GBP for Dentists

Local search results display in two primary places: the Map Pack (the three map listings near the top) and the organic listings below it. Google chooses Map Pack winners based on three factors:

• Relevance: How well your profile matches the search intent.
  
  
• Distance: Proximity to the searcher’s location.
  
  
• Prominence: Your online reputation and authority (reviews, links, citations, brand signals).
  
  

You can’t move your office closer to every searcher, but you can maximize relevance and prominence with a complete GBP and a locally authoritative website.

1) Choose the Right Primary & Secondary Categories

Pick one primary category that aligns with your top money-maker. For most practices, “Dentist” works. If you emphasize cosmetics or implants, consider “Cosmetic Dentist” or “Dental Implants Periodontist” as primary instead. Add secondary categories like “Emergency Dental Service”, “Pediatric Dentist”, “Orthodontist”, or “Endodontist” if those services exist in-house. Avoid category stuffing—choose only what you truly offer.

2) Use a Clear, Compliant Business Name

Your name should match signage and branding (no keywords stuffed in). “Bright Smiles Dental” is fine; “Bright Smiles Dental – Best Cosmetic Dentist [City]” risks suspension.

3) Confirm Address, Hours, and Service Model

Dentists are storefront businesses (not service-area businesses). Show your address, ensure hours are accurate, and add holiday hours in advance. Extended evening or weekend hours can be a visibility advantage and a conversion boost.

4) Add Appointment & Website Links

Use the Appointment URL to connect to your booking page or compatible scheduling software. Include primary website and, if you have multiple locations, use location-specific URLs that match the office.

5) Build Out Services and Treatments

In the “Services” section, list key offerings with straightforward descriptions: cleanings, exams, x-rays, fillings, crowns, bridges, dental implants, Invisalign/clear aligners, veneers, whitening, root canals, extractions, dentures, pediatric dentistry, sedation dentistry, emergency dental care. Include brief, patient-friendly explanations and expected outcomes. This increases relevance for specific queries.

6) Add Attributes and Insurance Information

Add relevant accessibility and inclusivity attributes (e.g., wheelchair accessible, LGBTQ+ friendly). If your practice accepts specific insurances and it’s allowed for your category, include that in your description or services where appropriate (and keep it updated).

7) Photos and Videos that Build Trust

Upload exterior shots (signage, parking), interior (reception, operatories), team photos, before/after visuals where appropriate, and short walkthrough videos. Keep them high-quality and current. Aim for a steady cadence (e.g., a few assets per month). Don’t rely on old images—patients want to see what your office looks like now.

8) Posts that Answer Real Patient Questions

Use Google Posts weekly: promotions (whitening specials), seasonal messaging (back-to-school checkups), procedure education, team highlights, and community involvement. End each post with a clear CTA: “Book online,” “Call now,” “Learn more.” Posts don’t directly rank you, but they increase conversions and can reinforce relevance.

9) Q&A: Seed Helpful FAQs

Add and answer frequently asked questions (yes, you can ask and answer from a patient’s perspective). Cover topics like parking, insurance, emergency availability, financing, sedation options, language support, pediatric care, and infection control. Provide concise, friendly answers.

10) Reviews—Acquire, Respond, and Showcase

Reviews are a top signal for prominence and a trust trigger.

• Acquisition: Use an automated, compliant review flow via SMS/email after visits. Do not offer incentives.
  
  
• Diversity: Aim for a steady trickle across months (not spikes), and encourage mentions of specific services in natural language.
  
  
• Response: Reply to every review—thank patients for positives; for negatives, respond professionally without revealing any protected health information. Invite the patient to call the office to continue the conversation.
  
  

11) Practitioner Profiles (If You Have Multiple Dentists)

Each dentist can have a separate practitioner listing, but be careful to avoid duplicate NAP conflicts. Use the practice as the main GBP that you actively promote, and ensure practitioner names, categories, and links are consistent and not cannibalizing the practice listing.

12) Avoid Common Myths & Pitfalls

• Geotagging photos doesn’t move rankings.
  
  
• Keyword-stuffed names risk suspension.
  
  
• Fake reviews will backfire.
  
  
• Category overload dilutes relevance.
  
  

Inconsistent NAP across directories confuses Google.

A strong GBP needs a foundation: a fast, well-structured site with content that reflects what you do and where you do it.

1) Build a High-Performing Homepage

Your homepage should immediately answer: who you are, where you are, what you do, and why choose you. Include:

• Clear value proposition (“Same-day crowns,” “Gentle pediatric care,” “Emergency dentistry today”).
  
  
• Prominent phone, book online, and directions buttons.
  
  
• Trust signals: reviews, before/after gallery, membership badges, years in business, financing options.
  
  

2) Create Treatment Pages that Rank and Convert

Give each high-value service a dedicated page with:

• Symptoms/indications, benefits, steps in the procedure, recovery, FAQs.
  
  
• Photos or explainer videos.
  
  
• Internal links to related services.
  
  
• Conversion elements: “Schedule a consultation,” “See if you’re a candidate.”
  Pages to prioritize: Dental implants, Invisalign, veneers, whitening, crowns, root canals, emergency dentistry, pediatric dentistry, sedation dentistry.
  
  

3) Location Pages for Multi-Location or Multi-City Reach

If you serve multiple neighborhoods or towns, create unique location pages (not copy/paste):

• Local landmarks, parking/transport tips, nearby schools/churches/parks (contextual relevance).
  
  
• Staff who work at that location, hours, and doctor bios.
  
  
• Embed a Google Map and include driving directions from common areas.
  
  

4) On-Page Essentials

• Title tags: “Dentist in [City] | [Practice Name]” for the homepage; “Dental Implants in [City] | [Practice Name]” for services.
  
  
• Meta descriptions that read like ads.
  
  
• H1/H2 structure that mirrors search intent.
  
  
• Internal linking between related treatments and the booking page.
  
  
• Schema: Dentist (LocalBusiness), FAQPage for FAQs, Product schema for specific treatments if appropriate, and Review markup when permitted.
  
  

5) E-E-A-T for Dental Expertise

Add doctor bios with credentials, continuing education, and professional memberships. Publish educational guides signed by clinicians. Show your office policies, sterilization protocols, and technology stack (CBCT, intraoral scanners, same-day crown systems). These build trust and help rankings.

6) Site Speed, UX, and Mobile Experience

Most patients search on phones. Ensure:

• Core Web Vitals pass (fast load, stable layout).
  
  
• Tap-friendly buttons, sticky call/booking bar.
  
  
• Clear forms with minimal fields.
  
  
• HIPAA-aware contact flows; don’t request sensitive info in plain email.
  
  

7) Citations & Consistency

Audit and correct your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) across key directories: Healthgrades, Zocdoc (if used), Yelp, Facebook, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, local chamber sites, and dental associations. Consistency supports prominence.

8) Local Links & Community Signals

Earn links from local partners: schools (mouthguard programs), youth sports teams, charities, health fairs, chambers, and neighborhood blogs. Sponsor or host events and request a link back to your site.

9) Content That Answers Local Intent

Create posts or guides that answer “near me” and problem-based queries:

• “What to do if you chip a tooth in [City]”
  
  
• “Costs and financing options for dental implants in [City]”
  
  
• “Braces vs. Invisalign—what’s better for teens in [City]?”
  Tie these to calls to action and internal links to services.
  
  

10) Tracking & Measurement

Use UTM parameters on GBP links (website, appointment, posts). Track:

• Calls and forms from GBP vs. organic.
  
  
• Direction requests and driving distance (conversion intent).
  
  
• Keyword movement for core services in your target radius.
  
  
• GBP Insights: profile views, discovery vs. branded searches, calls, bookings.
  
  
• GA4 and Search Console for page performance and query data.

Google personalizes results based on the searcher’s location. Even a top-tier practice won’t dominate the entire metro from a single pin. Practical tactics include:

• Strengthen signals closest to your office for “near me” queries.
  
  
• Use targeted content and local links to expand visibility into adjacent neighborhoods.
  
  

If growth plans justify it, consider a second office in a strategically underserved area.

You can implement the above yourself—or you can have a partner that does it every day for competitive legal and healthcare markets. Epic Visibility brings a full-stack, outcomes-first approach:

1) Comprehensive Local Audit

We start with a complete assessment of:

• Your current GBP (categories, services, media, attributes, reviews, duplicate/suppressed listings).
  
  
• Website technical health (Core Web Vitals, indexation, crawl, schema).
  
  
• On-page optimization (titles, headers, content depth, internal links).
  
  
• Local content gaps (treatments and city/area pages).
  
  
• Citation accuracy and authority.
  
  
• Competitor landscape in your radius for your highest-value services.
  
  

You get a prioritized roadmap with quick wins and strategic plays.

2) Google Business Profile Optimization & Management

• Category selection aligned to revenue goals.
  
  
• Full services and attributes build-out.
  
  
• Photo/video strategy (quarterly shoots or curated schedules).
  
  
• Q&A seeding and Google Posts calendar tied to promotions and seasonality.
  
  
• Review acceleration with compliant request flows and response management (HIPAA-aware).
  
  
• Duplicate suppression, spam fighting, and listing issue remediation.
  
  

3) Local SEO Content Engine

• High-quality treatment pages written in plain language, reviewed for clinical accuracy.
  
  
• Location and neighborhood pages with real local context.
  
  
• Long-form guides that attract links and rank for mid-to-long-tail queries (implants cost, emergency steps, kids’ dental milestones).
  
  
• On-page CRO: compelling CTAs, FAQs, trust sections, and appointment prompts.
  
  

4) Technical SEO & Schema

• Core Web Vitals improvements for speed and stability.
  
  
• Structured data for Dentist, FAQPage, Product/Service where appropriate, and Breadcrumb.
  
  
• Image optimization, internal link mapping, and crawl efficiency fixes.
  
  

5) Citations, Local Links, and Digital PR

• NAP cleanup and synchronization across healthcare and local platforms.
  
  
• Local sponsorships, community partnerships, and PR outreach to earn authoritative local links.
  
  
• Asset creation (patient education, visuals, tools) that other sites want to reference.
  
  

6) Tracking, Reporting, and Real Business Outcomes

• UTM tracking on every GBP touchpoint and campaign.
  
  
• GA4 + Search Console dashboards; GBP Insights reporting.
  
  
• Call tracking and form attribution to tie marketing to booked appointments and production.
  
  
• Monthly strategy reviews that focus on what’s driving new patients, not vanity metrics.
  
  

7) Multi-Location & Group Practices

For DSOs and multi-location practices, we implement:

• Location hierarchy and canonical strategies to avoid cannibalization.
  
  
• Unique, high-value content per office.
  
  
• Location-level GBP governance, review routing, and local content calendars.
  
  
• Roll-up reporting and location cohort testing to scale wins.

• Primary GBP category matches your primary service focus.
  
  
• Services filled out with simple descriptions and pricing guidance if allowed.
  
  
• Appointment link active; holiday hours scheduled in advance.
  
  
• 20–50 high-quality photos/videos refreshed quarterly.
  
  
• Weekly GBP post; 5–10 Q&As answered on profile.
  
  
• Automated review requests after visits; 100% response rate.
  
  
• Homepage and top treatment pages optimized with strong CTAs.
  
  
• Unique location/neighborhood pages where appropriate.
  
  
• Dentist schema + FAQs + internal linking in place.
  
  
• NAP consistent, citations cleaned, and local links growing.
  
  
• UTM on GBP links; GA4, GSC, call tracking configured.

Your next new patient is probably searching on their phone within a few miles of your office. A best-in-class Google Business Profile paired with strategic local SEO ensures they find you first—and book.

Epic Visibility can take this off your plate and deliver a predictable, measurable stream of local patients. If you’d like us to audit your current presence and map out quick wins, we’ll review your GBP, website, rankings, and competitors and come back with a concrete plan tailored to your practice and market.

Let’s turn local search into your most reliable source of new patient growth.