SEO vs PPC for Dentists: Which is More Effective? | DMC

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Attracting patients is the lifeblood of any dental practice (including yours). You may have built your online presence, but in today’s day and age, simply having a website or social media presence is not enough. 

At Dental Marketing Co., we know how challenging it can be to navigate the world of digital marketing as a dental clinic owner. 

What you need is a comprehensive dental marketing strategy that puts you in front of the right people at the right time on the right platforms. And when it comes to doing so, there are two main players in the game that you should consider — Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising.

Now, you may be wondering whether to focus on invest in dental SEO or PPC. It’s one of the most common questions we get asked. And you may have browsed the internet for answers, only to find countless different opinions that leave you even more confused than when you started. 

Here’s the thing — there’s no concrete answer that we can provide because both SEO and PPC are key to growing your dental clinic. Also because the right mix depends on factors like your goal, target audience and budget. 

However, there’s one thing that we can guarantee. That is, your dental clinic almost always needs a well-balanced strategy that utilises both SEO and PPC along with other dental marketing strategies. 

What is Dental SEO? 

In short, dental SEO is about getting your website to the top of search engine results (ideally to the first page). In other words, it’s the process of optimising your site so that it's visible when patients search for a dentist or services you offer. 

Why is SEO important? 

Well, because when patients search online, they are way more likely to engage with clinics that appear on the first page. In fact, data shows that 75% of users never make it past the first page of search results. This means that if your site isn’t ranking well, you may as well be invisible to potential patients. 

That’s not all. Ranking at the top is also about establishing yourself as an authority. It signals to both the search engine and users that your website is filled with valuable and relevant information. This then also helps position your dental clinic as the go-to in your locality and even beyond.  

Why Choose Dental SEO? 

  • Cost-Effective: Unlike paid ads, SEO is considered a highly cost-effective solution. Yes, it does require an initial investment, but after that, there are no significant ongoing costs per click. 

  • Long-Term Results and Growth: Seeing results from your SEO strategy may take time. However, if you have the right strategies in place, you will see real and lasting results for a long time along with sustained traffic. All you have to do is maintain that position with consistent and strategic SEO-related updates. 

  • Builds Credibility: Showing up on the first page of search results helps establish trust. This contributes to positive branding and positions your clinic as a trusted clinic, making you the go-to choice for patients. 

  • Builds a Strong Brand Presence: By boosting your credibility, authority and brand awareness, a good SEO strategy helps you get a competitive edge over your competitors. 

  • Sustainable: Organic traffic doesn’t vanish overnight. Even if you need to dial down your marketing spend, SEO can work undercover, contributing to bringing in a steady flow of patients. 

Sure, the upfront work may take more time and effort, but the results make it worth it with more patients, visibility and long-term growth. 

If you need a one-off overnight success story, then SEO may not be for you. Why? Because SEO takes time (at least 3-6 months to see significant results), ongoing optimisation and a strong strategy. 

SEO is a long game. But if you want immediate leads, then PPC advertising may be what you need.  

What is PPC Advertising for Dentists?

You’ve probably seen those ads that appear at the top of the search engine results page when you search for something. That’s PPC advertising for you. 

What PPC ads do is to direct instant traffic to your website by putting your dental clinic at the front and center on search engines like Google and other platforms like Facebook and Instagram. In other words, you are buying visits to your website as opposed to earning them via organic search.

So, how does PPC work? As the name suggests (Pay-Per-Click), it is performance-based — meaning you only pay when a potential patient actually clicks your ad. 

Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? Here’s the thing — it’s anything but. See, it’s not just about spending the most money to outdo competitors and get your ad shown more frequently or prominently. For one, it requires you to bid on keywords related to your dental services. These auctions (which are all automated by search engines) will determine if your ad is relevant. If your bid is competitive and your ad is of high-quality, it will be displayed at the top of search results. 

So, it’s not just paying to get your ad out there — it’s about getting the strategy right. 

Why Should Dentists Choose PPC? 

If SEO helps you rank organically without paying for clicks, why would dentists pay for traffic? Here’s why. 

  • Instant Visibility: While SEO takes time, PPC can instantly put you on the map (at the top of search results), allowing you the opportunity to start converting new patients the moment you publish your campaign. 

  • Targeting: With focused targeting options, you can get in front of potential patients by showing up for specific searches. 

  • Control Over Budget: From setting a daily ad spend to adjusting your ad spend at any time, you have complete control over your paid ads budget. 

  • Quick Results: PPC campaigns are one of the most effective techniques for generating fast conversions. You can get an ad approved in as little as 24 hours and even get your first conversion in a day, depending on your creative, positioning and strategy. 

  • A/B Testing: Test your landing pages, Call-To-Action (CTA) buttons and keywords you wish to target with paid search. 

While PPC can be an effective strategy, like with SEO, it’s also not all about sunshine and rainbows. 

While you can control your ad spend, it can get pricey really fast, especially in competitive markets where cost-per-click is high. At the same time, it also requires ongoing investment to keep the traffic flowing and the moment you stop, so does the traffic. In addition, while PPC gets you to the top of search engines, patients may skip ads in favour of organic results.

For these reasons, we don’t recommend relying solely on paid ads to get new patients and grow your clinic. 

Running a profitable PPC campaign requires more than just throwing money at ads. It requires skilled optimisation and management, without which you’ll be wasting money on clicks that don’t convert into bookings. 

Which is More Effective: SEO or PPC? 

So, back to the hot topic — which is better for dentists: SEO or PPC? 

The answer to that question? It depends (on your goals and needs). 

However, we believe that both SEO and PPC should work together if you want to see the best results for your clinic. This integrated approach offers many benefits, including: 

  • Provides more visibility on both the paid and organic areas of search results. 

  • Allows you to develop better strategies by providing more data from both channels. 

  • Provides both short and long-term benefits, with PPC providing immediate leads and SEO setting you up for long-term growth. 

So, think of SEO and PPC as the ultimate combo that can fast track your growth when combined. 

Now, we know that managing and aligning both SEO and PPC strategies is not easy. And that’s where we come in. At Dental Marketing Co., we can cater to all your marketing needs with our skilled team of in-house experts. 

If you want to attract more patients and dominate search results, call our friendly team today.