Every dentist (and dental marketer) is hoping to get leads through their website. But how can you be sure that the lead in question was worth the effort? By fine-tuning your marketing efforts, you can be sure to draw in the kind of patients that fit your practice – and see them scheduling and following through, as opposed to flaking on a consult or exam.

The trick is to get inside your patients’ heads, and then make sure your website reflects exactly what they’re looking for. Help them along the funnel with intuitive user experience design, and they’re sure to connect with your staff and become a part of your practice’s community. Read on for some clues to drawing them in, and get in touch if you’d like some help integrating these tactics with your website.

 How to Engage the Right Dental Leads

• Optimize for long-tail keywords – Everyone wants to be in the number one search position for “dentist” in their area, and that’s something SEOs are always working toward. But while those basic terms may seem desirable, the leads that find you using those searches are less likely to convert. This is because they’re not completely sure of what they want, yet. By optimizing pages for terms like “sedation dentist,” “kid-friendly dentist,” “dentist with emergency hours,” and other more specialized search queries, you catch truly thoughtful leads who are invested in their search (and completely ready to find a new provider).
• Create specific content – Make sure your patients are interested by the content available on your website. While general pages summarizing cosmetic and restorative treatments are necessary for site structure and navigability, build more specific pages (“Whitening for Sensitive Teeth,” “Rebuilding Short Front Teeth,” “Symptoms of a Root Canal,” etc.) that will answer the questions visitors already have in mind, and show your expertise along the way.
• Be as informative as possible – Give site visitors as much information about your practice as you possibly can. This includes regular hours, instructions for contact in case of an emergency, a full list of treatments and technologies available, detailed bios for providers and other staff members, photos of the facilities, and more. Make it easy for them to get to know you before they even visit the office.
• Allow for online scheduling – In addition to basic contact forms and clickable phone numbers on your website, it’s never a bad idea to try an online scheduling system that allows patients to view and select available time slots all on their own.