Search engine optimisation, which is also known as SEO, is an essential element for any dental practice that wants to improve its online visibility and attract more patients.
However, to be successful online in 2023, it’s not enough to simply implement SEO strategies. You also need to avoid common dental-based SEO mistakes that could harm your practice’s online presence and, thus, potentially lose patients and money.
So, to help you along, here are 5 common dental-based SEO mistakes to avoid.
Ignoring local SEO
Never, ever ignore local SEO when you are looking to build your dental SEO for your website.
Local SEO is crucial for dental practices as most patients search for dental services within their geographical location. Therefore, it’s essential to include location-based keywords in your website’s content and metadata. For instance, you could include keywords such as ‘dentist in [location]’ or ‘teeth cleaning near me’. Additionally, you should ensure that your practice’s name, address, and the surgery’s phone number (NAP) are consistent across all online platforms.
Neglecting mobile optimisation
Who really uses a desktop computer anymore?
More people are accessing the internet using mobile devices, so it’s crucial to optimise your website for mobile devices. This will help you to reach a wider audience and will also help to get your page ranked higher on Google and other search engines. A mobile-optimised website should be fast-loading, easy to navigate, and provide a seamless user experience. So, no jolting or freezing! You can achieve this by using responsive design, compressing images, and minimising the use of pop-ups, or alternatively, you can hire a marketing team to help you out.
Keyword stuffing
While using keywords is essential for dental SEO, overusing them can harm your website’s ranking. Keyword stuffing involves cramming too many keywords into a single page or using irrelevant keywords to attract traffic.
For instance, suppose you wanted to advertise dental whitening, and the keywords you chose were ‘teeth whitening’. An example of keyword stuffing might look like this: “When you want teeth whitening, come to our surgery for teeth whitening. Teeth whitening helps to boost your smile, as teeth whitening whitens your teeth up to 18 shades, depending on the type of teeth whitening that our team uses”.
It doesn’t flow, and this practice can lead to a penalty from search engines and hurt your online visibility. So, don’t do it!
Poor content quality
Creating high-quality content is crucial for any business’s SEO. Your website’s content should be informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience. Poor quality content, such as plagiarised content, low-quality images, or irrelevant information, can harm your website’s reputation and lead to a drop in ranking. So, keep content short, to the point and focused on what it is that your team can offer.
Neglecting analytics
Analytics play a critical role in dental SEO as they help you track your website’s performance, identify areas that need improvement, and measure the efficiency of your SEO strategies. Neglecting analytics can hinder your ability to optimise your website for search engines and hurt your online visibility.