Understanding Local Citations & How They Can Help Your Dental Practice

Prior to the internet – prospective patients would use the phone book (or phone a friend) to find a good Dental Practice nearby. But nowadays, with all the technological advancements, interested patients can simply open their laptop or phone and type in “Dentist near me,” to find a local doctor.

This use of the “near me” phrase has led to the rise and use of local citations – handy little pockets of information that can help your dental practice attain more patients.

What Are Local Citations and Why Are They Important?

A local citation is very similar to what you used to see in phone book listings for businesses in your area. They provide information such as the name, address, and phone number of your business, but also supply further details like their website address, email address, and even reviews.

Their importance becomes apparent when you do a local search for a business through Google Maps and come up with numerous businesses in the area. A potential new patient may find it hard to choose one from the list. The local citations will present the top local choices for the service they are looking for. So, if a patient searches “dentists near me” or “dentists near [city or street name],” they know they’re getting the top-rated options.

How Do You Recognize a Local Citation?

There are two types of citations that you are going to come across – a structured citation and an unstructured citation.

A structured citation is similar to what you would find in a business directory. The business owner has direct control over the information presented and will update that information on a regular basis. Examples of structured citations include Google Map listings, Yellow Pages, and Yelp.

An unstructured citation for local businesses will appear on news websites, social media platforms like Facebook, and even on blogs. It is likely that the business owner doesn’t have direct control over the information presented.

What Information Should a Business Owner Include in a Local Citation?

The information you should include in your local citation is your business name, physical address, and contact information. If you do not include these three components in your listing, it will be marked as a “partial listing” and likely lead to a loss of potential patients.

You may also include a website address (URL) in your listing which will make it easier for search engines like Bing and Google to authenticate the listing and the information provided. This can increase your online authority, credibility, and connect citations to your business.

Why Should Dental Practices Use Local Citations?

As a dental practice, local citations can provide a fantastic starting point for your marketing campaign efforts because it is one of the easiest and quickest SEO tactics to implement. By having multiple local citations across the web that are accurate and consistent in their information, you can establish an online presence with authority and credibility.

Here’s why:

• Search engines like Google and Bing will use your local citations to authenticate your business to ensure that it is a legitimate establishment. By having accurate and consistent citations, you build trust with the search engines and establish visibility.
• Citations will have a huge impact on local search rankings. The more listings you have that are accurate, the more authority you will build. It works in a similar fashion to link building, but instead, you are creating local business listings.
• Citations will help your local SEO campaigns as they make your business known to customers within the region. This helps build your relevance to those who are interested in your business, and over time, you will establish yourself from the conversions that come in due to the local citations.

It is extremely important to make sure that your local citations are accurate. If you have inconsistencies in your information, especially across multiple listings, customers may see this as a red flag and look elsewhere.

How Do You Build a Local Citation?

Please note that it is time-consuming work to create citations, so be sure to allocate space in your schedule to do it properly. To build local citations, you will need the following:

1. A business email that includes your dental practice’s website domain. This will build more trust with your potential clients than a personal email address.
2. You will need your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) to be accurate and consistent across every site it is posted on.
3. You will need to be consistent with your business category. When listing your business, it is recommended that the category you choose is narrowed down. Rather than just listing your business under “dentistry,” use a sub-specialty if applicable. Be sure to choose the option that best suits the majority of the services you offer.
4. Provide extra information like your social media profile links, operating hours, your business’ logo, and additional details like your website information. You want to show as much credibility to your customers as possible. Even add photographs of your dental practice and, if allowed, including reviews.
5. Always verify and claim your business listings. Unverified listings are not as trustworthy and may harm your local search ranking.

While citation building is a time-consuming task, it is a simple and effective way to increase your authority, build credibility and trust, and market your dental practice online.