What You Need To Know About Dental SEO
Dentistry is one of the oldest disciplines in the world. It has been practiced for almost as long as humans have realized that cities are to be built. There are a lot of ways that this has been changed, developed and studied even further. With the birth of modern medicine, this field has also advanced along with it. Numerous procedures have been developed while some were just refined for modern use. Now, this even more important than ever because having a good set of teeth adds to the beauty of a person. Almost everybody wants to have that perfect set of pearly whites.
There was a time when people used to look for their dentists in the Yellow Pages. Some just go to the clinic that their family has been visiting for a very long time. As it is a practice of familiarity, most of the patients usually came from the recommendation of others. It has been like this for a long time, and it still works to this day. People will always listen to the reviews of their peers or families about a certain service, and dentistry is not an exception to that. However, times have changed and there are new ways of attracting and interacting with customers.
Dentistry and the Internet
The internet has been crucial to the development of the new world. Without it, we may have been stuck in the previous century. Communication might still be done with the snail mail, and our knowledge about other cultures would be severely limited. Now, it is a part of everyday life and it is all thanks to this invention that globalization is reaching its peak. We are now aware that the world is not as large as we might think. Connecting to other people has never been easier.
How does this relate to dentistry, you might ask. Even though that word of mouth tactic still works especially in smaller communities, people now go to the internet to find recommendations about what they want. Whether it is for food, clothing, and medicine, there is always going to be some review or blog that chronicles how good or bad something is. This is how people find services in the modern era, which is why it is very important to market your product or service online because most people are now in the virtual world.
As a dental practice, you know that this branch of medicine can be a bit niche. Even though it is true that all humans should have great dental care, not everybody agrees to visit as often. Most insurance don’t cover this particular expense, and it can really be quite pricey to undergo such operations. However, having even just a dental check-up is really necessary since it is for your overall health. Most of the nutrients that we consume every day go through the mouth, and our teeth break them down into manageable pieces. This way, we can absorb and use it quite easily for our bodies’ betterment. One of the best ways that you can advertise as a dental practice is through SEO or search engine optimization.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization is a process by which you can control the results of the search so that your website will be at least on the front page. As you may be aware, everyone has used a search engine before like Chrome and Firefox. Using certain keywords, you can find what you are looking for and you can attain such information. People now use this to find the best service providers in the market. With dentistry, you want to be on top of that page so that your potential customers will be aware of your existence.
The way you can go around this is by having a website first. It might surprise you, but there are many providers (even dentists) who don’t even have their own sites yet. They believe that this is just going to be a waste of their money and effort. Also, they believe that their customers would just come to their doorstep because they offer excellent service. This might have been true three decades ago. With the age of information, you need to have that online presence.
Online Presence for the Win
Why would you want to be online anyway? The main reason is people are now looking for their services online. They do not like walking or driving around town and asking their friends and relatives still gives them doubts. Most of them would want proof of your existence, reviews, and the services that you can provide. A pricing list and insurance policy would also help. This way, they can actually make sure that you are a legitimate dentistry provider. The younger generation is also experts in looking into online profiles and looking for the best offers. You wouldn’t want to miss out on that.
Sure, word of mouth, as well as other marketing and advertising techniques like fliers, can still help. People are still listening and looking at them. However, the word may not travel fast enough and fliers can be thrown easily and forgotten by the receivers. With an online platform, it is so much easier to advertise because everything is done for you. Netizens share what they like (and don’t like) online, and images are now the new flier. You can bet that that one ad you can share on your website can reach more people than the bundle of fliers printed for you. It is even friendlier to the environment.
A lot of people are still underestimating the power of the internet. Even if we are now living in a new decade, being skeptical about its influence can be unfounded, As a practitioner of dentistry, your lifeblood is your patients. As they get younger and more tech-savvy, you would want to tap into that audience. They understand the importance of having great teeth even better than the previous generations, and you want them to find you. It is never too late to think about and start advertising.