2025 has seen several changes in how dentists approach their SEO and gain traffic from Google’s free organic listings
One of the advantages of dental SEO is that you are not competing against every dentist in the country. You are competing against dentists within an approximate 20-mile radius. While this used to negate NHS practices, this is no longer the case.
- Dentist near me is now one of the most sought-after keywords
Dental SEO has gone local.
One of the ways we have always approached dental marketing is to ensure that your dental practice not only appears for local Google search queries like dentist + location, cosmetic dentist location, and general dentist location but also ranks for all of your treatment keywords + location, Counties and postcodes included.
- It is very hard to optimise for the ‘dentist near me’ keyword because the search results are conditional on the user’s geolocation when they make the search. However, it is not impossible. Using our advanced local SEO techniques, which we have developed in-house, we can ensure that your website is better optimised for your chosen locations than your competitors.
One helpful process is to take your current patient database and add them to a custom Google map. You will quickly see where most of your patients come from. This means you need to ensure that your website ranks for everything from teeth whitening + this location to dental implants + location. Targeting that area with traditional dental marketing like leaflets could also be beneficial!
- Once you’ve secured a #1 Google SEO ranking for your core locations, it is time to encroach on the competition’s patch.
Where are they gaining the majority of their patients? Suppose my dental practice ranks for dentist + their location and the complete range of dental treatments keywords, from porcelain veneers to root canals. In that case, there are opportunities to beat the competitors and expand into their locality.
- Sometimes, it’s as simple as creating content for emergency dentists or perio treatments that these dentists do not offer in these locations.
Redefining cosmetic dentistry
One SEO trend that many dentists who work with VCM are redefining how Google sees cosmetic dentistry.
Cosmetic dentistry used to be defined as the treatments accompanying it, such as smile makeovers, porcelain veneers, and teeth whitening. However, most dental clients tell us that the majority of their patients may well search for a particular treatment but, in reality, have no idea what they actually need.
What we are seeing in 2024-25 is a change of SEO direction From simply trying to rank for teeth whitening and veneers to looking at becoming a more solution or patient centric keyword approach.
By this, we mean the entire remit of black teeth, yellow teeth, buck teeth, gaps in teeth, missing teeth, stained teeth, and the list goes on. Here, we look to empathise with our patients’ problems and offer solutions that would solve their smile issues.
This has been very successful in two ways
- On one hand, it obviously resonates with patients and removes some of the transactional aspect of visiting a dentist. It shows a level of trust, caring, and compassion, and it is a good way of promoting a dental brand.
- On the other hand, it is exactly what Google is asking more of modern dental website SEO. Google believes that advanced optimisation is all about focusing on the user (see here.)
Using video to become patient and Google-friendly
- One key change we will see in dentists’ use of SEO to drive patient acquisition is the heightened use of video.
A recommendation we make to all dental clients is to explain different treatments by having the actual dentist the patient would see make a short video. This also works with TCOs offering free consultations. Even if the user doesn’t actually click on the video they can see the person who they will have their treatment with. It is all about building a connection or relationship. See dental websites and building trust.
It has the effect of beginning to cement the relationship between the dentist and the patient. This is no longer just a dental website trying to sell me something; it is Dr XYZ, who is both approachable and knowledgeable about the treatment.
One of the advantages of video is that it is much easier to listen to than read. In a world with both a short attention span and a host of other websites and apps competing for our attention, videos are proving to be an excellent way of converting traffic. It is a ranking factor, which Google is appreciating more and more. Short-form video is very much the future.
Of course, video can be used on various platforms outside of a website or as part of search engine optimisation. Dental professionals and practice managers can further promote their clinic and expertise using reels on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Another SEO trend is how patients communicate with the practice
We predict in 2005 the death of enquirybot. One of the huge disadvantages of using a live chat service run by a robot is that it stops patients from connecting with the dental practice’s brand and simply communicating answers to some questions. Whilst enquiry bots help capture patient contact details, they are useless at selling the practice.
We see a trend in dental marketing is the end of this type of approach, which is used by literally thousands of dental practices in the UK, and the readoption of live chat services, where an operator who is qualified to a TCO level of knowledge is employed. We offer the service free to dentists.
We do this because although we have a great deal of dental knowledge, we don’t actually speak to patients and hear their concerns. We document all the questions we are asked and ensure they are answered on our dental clients’ websites. So, by answering live chats, we gain a better understanding of what the patients are after and what information they need to book an appointment.
Keyword popularity and the rise of dental implants
Another of our dental SEO trend predictions for 2025 to 2026 is a rise in required dentistry as opposed to desired dentistry.
What we mean by this is that patients will always have needs and wants. However, as the economy refuses to improve in 2025, we believe that many cosmetic dental treatments, i.e. teeth whitening veneers, will fall in terms of search traffic to dental implants. Older patients still have money! Is it time to create more content aimed at All on Four?
When we study Google trends, which can show which keywords are rising and falling in the UK, we can clearly see that dental implants are overtaking teeth veneers and composite bonding.
Composite beats Porcelain hands down
We work with 46 Dental Practices
We hope you have enjoyed this piece on how SEO for dentists is changing and how VCM are adapting to these new trends. If you would like to talk to us about how we can help you practice, then please click here.