With most local business searches happening online through local search engines and local search directories, local search marketing and local search advertising are more important than ever. A huge part of local search optimization is the local search directory.There are now 100’s of places online to find local businesses, so knowing the best local directories for local search and how to submit to and get listed with all of these local search engines and directories is extremely important to today’s dental practice. More and more people are using their cell phones and computers to find their local dentist. The big advantages to this over the yellow pages are the social reviews, more information, and quicker results.
Without a doubt Local Search will eventually replace the yellow pages. You can find the entire white and yellow pages online already. AT&T is beginning to eliminate their database of names and businesses and not even put them into their yellow pages anymore. They know that 86%+ (and growing) of people search the internet for local businesses today.
So, if you are a dental practice still paying for advertising each year for your yellow pages ad, I would recommend shifting some of that money towards Local Search Optimization. There is just so much more bang for your buck today online. The cost to do local search pales in comparison to paying for offline medias, like the Yellow Pages. I’m not saying to stop advertising in the Yellow Pages altogether because some dental practices still get patients from it, but that well is going to dry up FAST!! In order to flourish in this ultra competitive world of dentistry, you need to be ahead of the curve and stay there…
Local Search is the future of searches on the internet and this has become even more evident because Google just a few weeks ago is making searches come up with more local results including the local business results and Google Maps. (CLICK HERE to see my video on the latest Google changes) The other major search engines will shortly follow the same guidelines. It won’t be long until it becomes one of the only ways people are using to find their local dentist. This is where Local Search strategies help dental practices to get noticed.
The dental practices that take advantage of Local SEO before others will have a major competitive advantage. Dental Practices that don’t get online and optimize correctly can be missing out on a huge profit margin of the cheap cost to be on Local Searches.
