Before patients can find your practice, you must commit to being found. Grabbing their attention, keeping their attention and convincing them you are the solution may seem daunting, but it’s easier than you might think. Even though the route patients take to find you has changed over the years as internet connectivity has become standard in homes around the world, you can capitalize on this fact by understanding how people are using it and who is using it to find your practice. Here are some reasons patients aren’t finding you, and some tips for what you can do about it.
The data speaks for itself.
An estimated 129 million patients visited a general practitioner in 2014[i], and with 80% of all internet users in the U.S. going online to search for health-related topic, more new patients than ever before are turning to the internet to find you.[ii]
So why aren’t new patients finding my practice?
More than 33% of dental practices are not found in Google search results[iii], and digital marketing is underutilized in the dental industry — including paid search advertising, directory presence and SEO. The path for patients to find a dental practitioner has changed in recent years, and patients have more information available to make discerning choices.
Who are these new patients?
There are five main types of new patients who are looking for you.
- Newcomer Nathan is young and tech savvy and makes decisions quickly.
- Dissatisfied Debbie wants to see your reputation and reviews and makes her decisions after having read what others think.
- Millennial Molly is a social media butterfly and wants to see you in her circle.
- Insurance Inez will consider her bottom line. She’s paying for her insurance, after all, and wants to see that you fit her budget.
- Specialist Steve needs a professional specialist with proven knowledge to help fit his needs. Your website can help him find you.
How do I help patients find me?
Patients aren’t finding you because you need a good website. And who has time to figure out how to create and host a professional-looking website with good search engine optimization? Officite understands the types of patients who are looking for your services and has helped over 8,000 practices attract new patients with modern search-engine optimized websites. Click Here to find out more about how we can help new patients find you or call (833) 568-7792 for more information.
[i] https://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Science%20and%20Research/HPI/Files/HPIgraphic_1117_2.pdf?la=en
[ii] http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3077086/t/more-people-search-health-online/#.XdbCjldKjIU
[iii] https://www.beckersdental.com/benchmarking/35273-33-of-dental-practices-not-found-in-google-search-results-study.html?origin=DentalE&utm_source=DentalE&utm_medium=email&oly_enc_id=6444A6801912I5Z