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42 Dental Internet Marketing Ideas

BY: DR MIKE HAMILTON // INCEPTION DENTAL WEBSITES, OWNER

You're not alone if you are dentist confused by internet marketing.  There's a great deal to learn and there are plenty of salesmen to confuse you.

I wrote this article to give you some clarity on what you can do to improve your dental internet marketing results.  The ideas here will place you at the front of the pack.

Dental Internet Marketing Idea #1:
Conversion Optimized Website

So you have a dental website, but does it convert?  When a new dental patient lands on your website do they choose you or do they choose the next doctor in the list?

Having a conversion optimized dental website means having a website with a very clear call to action.  It also means having a website that quickly shows the patient everything they need to see.

CLICK HERE for an an example of a top notch website.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #2:
Properly Optimized Website

Having a properly optimized website means that someone good at SEO or search engine optimization helped you with your website.  This is a huge topic and one that is far too much to type about here, but it is critical for your online success.

There are a number of good places to read up on this topic.  I gave you a link below that I feel is one of the best beginner SEO tools out there today.  I hope you find it helpful.

CLICK HERE to learn more about SEO.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #3:
Blogging

Dental blogging has changed significantly over the years.  In the beginning blogging was all about SEO.  Posting blogs that hit certain keyword topics would help you rank better and ultimately helped with new patient generation.

Today blogging is much less of an SEO factor.  It can still help, but only if people are visiting your dental website and reading your blogs.  This can be a tall task to accomplish and is really only possible by sending emails our to your patient base pushing them to read your blogs.

CLICK HERE if you're still confused about what a blog is and want to learn more.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #4:
Blog Comments

If you read enough SEO article you will no doubt come across people talking about blog comments.  Years ago blog comments were a great way to build links to your website.  Building these links was often helpful in boosting the rank of your website.

Today blog commenting is something very few SEO people implement.  It can still be helpful if you do a helpful comment on an industry specific blog, but doing them on a blog that has nothing to do with dentistry is probably a bad idea.

CLICK HERE for an article that discusses this topic in depth.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #5:
Guest Posting

Guest posting is another way you can build backlinks to your dental website.  This activity can boost the rank of your website, and it is a popular tactic that many SEO professionals employ.

While I agree that guest posting can be good it must be done on industry specific websites.  Dental websites that are seen as authority websites.  Doing posts on non-industry related sites is in most cases not worth doing unless it's a very high authority website. The problem here is that it is very difficult to find webmasters that are willing to put your articles on their websites.

CLICK HERE for an article that goes in depth on this topic.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #6:
Collecting Leads

Have you been told you need to build a list by collecting leads from your dental website?  It sounds like the best thing since sliced bread.  You collect a huge list of potential new patients and then you send emails and marketing messages to them until they eventually come in.

The problem with this idea is that it is very difficult to collect the leads on your website.  Most patients are very leery about handing out their emails, and most are not interested in whatever you might be giving them in return.  Not many patients are interested in the latest tips on healthy teeth.

CLICK HERE for an article that talks about this topic in more detail.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #7:
Video Marketing

There are a few ways you can do video marketing today, but I'll touch on two of the most common here.  The first way you can use videos for dental marketing would be to make videos on all of the topics patients are interested in.  Those videos are typically placed on YouTube and optimized properly within that platform.  This is done with the hope that someone will find your video online...watch your message...and then become a patient.

The second, and more powerful way, you can use videos would be to post them on Facebook as boosted posts or ads.  Facebook allows you to pay to show your videos to potential new patients.  You are able to control the demographics and reach a much larger audience.  The only problem here is the cost.  You can spend thousands of dollars per month in this area.

CLICK HERE for a good post on Facebook Video Marketing.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #8:
Rank for Keywords

One of the common questions we get here at Inception Dental Websites is how you can rank for certain keywords.  Most dentists believe that we can simply put a keyword into the website somewhere and a top rank comes out the other side.  There's a bit more too it than that, but it's really pretty simple.

How You Rank For a Keyword:

  1. First pick a keyword you want to rank for like "Dental Implants Green Bay".
  2. Write an article that is at least 400 words in length about that topic using your keywords.
  3. Have your webmaster post the article on your website with all the properly internal SEO pieces such as title tags, header tags, etc...
  4. You can also strengthen this process by making a video about this topic, optimizing it on YouTube, linking it back to your article, and placing the video in your article.

The steps can go a bit further, but this gives you an idea of what it really takes to rank for a keyword.

CLICK HERE for a good article to learn more on this topic.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #9:
Yelp

Yelp can be in interested company to deal with.  If you've ever had a bad dental review on Yelp then you know how terribly frustrating they can be.  There are two possible ways to deal with Yelp:

  1. Completely ignore them and hope you don't ever have to deal with them.
  2. Try to get your patients to actively do reviews for you there hoping that a few of them stick.

You'll find with Yelp in many cases that the bad reviews always stick and the good ones get thrown out.  Yelp always denies that they do this, but the overwhelming number of small businesses that see this happening is seems to contradict what they say.

CLICK HERE for some articles that will give you some background on Yelp.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #10:
Google Local Listings

Your Google listing for your business is one of the most important search engine optimization factors.  Errors in this listing can cause your dental office to fall out of the maps listings, and it can also cause problems with your organic rank.

Duplicate listings are something to really watch out for here.  Having an extra listing floating around on Google for your business can be a killer.  Make sure your web team knows what they are doing in this area.

CLICK HERE to get started on your local business listing with Google.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #11:
Google Reviews

You simply can not have success with dental marketing without good reviews.  Google reviews top the chart of importance because they are the most visible.

Most offices rely on a system of asking patients to do reviews.  The flaw in this system is that most dental offices don't reliably ask patients to do them.

At Inception Dental Websites we use a more automated system for generating reviews.  Our system automatically emails patients to ask for reviews.  This results in a majority of the patients being contacted and ultimately in much higher numbers of reviews for your office.

CLICK HERE to learn more about our reputation program.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #12:
Mail Your List

You've probably heard that it's good to keep in contact with your patients.  I completely agree, but that doesn't mean all communication is good.  If you are going to interrupt your patients valuable time it needs to be with something of value.  Sending out canned junk to them is not something of value.

Most dental offices use some kind of auto responder to send out message to patients.  You can use something free like Mail Chimp or you can go all the way up to something like Infusionsoft.  Mail Chip is great for just sending out messages.  Infusionsoft gives you quite a few more options, but it's overkill for most dental marketing efforts.

Whatever you choose to do to communicate with patients just make sure it's as personalized as possible.  Just a tiny bit of effort can go a long way with your patients.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #13:
Bing Listing

If there is anything to pay attention to outside of Google it's Bing.  Having your business listed with Bing Places for Business is important and can be helpful to your overall rank.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #14:
Angie's List

In 2016 Angie's List opened its doors to free listings.  This means you should have your business listed there.  The more trusted directories you can get your dental office listed in the better your online results will be.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #15:
Podcasting

Podcasting for dental marketing is a long shot in my opinion.  It can be very time consuming to do and difficult to get patients to tune into.  I would only do this idea if it's something you love to do.  Anything you put a lot of energy into can be successful, but this isn't one that you can dabble in.  It's all out or nothing here.

CLICK HERE for an article the goes in-depth on podcasting.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #16:
Local Sponsorships

In today's world of SEO building quality links to your website can be very difficult.  The best links are from local trusted sources, but how do you get them.  One of the best ways to build local links is to sponsor local groups.  Sponsoring local organizations gives you a good name in the community, but it also gives you a chance to be listed on their website.  That website link passes some power from their website to yours.  This transfer of power can give your dental website a leg up on the competition.

CLICK HERE for a good article on link building.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #17:
Call to Action

Would you rather visit a website that guides you in what you need to do to work with them or a website that keeps you guessing?  I know I'd rather know what I'm supposed to do to become your patient.

The interesting thing is that very few dental websites have a clear call to action.  They are so worried about telling the potential patient what they want them to know that they forget about the patient.

CLICK HERE for a website with an example of a great call to action.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #18:
Educational Webinar

If you are going to try to do a webinar for dental marketing then it's crucial to pick a hot topic.  Think about the questions that your patients regularly ask you and use that as your topic.

You also have to figure out how you are going to get patients to the webinar.  Facebook Paid Advertising might be your best option, but it comes at a cost.  You can spend quite a bit of money in this area.

CLICK HERE for some good information about doing a webinar.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #19:
Write an eBook

Writing an eBook can be a great boost to your credibility.  For some reason we all give more credit to a doctor that wrote a book.  I also think it's unlikely that many people will read your eBook so I wouldn't kill yourself doing it, but again it's a good way to instill confidence in a potential new patient.

CLICK HERE for a good article on this topic.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #20:
MOZ Local

Having your dental office listed in as many directories as possible is helpful in the area of SEO.  MOZ Local offers businesses an way to reach many of the top directories through an easy to use portal.  There is some cost to enter your business each year, but at around $99 it's a good deal.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #21:
About Us Page

The about us page of your dental website is one of the most visited pages.  The scary thing is that most dentists put little to no time into this critical page.

Your potential new patients want to see who you are.  They don't take the time to read your bio, but they will absolutely be looking for your pictures.

CLICK HERE for an example of a great "About Us" page.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #22:
Facebook Page

In my opinion Google expects every legitimate business to have a Facebook business page.  The problem with these pages is that most dental offices believe that posting in them will generate more new patients.

Only people that have liked your page will see your posts on Facebook.  What's more discouraging is that only a small percentage of the people that have liked your page will even see those posts.

The likelihood of generating new patients from posts is very low, but it's still important to do.  Google is watching your activity.  If Google can see large numbers of likes, comments and shares on your Facebook posts it can actually help your website rank better.

CLICK HERE to learn how to setup a Facebook Business page.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #23:
Facebook Paid Advertising

Paid Facebook advertising is the new rage but be careful here.  This form of dental marketing can be very difficult to pull off and there are lots of commission salesmen that are ready to take your money.

CLICK HERE to get started with paid Facebook Advertising.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #24:
Twitter

We hear about Twitter all the time, but is it helpful for a dental office?  For the most part I would say it is not helpful, but you do need to have an account.  Most businesses have a Twitter account and Google probably assumes you should have one also.  I would setup an account and make sure you have a bit of activity, but don't worry about generating new patients here.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #25:
YouTube

I talked about video marketing earlier in the article so I won't repeat all of that here, but you need a YouTube account for your office.  YouTube also give you an opportunity to do paid advertising, but I would look at this as more of a branding play than a new patient generator.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #26:
Pinterest

You might be starting to get the picture from me that many of the social media sites are pretty useless when it comes to generating new patients and you would be correct in that assumption.  While that is true it is always true that having some presence there is important for the rank of your website.

Pinterest is a great place to post pictures from your practice.  You can do things like before and after pictures or even info graphics about tips for patients.  Generate some activity there and you've accomplished your task.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #27:
Directory Listings

I spoke about directory listing for your business with MOZ Local, but I also wanted to tell you about:  Whitespark or Bright Local for even more in-depth directory listings.

White Spark offers some of the most powerful done for your directories today, but the cost can be a little steep.  You can also create a low cost account with White Spark where you can do your own by hand.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #28:
Google Adwords

Google Adwords paid advertising can be a great way to increase your number of new dental patients.  You can instantly achieve a top position, but you have to pay for that position.  It's not uncommon to spend over one thousand dollars per month for this form of dental marketing.

My suggestion here is to find someone that will be honest with you about their fees.  Don't get roped into paying hundreds of dollars per month in management costs.  I promise you they are not doing hundreds of dollars of work.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #29:
Google Analytics

Google Analytics allows you to see the traffic patterns on your website.  It contains a mountain of information that you can look at to assess your performance.

While it can be helpful it's an unnecessary thing for most dental offices to look at on a regular basis.  Here at Inception Dental Websites we use Analytics to monitor our clients websites.  From time to time we look at the information to see if our websites are funneling patients in the direction we think they are.  Sometimes it can help us to make minor adjustments in our layouts.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #30:
Google Webmaster Tools

Google Webmaster Tools is another way to keep an eye on the health of your website.  From time to time it's a good idea to make sure you are not developing any problems.  Google does a pretty good job showing you major problems you might have with your online presence.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #31:
Mobile Responsive Design

There are a surprising number of dental websites that are not mobile friendly.  Best practice today is to have a responsive website design.  This means that your website will adjust its size to the size of screen it is being displayed on.  Most reputable website companies do this as a part of their main service.

CLICK HERE for a more formal definition.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #32:
Load Speed

The load speed of your dental website is very important for patient satisfaction.  If you make someone wait five seconds for your website to load you are likely to lose them.

In general a top quality website will load in under 2 seconds, but Google recommends that you are under 3 seconds.

CLICK HERE to check your current load speed.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #33:
User Metrics

When I talk about user metrics I'm talking about how many people visit your website, how long they stay on the website, what they do when they are there, and what they do after they leave.

The longer you can get someone to stay on your dental website the better off you are.  Think of ways to boost your traffic and watch your rank rise.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #34:
Facebook Reviews

While most dental offices are focused on Google Reviews you don't want to forget about Facebook.  Having reviews on multiple review sites can help your overall rank.

CLICK HERE to learn more about this program.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #35:
Build an Email List

Building a list of potential new dental patients would be amazing, but it's nearly impossible to do.  Building a list of your current patients is much more manageable, and it can be a great way to keep in touch with them.

Letting patients know what's happening in the practice from time to time or talking to them about products you have for sale can be a great way to improve your numbers.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #36:
Hootsuite

Hootsuite allows you to post to a number of different social media sites from one platform.  It might be a little bit of an overkill for you, but it can be a real time saver.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #37:
Sitemap

A sitemap gives Google and other search engines a clear map of the pages on your website.  You can survive without one, but it's certainly best practice to have one.

CLICK HERE to learn more about sitemaps.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #38:
HIPAA

Every state is a little different, but at Inception Dental Websites we feel having a HIPAA form on your website is a good idea.  We believe Google is looking to see that you have one and it may also be important for compliance.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #39:
Terms of Service

A terms of service document or a privacy policy should also be present on your website. Google has been pretty clear about wanting to see this on websites. Make sure your website has one.

CLICK HERE to get one if you don't have one.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #40:
Office Pictures

Our team at Inception has noticed a boost for our clients that implement a photo optimization strategy.  This is one of those behind closed doors SEO strategies that we use here.

You'll have to call me at (920) 857-1106 to learn more on this one.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #41:
Landing Pages

It's hard for me to go through a day without getting calls about landing pages.  Dental offices and many other small businesses are using them as topic specific small websites.

As an example you might want to promote dental implants so you make a landing page that is targeted to that topic.  You then run some kind of advertising to push people to that page.  The hope is that you can get them to either give you their email or that they schedule a consultation with you.

Landing pages can be effective, but they don't work for everything.  Talk to us about what you're trying to do and we can help you understand if this kind of setup will work.

CLICK HERE to build your own pages.


Dental Internet Marketing Idea #42:
Remarketing

Both Google and Facebook offer re-marketing options.  Basically you are placing a piece of code on your website that allows you to track people that come to your website.  Once they have landed on your website you have the ability to show your ads to them on other websites they visit. Your webmaster should be able to help you with this form of marketing.

CLICK HERE to learn more.


I hope these tips have been helpful.  As new ideas come into play I'll continue to add to it.  Best of luck with your dental marketing.

You should also check out my 58 Dental Marketing Ideas.

Inception Dental