The Ins & Outs of Listing Your Dental Practice – Using Local SEO for Business

With more people depending on the internet and testimonials to find services such as dental work – business listings have never been more important. For example – according to Market Research, the average business was found in 1,009 searches per month through discovery searches with 49% of businesses receiving more than 1,000 views through discovery searches per month [1].

Unfortunately for many dental practices, there is a disconnect between creating and managing a business listing online and actually turning that into new patient bookings. It’s important to truly understand how to successfully set up your business listing to verify it as an online business and make it optimized for search. There’s no reason to spend time on creating a business listing if you don’t yet have the tools to make it successful.

Luckily – we’re here to help. We’ve laid out the basics of creating a business listing so that you’re not only set up for success but that your internet presence will lead to new and loyal patients.

Why Claim a Business Listing?

Beyond being able to help your Search Engine Optimization efforts and increase visibility across the web, having a business listing is a free way to bring credibility to your practice.

Claiming a business listing helps Google and Bing verify the legitimacy of your business, and it will allow you to cultivate authority in the space. Not only is claiming a listing free but it also gives you the opportunity to provide useful information that new patients are looking for.

Your business’ phone number, hours of operation, local address, accepted payments will all be accessible to curious potential patients as they search for dentists in the area. You can also include photographs and reviews to help show prospective patients the success of your services and illustrate to them what your dental practice looks like and how it operates. If you’re going to claim a listing, the two most important ones are Google and Bing.

How Does Local SEO & Business Listings Affect Your Dental Practice?

Engaging in local search engine optimization can be incredibly fruitful for dental practices because it will make your business more visible to potential patients who are searching for dentists in your area.

Local search engine optimization is hyper-targeted towards patients who are near your practice and who are looking for your services. If a potential patient searches for a dentist near them and they are in your area – your business listing is likely to pop up.

According to Google, 46% of search queries have local intent [2], meaning that individuals who are completing the search have the intent to visit, use, or purchase from a business that is close by.

Typically, these search queries will include the phrase “near me” or include the general location of where they are searching. If they are using Google Maps, your listing is likely to be brought up in the list, but if it does not contain reviews, photographs, or isn’t managed, you may not appeal to the prospective patient and lose their business.

How to Submit a Business Listing on Google and Bing for Local SEO?

Creating a listing on Google and Bing is completely free – and easy.

See below for the steps you need to take to submit and verify your listing.

Google My Business Account

A Google My Business account ensures that your business listing can be found through Google Search and on Google Maps. The Google My Business account will let you add in important information like your contact info, website address, directions to your business, hours of operation, and physical address. It also gives you the ability to add in events, photographs, and give out offers to prospective patients. Plus, you can allow patients to add reviews and message you directly.

1. If you don’t already have a Google Account for your practice, create one that is just for your business.
2. Head to Google My Business and either sign in or hit the “manage now” button (top right-hand corner).
3. Enter the name of your dental practice in the business name field and hit next to enter your practice’s physical address.
4. Choose your business category.
5. Be as accurate as possible. Don’t necessarily choose “dentist” as there may be a more suitable category for you depending on what services you offer.
6. Add in your website address (URL) and your business phone number.
7. Verify your listing
8. You will be given several methods in which you can verify but the easiest two are by email or phone.
9. Once you are verified, add in photographs, business hours, perks that your dental practice offers (children’s play area, WIFI, magazines), and regional areas that you serve.

Make sure that when editing your profile to include the above, it is 100% accurate, to keep you from having to make numerous edits.

The information you provide to your Google My Business account should be the exact same information that is provided on your website. This builds trust and credibility with new patients and makes your practice more searchable.

Bing Places

Bing Places listings will automatically show up in Bing Maps and in Bing Searches and since Bing is the default search engine on many Windows devices, you are likely to get major exposure. Luckily, the creation and verification steps are similar to the Google My Business Account.

1. If you don’t already have a Microsoft Account for your practice, create one that is just for your business.
2. Head to Bing Places and choose the “new user” option.
3. Fill out your business’ name, physical address, and phone number. Add it as a new business if your practice isn’t already listed – be sure to check to see if your business is listed first.
4. Use your Microsoft account to log in and add additional information like videos, photographs, and perks that makes your business unique. Use keywords where possible to boost local rankings.
5. Once you are done adding in all of your dental practice’s information, hit the submit button and verify the listing. A PIN will either be emailed to you, mailed to your practice’s physical location, or you can verify it by phone.

Both Bing and Google are spectacular ways to gain major exposure and boost credibility for your practice. With a (literal) click of a button – your business can be boosted across your town, increasing your patients and your success rate.