Why Isn’t My New Dental Website Showing In Google Yet?

Managing a dentist’s expectations for fast Google rankings

One of the main questions we get from clients following the launch of a new dental website is “why can’t I find my site in Google yet?”

Although we discuss the workings of Google and how websites are ranked early on in a website project, I guess that clients sometimes forget and are understandably excited when their new website is launched. No doubt they are also are very keen to see it included in the search results as soon as possible. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case and it can take several weeks for a website to start appearing in Google and also that the rankings can be quite variable and intermittent early on.

So what’s actually happening here and what should a dentist expect when it comes to search engine results directly after the launch of a new website?

How does Google find a new website?

First let’s recap on how Google works when it comes to finding new content on the web and how it decides where to rank it in the search results. Then we can take a quick look at what can be done to help speed up this process and progressively move a website to occupy prominent ranking positions.

Google uses “bots”, affectionately known as “GoogleBot”, to find and index new content on the web. This is an automated process and the inclusion of a new website in the search results cannot happen until this process is completed. When the new content has been indexed, Google then uses algorithms to decide where that particular content should appear in the search rankings.

There are lots of factors in play, not just the quality of the content itself, but also how popular it is. Google has historically used the number of links pointing back to a website as an indicator of how popular/useful that content is and hence what level of ranking it should be awarded. But the number and quality of links from third-party websites is only one of the elements Google uses in its ranking evaluation; there are numerous factors to consider alongside this and it’s in this area where you are likely going to need an experienced SEO team to assist.

Hopefully that short overview of how Google works will help our understanding of why new websites typically don’t appear in Google immediately. We should also be able to see that new content isn’t going to suddenly appear in prominent positions, particularly where other competing websites have already gained a foothold and perhaps have had SEO running for some time. Those rankings have to be earned, particularly in areas where competition is high.

What can be done to make sure your dental website is found by Google soon after launch?

Given that it can take some time to establish good search engine positions, it makes sense to start the ball rolling as soon as possible after a website is launched, particularly to ensure that Google finds the website quickly and indexes all of the content.

We can assist this by doing some essential things very quickly as follows:

• Establish a Google Business Profile and link back to your website from it
• Start to seek reviews on your business profile
• Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console
• Locate several good quality online business directories and enter your website there
• Set up a Facebook page and link to your website from it
• Link back from any LinkedIn profiles associated with the practice

This is essentially the first steps of an off-site SEO campaign and the links and accounts you establish will all help GoogleBot to find your website. You will also start to establish the first levels of website authority and indicate to Google that your content is worthwhile. This in turn will help to get your website ranked and then progressively improve the search positions.

Ongoing Search Engine Optimisation

I think it’s very well understood in the dental community just how important good search rankings are for new patient bookings. As such, search engine optimisation, or SEO, is now becoming an important element for any dentist who understands the power of digital marketing and how to leverage Google to best effect.

With an eye on the mid to long term and having completed the initial tasks to get a new dentist’s website indexed as quickly as possible, it makes sense to get a comprehensive SEO campaign underway to move those all-important rankings forward into the top positions. There is plenty of additional content in this blog to show you how to do this, or simply call our team for more advice.

Summary

Whilst it’s very exciting to launch a new dental practice website and understandable that you’ll want to see it ranking well in Google as soon as possible, some considerable patience is required. Google wouldn’t be worth a jot if it simply pushed new websites to the top and so you’ll have to work hard to do that.

To get the search engine process underway as soon as possible, please follow the short check-list above to help your website get noticed and included in the first instance. Then we recommend an ongoing SEO programme to ensure that you push upwards into the useful search positions from where potential new patients can find you and click through to your site to hopefully book treatment!

If you need help with your own website or would like to understand how search engines can be used to benefit your own business, please get in touch with the Dental Media team on 01332 672548 for impartial guidance.