Why Local Rankings Matter for Dental Practices

You don’t need the biggest marketing budget to be the most highly-rated and highest-charging competitor in your area. You just have to be smart about showing up where patients are looking for you.

A recent Dental Economics survey of over 6,000 dentists showed that 57% planned to maintain their marketing budget and 24% planned to increase their marketing spend in the upcoming year.

In a landscape of higher and more competitive spending, dental practices that aren’t using organic growth strategies to grow for free are missing out big time. 

The facts are clear: Patients find and evaluate dental practices on Google. Reviews help with both. First, they ensure you get in front of prospective patients looking for a dentist, and then they show how awesome your practice is and convince them to give you a shot.

Here’s how it works:

1. A prospective new patient searches on Google for a phrase like: “Dentist near me.” 77% of patients turn to internet searches first when looking for a new medical or dental provider (Software Advice). Plus, local searches that use terms like “near me” have grown 150% in two years (Hubspot).

2. The higher you show up on the page, the more traffic and new patients you’ll earn. 5X as many people view businesses in the top three Google search results (MomentFeed).

3. Once you get seen, people care most about reviews with a whopping 93% of people stating they look at reviews when considering a local business (Qualtrics). Patients care both about your overall star rating and your recent detailed reviews. Naturally, they’re looking for a provider that will exceed their expectations and provide them with excellent care.

4. The patients earned through reviews are the best patients. 43% are willing to go out of their way and pay out-of-pocket for a highly-rated practice! (Software Advice)

Growing your reputation and earning more of the high-value patients who find you online raises your profile, matures your practice, and brings you in line with the most premium dentists. 

So, whether your goal is more patients, less time spent finding said patients, or an elevated reputation and ability to charge more and work less – mastering your Google ranking is your ticket to success on your terms.

The great news is that you have control over where you show up in search rankings. By focusing on your Google Business Profile listing and your reviews, you can often improve your ranking. 

Ready to move up the page and get those high-value patients? Learn exactly how to use Google reviews to grow in our crash course eBook: The Dental Pro Guide to Google Reviews: Use Reviews to Rise in Your Local Dental Practice Rankings & Get More of the Patients You Want