Using Dental Keywords to Expand Your SEO

Avoid using jargon and clinical terms when trying to optimize results for patient searches.

Google may yield hundreds upon thousands of results on any given search, but two-thirds of Internet users only view the first page of search results.

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The top few search results are typically given to advertisers who bid for specific AdWords. The rest are sorted by relevance to the reader. You can optimize your professional web presence by incorporating dental keywords and search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to ensure a top spot in organic search results and drive traffic to your practice.

Selecting Keywords for Your Dental Practice

A keyword is a word or phrase that summarizes a webpage. Search engines, like Google, use keywords to prioritize a site’s quality and relevance to searchers. You can use dental keywords to highlight your expertise and target your online marketing efforts to prospective patients.

“Include query terms normal people would use to find your product/business (e.g., ‘running shoes,’ not ‘athletic footwear’),” said Maile Ohye, a developer programs tech lead at Google.

The same holds true in dentistry, but be sure to know your audience. To directly target patients, use common terms like “cavities” rather than “caries.” Consider using more clinical terminology if you are a specialist targeting fellow dentists or primary care physicians for referrals.

Focus your marketing efforts on likely patient sources by posting relevant information such as location, procedures you specialize in and attributes that make your practice unique. Search engines rank your webpage based on the value a searcher gains from the information you post. They then boost your webpage highest for users who are most interested in your information and therefore most likely to come to your practice.

How do I use a keyword?

“Not every placement of a keyword is equal: There are certain places on your website that are more optimal than others for on-page SEO,” Linsday Kolowich told HubSpot.

According to Kolowich, a few of the best places to use keywords are page titles, descriptions, headings, and image titles. Create concise titles and headings with relevant keywords to increase your search result position and attract potential patients. Appeal primarily to human readers in webpage descriptions as they have a lesser effect on page rankings. Finally, images should always have a descriptive and concise title to improve image search results. When incorporating keywords, keep in mind that your primary goal should be to create a high-quality landing page.

“What does a high-quality landing page look like?” asked Google’s chief economist, Hal Varian. “It should have relevant and original content that helps a user complete their task, it should be easily navigable and be transparent about the nature of your business.”

Search engines prioritize high-quality pages to improve a searcher’s experience and entice them to continue using the search engine. As a dentist, you can capitalize on this by focusing on human users to improve the overall usability and relevance of your webpage. Incorporate dental keywords naturally into your copy, keep content relevant and tabs logically organized. Making these tweaks will help propel your webpage to the top of search results.

Best Practices

Consider the following best practices to ensure proper and effective keyword use. Ohye suggests checking your website’s domain name for instances of misuse by a previous owner that could negatively impact your ranking. She also suggests registering for Google Webmasters’ email forwarding program to be readily notified of any fraudulent activity on your page so that you can address it immediately.

Stay away from keyword stuffing and hidden keywords to avoid penalties and rank demotions. Keyword stuffing is when a webpage crams multiple unnecessary keywords onto a webpage. Some webpages hide additional keywords by writing them in the same color as the background. It is very difficult to recover if a search engines penalizes your site for abusing keywords.

Learn more about improving your practice’s digital presence here.

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