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Beyond “dentist near me”: what UK dental practices can learn from a New York case study

If you run a dental practice, it is tempting to judge your entire online presence by one search: “dentist near me”. You open Google, look at the results and start comparing. Who has more reviews? Who appears first? Why is the practice down the road there while you have to scroll?

It is an important search, but it is not the whole story. Someone looking for a dentist may already have a more specific question. They want to know whether you accept new patients, provide a particular service or offer a clear way to arrange a first appointment. If your website does not answer, they may leave before calling.

A real practice as a starting point

Sterling Sky published a case study about Making You Smile Cosmetic Dental Studio in New York. It describes work on specific service searches and a guide to accepted insurance. The project also included Google Ads. Its results are agency-reported, not independently verified by us. The practice is not a Local Business Partner client. We use the case to introduce our own analysis, not to promise equivalent outcomes for a UK practice. The Sterling Sky case study

Start with the questions your reception team hears

For the next week, try a straightforward exercise: ask the reception team to note the kinds of questions that keep returning. No patient names or personal histories. Just the general question: how to book, where the entrance is, whether there is availability for new patients or what happens at a first visit.

This can be more useful initially than an enormous list of phrases from an SEO tool. It shows what is unclear to people who are actually trying to reach you. It does not prove the search volume for each question, but it gives you a starting point connected to the practice's work.

Once you have the list, look for the answers on your own website. Not in the editing system, and not from memory. Open it on your phone and try to find each piece of information. If you already know the practice and still need several attempts, the page organisation deserves attention.

Ask someone outside the practice to try the same exercise if possible. They may not use your internal names for services or know which menu contains appointment information. Watch where they hesitate rather than explaining the answer immediately. That hesitation is useful feedback.

A service page should make the next step clear

A page can be accurate without being particularly helpful. Several paragraphs about modern facilities do not necessarily explain what a reader should do next.

For each service, check the practical basics: is it available at this location, how does someone request a consultation, and who can clarify questions? Clinical information needs to be written or checked by the practice's clinical team. Marketing copy should not suggest that a treatment suits everyone.

You do not need to turn the page into a textbook. Sometimes it needs two sentences and a visible button. Sometimes the information is already there, buried beneath a long account of the brand's philosophy. Read with one question in mind: “If I want to discuss this service with you, what do I do now?”

The answer should still make sense outside opening hours. If a person sends a request rather than booking a confirmed appointment, say so. A clear description of the next step gives your reception team a better starting point when they respond.

Choose precise titles without turning them into adverts

A title such as “Our services” tells you little about a page devoted to one treatment or service. A descriptive title, including the service and location where relevant, helps readers understand where they have arrived. The place name should reflect the practice, not simply be a location you would like to attract searches from.

I would avoid strings of words such as “best dentist cheap dentist top dentist”. Apart from sounding unnatural, they do not answer a question. A patient needs to understand the service, not count how often you have written “dentist”.

Google describes relevance as how well a profile matches a search, alongside the factors of distance and prominence. Google’s guidance That supports a clear description of the business. It does not mean repeating a phrase guarantees a particular position.

Read your heading aloud. Would you use those words when explaining the page to someone on the phone? If not, a simpler version may serve the reader better. Precision is more useful than an attempt to fit every possible phrase into one line.

Make sure Google and your website tell the same story

Imagine someone reading your profile and then visiting the website. Hours, telephone numbers and the address should form a coherent picture. If they find two numbers and three different versions of the hours, you are asking them to solve a problem belonging to the practice.

The same applies when a profile leads towards booking but the destination page does not explain how it works. Follow each route as a new visitor. Where do you land? What do you see first? Is there a clear option if you cannot telephone at that moment?

These checks do not require rewriting the whole website. Start with the contact page and one service page that matters to the practice. Correct the information, test the form and agree who receives enquiries. You can then decide whether a larger piece of work is justified.

Apply an American case thoughtfully

A question that matters to patients in one country is not automatically the priority for yours. I would not translate an American guide and present it as the answer for a British practice. Ask your team which explanations they repeat and build content around those needs.

The same care applies to published agency results. Before comparing a percentage, check the period, the measure and which activities were included. If advertising was involved, the whole project's outcome cannot simply be attributed to a new page or a Google profile.

Look at whether enquiries fit the practice

More website visits do not necessarily mean more relevant appointments. Continue the conversation with reception after making changes. Are people finding information more easily? Are they asking for services you offer? Do the same misunderstandings keep appearing?

These observations do not replace data, but they give it context. Record what changed and when, then follow a comparable period. If you altered the website, advertising and appointment availability together, acknowledge that their individual contributions are difficult to separate.

One useful change this week

Choose a question the team hears often. Find the right place for its answer, write it clearly and ask the responsible colleague to check it. Then test the page on your phone. This is small enough to complete and specific enough that you can explain what improved.

A practice does not have to win every search to present its services well. It needs the right people to find useful information and understand their next step. If you would like an outside view of your practice's public Google profile, you can start with a free audit. Request a free audit