High Five

The Dental SEO Marathon

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Marcus Biggs

By Marcus Biggs

Published November 13, 2015
Updated February 15, 2024

2 min read

“Rank on the first page of Google in just 30 days!”

Sound familiar? Even Google suggests steering clear of organizations that make these types of claims. Page one rankings are impossible to guarantee, and search engine optimization as a whole is often misconstrued as an online marketing effort that can produce instant results.

Understanding why SEO should be viewed as a marathon instead of a sprint will not only improve your strategy, but also help you find a company that follows best practices.

Clarifying Dental SEO

Truly effective dental SEO consists of optimizing your practice website to function at peak performance in Google’s eyes.

Unfortunately, SEO doesn’t adhere to a ‘set it and forget it’ model. Before you ever notice results, a great deal of effort goes into building an SEO strategy that’s unique to your practice. Unlike what many companies might want you to believe, it’s about much more than stuffing a bunch of keywords on your website.

To achieve results and rankings that stick, a thorough game plan is necessary, which might include:

  • Having a mobile friendly website design
  • Posting engaging and relevant content consistently (the search engines pay attention to what visitors do on your site – keep them engaged!)
  • Incorporating on-page SEO best practices including title tags and internal links
  • Earning backlinks from websites relevant to your industry
  • Ensuring your NAP is accurate across the web

Long-Term Success from Proven SEO Strategies

Training for a marathon takes work, and when the right work is put in, you’re left with stellar results. In the case of SEO, those results are long-term benefits that continue to improve over time. The goal in mind? More new patients.

Preparing a proper SEO strategy for your dental practice can seem scary at first. It’s not uncommon to discover that your top competitors have been working on their rankings for years. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t compete.

To make sure your dental SEO strategy is effective, consider the following:

  • Put in the work: SEO takes time. Do not expect immediate results after minimal effort–your strategy requires diligence and patience.
  • Change with the times: Search engines continuously update their algorithms, making certain strategies ineffective from time to time. Try to think one step ahead and remain open to new implementations.
  • SEO has no shortcuts: Use ethical practices to improve your rankings at all times. Black hat techniques designed to fool search engines will do much more harm than good.