It’s no secret that the internet represents a great opportunity for dentists to capture new patients. As internet usage continues to increase, this opportunity will become even more lucrative. However, most dentists are unaware of how to properly position their website to capture these new patients.
Don’t Employ the “Wait & See” Approach
Most dentists take the “wait-and-see” approach. That is, they develop a website, publish it to the web, and wait…and wait…and wait for new patients to line up outside their doors. Sadly, new patients never come. Why? Because your website is nowhere to be found in the search engine results pages (SERPS).
Thankfully, there are many techniques that you can employ to increase your position in the SERPS, and be found by patients seeking a new dentist.
Local Business Directories Are Effective
One highly effective technique for generating traffic, and the focus of this post, is submitting your dental practice website to local business directories. Submitting your site to local business directories requires very little time, but has significant upside potential.
Why? Because many of the local business directories that I’ve listed below appear on the first page of the SERPS for local searches.
Here’s Proof
To see what I mean, give this a try: go to Google.com. Once there, search using the following query: “saint louis dentists”(minus quotes). You’ll notice on the first page of the SERPS that several business directories came up, such as: Google local business, Superpages and Citysearch. You can see how a listing in any of these directories would improve your visibility with potential new patients.
I compiled a list below of my 10 favorite FREE local business directories that you should submit your site to in order to increase your online visibility and capture new patients. Without further ado, here’s the list…
Top 3
1. Google Local Business Center
Listing your website in the Google Local Business Center is a must. Your local business listing can include: your business address, website url, maps, location photos, business description, directions, business categories, etc. Your local search listing appears before regular(organic) search listings in the SERPS.
2. Yahoo Local
Submitting your site to Yahoo Local is also very important. Your listing options with Yahoo Local are similar to those in the Google Local Business Center. You shouldn’t expect as much traffic from Yahoo Local as with the Google Local Business Center, but it can be substantial nonetheless.
3. Bing Local Listing Center
Rounding out my top 3 recommendations is the Bing Local Listing Center. Although the Bing Local Listing Center is still in its infancy, people are already receiving significant traffic from it.
Also Recommended
4. Superpages.com
5. YellowPages.com
6. YellowBook.com
7. Yelp
8. Localeze
9. Local.com
10. Hotfrog.com
Stay tuned for future posts highlighting additional powerful tips for positioning your website in the search engines to capture new patients.
Add to the List
Have you found a great free business directory that’s not in my list? Please leave it in a comment below for everyone’s benefit
Loading ...
Reader Comments
Craig Rentmeester November 6th
Hi Cory,
I have a list of 18 free, general directories for local businesses on my blog.
http://bit.ly/381BqZ
I would recommend doing a simple search of “dentist directory”, “dentist submit” “dentist listings” to find industry-specific directories, too.
Thanks,
Craig
Cory Kemp November 6th
@craig, thanks for adding a few good local directories to the list. In my experience, niche-specific dental directories are often low quality, and buried in the search results. That being said, there are probably a few out there that can give your site a boost. Do you know of any by chance?
Craig Rentmeester November 6th
Hi Cory,
I agree with you mostly. The thing I like about niche directories is that they provide more context. Also, they usually have more specific categories and opportunities for one-way links with customized anchor text.
I don’t work in dental marketing, but a couple directories I found through quick searches are below.
http://www.onlinedentaldirectory.org/dentists/reg.php – Site has a PageRank of 3
http://www.americasmiles.com/dentist-signup.php – Site has a PageRank of 3
Then, there’s obviously the ADA, as well. To that end, there are probably local association directories related to the dental/medical field that may be worthwhile options as well, depending on where the business is located.
Thanks,
Craig
Craig Rentmeester November 6th
Also, I find it difficult to comment on this blog. Every time I write something and click to edit it, it disappears. I’m not sure what the issue is. I’m rocking a PC, with XP and Firefox 3.0.15.
I just thought I’d give you a heads up, because it may affecting visitor engagement. Other than that, I love the look, and the content is good from what I’ve seen so far.
Cory Kemp November 7th
@craig Thanks for the follow-up. I agree that niche directories provide more context. As you know, this is beneficial from an SEO standpoint. It certainly doesn’t hurt to submit your site to such directories, and in some cases can be quite helpful.
As long as we look at niche directory listings as a supplement to listings in Google Local Business Center, Yahoo Local, Bing Local Listing Center, et al., then I think we’re on the right track. I say this because patients seeking a new dentist are not as likely to use niche directories to find a dentist as they are to search for a dentist using a local search query on Google for instance.
Again, from an SEO standpoint, however, I absolutely agree with you. Thanks very much for your insightful comments, and I appreciate the heads up with the commenting issues you’ve experienced. I’ll look into it. Thanks!
Julie December 11th
Two more that I don’t think have been listed are Switchboard and CitySearch. I don’t believe AmericaSmiles which is listed above is actually free. We were required to use a certain lab and/or pay for a listing. It appears to be free until you get a little further into the registration process.
Cory Kemp December 12th
Hi Julie, Thanks for your comment. Switchboard.com is definitely a good free resource. Here’s the link to the free submission page: http://advertising.superpages.com/spportal/freelisting2.do. Also, I believe I omitted CitySearch because it doesn’t appear as though they’re offering a free option at this time. If they have re-instated it, please let me know.
Finally, I think you may have seen AmericaSmiles on a different post of mine. You’re right, they are not free.
Add Your Comment Here
YOU