A recent study conducted by Nielson/NetRatings found that 73% of consumers use the search engines to find products and services offered by local businesses. This trend will continue to grow. Having a performance-driven website that patients find when they search for dentists on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN (or, Bing) is vital to growing your practice.

An online marketing campaign can be designed to attract new patients to your site, expanding your reach to your local market. Your dental website will increase their comfort level and motivate them to take the first critical step of making an appointment with your office.

Using Search Engine Marketing To Attract New Patients

A website is only valuable if prospective patients can find it. Otherwise, it is merely another virtual billboard littering the online landscape. Search engine marketing helps to ensure that your site gains exposure to those who are actively looking for local dental professionals. The strategy uses search engine optimization to help you control the top positions for your keywords within the organic listings. It also leverages pay per click marketing to attract new patients while tightly controlling your advertising budget.

Because the search engines can funnel an enormous volume of targeted traffic, they form the core of your dental online marketing campaign.

Building Trust Through Patient Education

Patient acquisition is often driven by education. Consumers are naturally concerned about the factors that influence the health of their teeth, gums, and mouth. They are also interested in learning about available cosmetic services, such as teeth whitening and veneers. Your dental website can play an important role in educating the public and improving their level of comfort with the services your practice offers.

Educating patients positions your dental practice as an authority in your space. From implants to bonding, and crowns to tooth contouring, providing your market with an easy-to-use library of information encourages their trust. It also differentiates your practice from your competitors. As a result, prospective patients are more likely to set up appointments with your office. If you allow them to request appointments directly through your dental website, you’ll further reduce obstacles and improve patient acquisition.

Extending Your Web Presence With Integrated Practice Marketing

While your dental website is a key component in your online marketing campaign, its effectiveness in driving patient acquisition can be improved exponentially. By integrating complementary promotions, such as direct mail, email campaigns, brochures, and office banners, you can extend your professional web presence offline.

Rather than diverting attention away from your website, these promotions can be used to direct new and prospective patients to your site. Once they arrive, your website can educate them with an expanding library of content. Informative articles and educational videos can describe your services and encourage patients to set appointments.

Tracking Results And Increasing Case Acceptance

One of the main advantages of using your dental website to increase patient acquisition is that each activity can be closely tracked and measured. As long as your online marketing efforts can be measured, they can be improved. Small improvements implemented over time can lead to higher rankings in the search engines’ organic listings. They can also lower your pay per click bids while your ads gain greater visibility through higher positions. More prospective patients will see your dental website, visit, and request appointments.

Many dental professionals underestimate the potency of their websites to increase their patient acquisition and case acceptance rates. Your site is a lever that you can use to reach your local market. It is a tool that attracts and educates patients, increasing their level of comfort and trust. You’ll find that a well-designed online marketing campaign can lead to more targeted traffic to your site and a dramatic growth in your dental practice.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 10:49 am and is filed under Dental, Practice Marketing.