Dentists are in need everywhere, every country, every city. If you’re one, chances are there’s always work for you. But there are also plenty of dentists out there, so how do you stand out from the rest and gain more clients?

Yes, you can advertise, you can print flyers, you can have an eye-catching sign outside your practice. But in today’s world, anyone looking for a new dentist is going to head to Google first. So it makes perfect sense that if you want to attract new business, you should up your online presence.

So what about coaching dentists in how to do dental SEO? In theory, SEO for dentists is like any other SEO. But in practice, it’s not quite the same… So if you want it done right, you either need to enlist the help of a dental SEO expert… Or get one to coach you on how to do it yourself. The right way.

Why SEO a Dental Website?

Just because everyone needs a dentist, doesn’t mean they’re just lining up outside your practice! When someone needs to get their teeth fixed, there’s a high chance that they’re going to Google “dentist in [location]”… And if a dental website is not SEOed, it’s not going to pop up at the top of the list.

The truth is, nobody’s going to scroll through multiple websites to find the dentist that “feels right to them”. They’re likely to go for the first or second one they see on the list, which means anyone below that falls by the wayside.

On the flip side, a well-SEOed dental website will pop up near the top of the list. The chance of getting all those clicks and subsequent business will be a whole lot higher.

What’s the Best Way to SEO a Dental Website?

So, now that you know why SEOing a dental site is such a good idea, you may be wondering how to actually do it. Getting SEO right can be a little tricky if you aren’t totally sure how it works, and it’s easy to miss important elements that can make a huge difference to your site’s ranking.

With that in mind, if you want to get organic traffic to a dental site and gain clients as a result of that, there are two ways to get it right.

1. Hire An SEO Specialist

Hiring someone who knows SEO inside and out is a great way to get a website ranking quickly. An expert will be up to date with the latest SEO practices, know all the sneaky tricks, and be able to implement all their knowledge quickly and easily.

However, there is a downside to this—an SEO expert isn’t cheap, and it’s likely that you’ll need their services on an ongoing basis… Or at least a few times a year to make sure everything is still up to date and working as it should.

Pros:

• Expert knowledge in practice
• Little to no effort on your part
• Very high chance of ranking

Cons:

• Not cheap
• Ongoing/regular services

2. Learn It Yourself

On the other hand, taking a comprehensive SEO course gives you all the knowledge you need to SEO your own or your client’s dental website.

If you truly want to do well, you’ll need to dedicate some time and effort to learning the ins and outs of SEO. But it could be the better way to go—although you’ll have to pay to learn, it will be more affordable and you won’t have to pay a specialist to maintain your SEO over time if you can do it yourself.

Pros:

• You can update your site at any time
• Saves you quite a bit of money
• Nobody else needs access to your site

Cons:

• Can be time-consuming
• Requires some time to learn fully

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a dentist, a dentist’s receptionist, or a marketer who’s got a dentist as a client, learning dental SEO could be the best business move you make. For marketers, instead of offering SEO to dentists as a service, what about coaching dentists in how to do dental SEO themselves?

There’s a lot of SEO work out there. Offering SEO services is appealing and you’ll probably never run out of work. But there’s something to be said for coaching dentists to do it themselves. One, creating a course means passive income for months and years to come, as long as you keep it up to date. Two, it frees you up to focus on other work.

If you’re a dentist, why not consider learning yourself or getting someone in your office to learn dental SEO? You may be surprised at how effective it is for bringing in more clients… Making you your money back in no time.

Learn well though—SEO doesn’t reward half efforts. But if you can learn the ins and outs of it and how to apply it in an effective and not overbearing way, you can expect great results without spending a fortune.