practice name would be a wise idea.
• Is a tagline necessary to explain your service offerings? (ex: Cosmetic & Family Dentistry)
  Sometimes, a practice name doesn’t convey a complete message. For instance, a practice named Chicago Smiles may need a tagline to differentiate the services from a photography studio or modeling agency. Chicago Smiles, Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry paints a more complete picture.
• Is the practice name available?
  More than once I’ve had a client brand a practice, only to receive a lawyer’s letter that says the practice name is already being used. This little mistake can cost you a mint! Be sure to check with your county office and secure a DBA. Also, do a Google search to find out if any other company is using the name.
• Is the domain name available?
  Just because you officially own a practice name does not mean that you also own the domain. In fact, the two are not at all related. Anyone can buy any domain, any time, even if the business name belongs to someone else. This means, your colleagues can purchase all available variations of YOUR name, so do your homework. If your name is available for purchase, buy it right now. If you don’t, someone else will…legally!

For help with your dental practice name, logo, brand, and marketing strategy, call Modern Dental Practice Marketing today at 972-781-8861. We offer a free consultation and Internet presence analysis, and our team of experts can help you with your dental website, blog, content marketing, social networking, videos, and more.