Google localisation – what it means for your dental practice
If you aren’t in “Trumpton” don’t expect to rank well for “dentist Trumpton” in Google search
As a provider of SEO services for lots of dentists throughout the UK, we spend many hours trying to evaluate just how Google ranks websites.
One of the particularly fascinating areas is “local” search i.e. how Google determines where a business is physically located and whether it should feature in the “local” results on page one of Google.
These are the entries which are associated with a map of the businesses location and which often appear in a pack of seven near the top of page one – you will often see this referred to as “the 7 pack” in the SEO world. For obvious reasons, an entry here is very valuable for any business, including dental practices.
One of the key factors which Google appears to use to evaluate whether a business qualifies to appear in the “7 pack” is it’s location relative to the centrum of the nearest town. Other factors also play a large part, e.g. the location of the searcher relative to the business, the number of client reviews etc. However, one of the fundamental aspects is where a business is physically based.
So what does this mean for dentists?
One of the key decisions any dentist will ever make is where they actually decide to open their business. Too much competition and you will find it very hard – particularly these days. However, it now also makes very good sense to try to understand how your future Google ranking will play a part in your success, not just in terms of the other competing websites but also how Google will “localise” you in relation to the “7 pack” map results.
To give an example, we undertake digital marketing for a dentist who is located in a small village slap bang between two towns in Staffordshire. After a lot of work, we’ve managed to get him to page one for a lot of useful search terms for both of the locations; however for the local search results he is pretty much excluded by his competitors who are actually located in one or the other of the adjacent towns. This is primarily down to where he is actually based and Google favouring the local guys. No matter what your SEO guy might tell you, factors like that are outside of anyone’s control other than Google.
On a more technical level, this also affects how you would set up an SEO campaign for a dental practice. Aspects like the selection of domain names, e.g. should you consider using a location term as part of it, and the location terms you use in the keyword selection, all come into play.
Can you rank for a location even if you aren’t based there?
This is a very good question and not one which is widely understood by dentists who are embarking on an internet marketing campaign. As we’ve discussed above, the chances are that you will not rank in the local results for a particular location if you are not based there. The further you are away, the lower your chances become (and the radii Google use appear to be quite small). Ranking for a generic term such as “dentist Trumpton” is also unlikely if your aren’t based in Trumpton – even outside of the local results, the local guys will also probably beat you there. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to take your money off you without really knowing what they are doing (or dishonestly).
However, what we also know is that it you can rank for more specific key phrases for other locations if you do it correctly. So for example, your may be able to get a good page one result for “adult braces Trumpton” even if you live in Chigley – as long as Chigley is close by. There are a number of techniques we use to achieve this within our web marketing campaigns for our dental clients. This also helps to pick up better targeted traffic which converts to real enquiries much better than generic searches.
Summary
Understanding how Google has localised search results is extremely important for any business. The physical location of your dental practice needs to be considered not just in terms of the the competition on your doorstep but also how the competition will appear in Google searches. Google is that important these days.
If you would like to understand more about how you currently appear in Google search results and what can be done to improve, please give the Dental Media SEO team a call for no-obligation advice on 01332 672548. We’ll be pleased to carry out a review of your business free-of-charge.