7 Simple Inbound Link Strategies for Dental Practices
Link building is one of the most shirked SEO strategies for dentists. In part, due to its complexity and a lack of understanding of why link building is massively important to SEO for dentists.
The good news is that it’s not as complex as it sounds. There are simple strategies you can put in place to actively seek out more links for your dental website and boost your Google rankings to get your practice in front of more patients and dental partners.
The difference between inbound and outbound links
As you’re working on your dental marketing strategy, the two most common terms you’ll hear related to link building are inbound and outbound links. Every dental SEO service will claim your website needs more inbound links. Here’s the difference between the two:
- Inbound Links (also referred to as backlinks) are website links that come from other websites that directly link back to your website. For example, a local online newspaper directory lists you as a recommended pediatric dentist and links back to your website.
- Outbound Links are website links that take your website visitors to external websites. This can be helpful for supporting research, sharing credible sources, and improving user experience on your site.
Why inbound links are the keys to SEO success
Both inbound and outbound links play an important role in SEO. Outbound links can improve your website’s credibility by linking to other reputable websites. They also help website visitors find useful information, improving their overall experience. But the real value, and one of our top dental SEO tips for success, is prioritizing high-quality inbound links.
Think of inbound links as a digital billboard for your website. While the search engine algorithm is already crawling a reputable, high-ranking website, it comes across a link for your website. It already knows and trusts this website, so it takes a detour to visit your website as well. When your website is connected to other well-ranking sites, the algorithm has a reason to push yours to the top of the search engine results page (SERP).
What is domain authority?
So what determines a high-quality inbound link? Take a look at a referring website’s domain authority. Domain authority is used to estimate the overall strength and authority of a website in relation to its ability to rank well on the search engine results page (SERP).
Domain authority is scored on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the strongest score. The score is influenced by the number of inbound links that direct back to the website and other properly implemented SEO strategies.
To increase your own domain authority, prioritize obtaining inbound links from websites that have a good domain authority.
Why your blog can help you attract more inbound links
A regularly updated blog is the Swiss Army knife of tools when it comes to marketing for dentists. Your blog is the perfect space to create link-worthy content. Keep it updated with new, relevant, and trending topics that are easily shared and valuable. Take this example:
If you are looking for pediatric dentist SEO strategies and want more inbound links, reach out to parenting publications to link back to your blog concerning topics like “When to Make Your Child’s First Dentist Appointment” or “Encourage Healthy Dental Habits in Kids.” These are great jumping platforms for topics they might already want to address.
How to get more quality backlinks to your dental website
These tips for medical websites to get backlinks can help your SEO strategy go from dud to dazzling by driving more traffic and building domain authority, improving your dental website SEO.
1. Guest blog post
If you are looking for endodontic SEO tips, talk to local dentists and work out an agreement with them for guest blog posts. This opportunity will introduce their patients and website visitors to endodontics and what you can do for them. In return, you can have the referring dentist post general dental hygiene blogs on your website.
You can also reach out to local bloggers. Think of this example as one of your orthodontic SEO strategies: Find a local blogger, preferably one who already has a following of parents of young children or those who might be interested in orthodontic care, and offer to write a guest blog post on a relevant topic of interest like “what to expect when getting braces”.
2. Optimize your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is your Google-generated directory that pops up when people search for your practice or services in your area. Optimizing your GBP helps you climb the SERP and Google Maps search results. This is key for marketing for dentists.
You can update and optimize your GBP by:
- Providing updated contact information
- Updating holiday hours
- Uploading pictures regularly
- Gathering positive patient reviews
- Updating promotions or specials
- Including industry keywords in the description of your practice
3. Local Directories
Online directories can vary in size, purpose, and location. Your Google Business Profile acts like a directory listing, and then there are large directories like Healthgrades that can be beneficial for your practice.
Local directories are another great place to start searching for more inbound links. Getting on a local directory can boost your local SEO and improve your ranking for searches like “dentists near me.”
4. Create linkable content
While you’re brainstorming blog content, think of topics that are highly “linkable”. These topics generally have catchy titles, cover trending topics, or have highly valuable information. By creating valuable resources, more websites will be willing to link back to your blog posts.
Humor is another way to go. Check out this article where ChatGPT answers unusual dental questions. It combines the power of a trending topic (ChatGPT) and dentistry to create a fun, easy-to-read, and highly shareable article.
5. EDU links
Naturally, domains ending in .edu (universities, colleges, etc) tend to have a higher domain authority. This is in part due to their credibility as an academic source. Here’s how you can you use .edu inbound links to improve your marketing for oral surgeons, endodontists, orthodontists, and dental professionals:
- Educational Content: Creating informative and educational content that appeals to academic institutions will improve your chances to share your content on .edu domains.
- Guest Speaking Events: Speaking or teaching at a university gives you the chance to link back to your website on promotional materials—creating a natural inbound link for your site.
- Scholarships and Sponsorships: Donating or sponsoring student scholarships can lead to more inbound links for your practice.
- Collaborate with Students: Collaborate with students who are publishing articles or studies on their university website. Be sure to have them include a link back to your practice website.
6. Local Business Associations
It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for marketing ideas for orthodontists or just trying to learn more about the community, connecting with other medical professionals is a valuable way to get support and find new referrals. This might look like joining the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, local networking groups, medical associations, school sponsorships, and more.
7. Local Media
Good press is an excellent marketing tool for any dental professional. Charity events are one of our favorite ways to get local media attention while simultaneously supporting a good cause.
Talk to your team members, and even your patients, to see what causes are of high interest and in need of support. See here how you can put together a “Whiten for Charity” event.
You can also celebrate a national holiday like Earth Day with these Earth Day ideas for dental practices.
Find success with more inbound links
We hope this helps you understand how to get backlinks for small businesses. If this or any aspect of your dental marketing strategy feels too overwhelming, reach out to a dental marketing company, like My Social Practice, to get the support you need to find success online.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a dentist find high quality links?
Attracting high quality links starts by creating valuable original content. Brainstorm a list of dental blog ideas that will appeal to your audience and potential partners.
If you struggle with determining how to find high quality links, you may want to partner with a dental marketing company to assist you.
What is the best inbound link for a dental practice?
An ideal inbound link comes from a reputable website with a high domain authority. This builds your website’s credibility. For example, start with local health directories, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and medical blogs and publications.
High quality inbound links are key to your dental SEO strategy and can help improve your SEO rankings.
How do I get a dental colleague to link to my website?
Networking with other dental professionals can be an easy way to get more inbound links and improve your dental marketing strategy. High quality content is a great incentive for them to re-post or swap guest blog posts. Also, collaborating on a dental charity campaign can drum up local media interest and bring multiple inbound links to both of your websites.
Is it legal to purchase inbound links?
Purchasing inbound links is against Google’s guidelines and could result in a penalty. Oftentimes purchased inbound links are low quality and come from dubious sources.
Instead, focus on easy inbound links, like updating your Google Business Profile and improving your Google Maps ranking.
What is the easiest way for a dentist to get a link?
List your practice in a local or national directory. Generally, all it requires is an application and sometimes a small fee.
For additional easy inbound links, focus on these four areas: update your Google Business Profile, collaborate with other dental professionals, and create share worthy dental blog content that naturally attracts more shares and links.
About the Author: Adrian Lefler is a dental marketing expert and a key member of the dental marketing team at My Social Practice. My Social Practice is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Adrian is passionate about helping dental practices grow. If you’d like to book one of the members of My Social Practice’s speaking team, you can do that HERE. Interested in learning more about the benefits of dentist SEO or our dental SEO service, please schedule a complimentary consultation. And, don’t forget to read our Google reviews.
