Google Maps Local SEO for Dentists
If your dental practice isn’t showing up on Google Maps when someone searches “dentist near me,” or "dentists in [CITY]", you’re missing out on patients going to competitors who are.
Not to mention missing out on influencing the factors that help you better show up in AI searches and assistants.
Having strong Local SEO means making sure your practice appears when and where it matters most, in your own city and for the right search terms.
At Visible Dental, Google Maps is our specialty. We help dental practices and DSOs rank higher in local searches so you can get off of the unreliable new-patient roller coaster, and get on the path to more calls, more bookings, and more patients through the door consistently.
Imagine having a predictable flow of patients you can rely on finding and booking with your practice every month without needing to spend more on ads just to keep up.
Local SEO is where that happens.
Use the form to download our 40-Point Google Business Profile Checklist for Dentists and use it to start ranking higher in your city.
What Is Local SEO for Dentists?
Local SEO stands for "local search engine optimization", which is the strategy of improving your practice's online presence in search engines of all types, so you can be found by new patients nearby.
This applies mainly to Google, but can also apply to Bing, Yahoo, Yelp, dental directories, social media, even AI assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Basically, any place where new patients are searching, proper local SEO will put your practice there.
Doing this properly means showing up higher on Google Maps, the Local Pack, and in search results when someone types in “[your city] dentist.”
This is different from general SEO, which focuses on broader or more national searches. Local SEO is all about helping your practice get found by local patients who are actively looking for a dentist today.
How Local SEO Works
We’ve helped hundreds of dental practices boost their local visibility by focusing on the key factors that Google uses to rank businesses. Here’s what we focus on:
- Google Business Profile (GBP) Optimization
We claim, verify, and fully optimize your GBP with accurate info, service categories, business hours, photos, proper descriptions, products and services, questions and answers, and even booking information. We also help you respond to reviews and post to it weekly, which Google uses as a positive ranking and engagement factor. - NAPW Consistency Across the Web
Your Name, Address, Phone Number and website (NAPW) need to be the same everywhere and in all directories across the web. Maybe you've changed the name, phone number, address or website of your practice in the past and those old listings are still floating out there. We audit and fix inconsistencies in your local listings to boost your trust signals with Google. - Local Keyword & Relevance Strategy
We include geo-targeted keywords like “Houston dentist” throughout your website, we also make sure to use the one-keyword-per-page rule to serve up highly relevant content based on the subject the patient is looking for. This is especially important in page titles, headers, and content to help you rank where it counts. - Review Generation and Management
Online reviews play a big role in both ranking and decision-making for new patients. This also helps you attract quality staff and makes your practice more valuable when you're ready to sell it later. We use HIPAA-compliant systems to request reviews from happy patients and monitor your reputation. We also provide training to your team for in-person review acquisition, which works the best in our experience. - Citations and Directories
We submit your practice to trusted dental and local directories, helping build authority and improve your local rankings. From there, we help you make these profiles as strong as possible, which is a direct factor in being recommended in AI search results.
Our Process: Dental Local SEO in 5 Steps
1. Discovery
See where you currently rank for the most valuable terms in your city alongside competitor positioning.
2. Optimization Setup
Fix the low-hanging fruit issues with your Google Business Profile and fully optimize it, planting the seeds for future growth.
3. Website Optimization
We completely optimize your website to remove booking friction and update it with local content, schema, internal links and all of the things that search engines and AI assistants are looking for when determining who to rank.
4. Review & Reputation
We implement a plan that installs a review generating engine into your practice, helping you generate and manage more online reviews.
5. Track & Improve
We monitor performance in our VisibleOS platform and look at search ranking grids every week to stay informed on updates, make adjustments, and keep you climbing.
What Should You Expect?
Local SEO takes time and consistency, but it works. Most dental practices that follow a good local SEO cadence at least a few times a week will see improvements in 3 - 6 months.
- Higher rankings and more visibility on Google Maps and mobile search
- Increased traffic to your website
- Increase new patient phone calls and online booking requests
- A stronger online reputation, increasing new patient requests further
- Attracting quality staff and team members due to your reputation
- All other marketing efforts (mailers, social media, print ads, etc) performing much better
- The lowest cost-per-new patient out of any other digital marketing strategy by far
Why Google Maps Is The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practices
On Google Maps, there are only 3 top spots. For dental practices, ranking here means you're going to get 44 - 61% of local clicks.
These three spots must be earned by being an exceptional practice with excellent reviews and a strong local SEO strategy. You can pay to be in the local pack, but you'll have a big "AD" next to your name and you'll be swapped out with other practices throughout the day.
New patients trust the practices that have earned this spot, and so do AI assistants like Google's AI overviews and ChatGPT.
Ranking in the traditional top 10 is nice, but Google Maps should be your top focus as a dental practice looking to attract more new patients organically.
Quick FAQs
Do I need a Google Business Profile for local SEO?
Absolutely. The market share that Google has is still overwhelming and new patients use it every hour of every day. You must be optimized on Google as a priority, while also not neglecting other powerful search platforms.
How is local SEO different from traditional SEO?
Traditional SEO focuses more on ranking your website nationally or even globally. It's great for manufacturers, eCommerce businesses and more who can sell anywhere. Local SEO, however, is about helping you rank in your specific city or service area. For dentists, local SEO targets patients searching nearby, up to roughly 9 miles away.
Can I do local SEO without a website?
Technically yes, but it's not ideal and you're less likely to outrank your competitors who have a website. This is because your website gives you control over your content, keywords, and conveying your unique patient experience, all factors that help engagement and send positive signals to search engines that your practice is valuable.
As a result, Google wants to recommend you because you are valuable to new patients searching in the area.
Is local SEO a one time setup or ongoing?
It's ongoing because Google's algorithm changes, new competitors enter the market, and old listings can be outdated. In addition to this, you need to regularly be updating your local SEO to stay fresh, stay ahead, and keep being recommended by Google.
We recommend updating your Google Business Profile at least once per week, and updating your website at least once per month.
Our Checklist Makes Local SEO for Dentists Much Simpler
We made a 40-point checklist containing everything we do to rank practices in the top 3 of Google Maps and completely improve their SEO. If you follow all 40 steps and regularly implement the items within it on a weekly and monthly basis, you will see improvement in your rankings.
Scroll back up and fill out the form to download our checklist today.
Want us to boost your Google Maps rankings in 90 days or less? Request a 15-Minute Patient Flow Check today but hitting the button below.
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