February 10, 2024

Unlock the Power of Geotargeting for Dentists and Attract More Patients.

When it comes to promoting your dental practice locally, one effective digital marketing strategy to consider is geotargeting.

By setting up a geotargeting campaign, you can ensure that you only receive enquiries from patients in your local area. This can be particularly beneficial for private dental practices in the UK that are struggling to attract new patients with limited ad spend. 

Reading time: 11 minutes


A common criticism of traditional marketing strategies is that they need to be more effective at capturing the attention of potential patients. With geotargeting for dentists, you can focus your efforts on reaching those who are most likely to visit your practice.

The benefits of using geotargeting for your dental practice's marketing efforts are numerous. 

Firstly, it allows you to target a specific geographic area, ensuring that your marketing messages are reaching the right audience and only the right audience. This can lead to higher conversion rates and, ultimately, more patients walking through your doors. 

Additionally, geotargeting can help you establish a stronger and more professional online presence, which is essential in today's digital age. By optimising your website and social media profiles for local search, you can increase your visibility and attract more patients in your area.

To optimise your geotargeting campaign for your dental practice, there are a few tips and best practices to keep in mind. Here are the questions we get asked the most about how to set up geotargeting campaigns for a Dental Practice;

  1. How can I set up a geotargeting campaign for my dental practice to ensure I only receive enquiries from patients in my local area?
  2. What are the benefits of using geotargeting for my dental practice's marketing efforts?
  3. Are there any specific platforms or tools that I should use to implement geotargeting for my dental practice?
  4. How can I determine the specific geographic areas I should target with my geotargeting campaign?
  5. Can you provide some tips or best practices for optimising the targeting campaign for my dental practice?

Let's dive in with the first one.

How can I set up a geotargeting campaign for my dental practice to ensure I only receive enquiries from patients in my local area?

To set up a geotargeting campaign for your dental clinic, follow these steps:

  1. Define your target area: Determine the specific geographic areas you want to target with your PPC advertising campaign. Consider factors such as the distance patients are willing to travel to your practice and the demographics of the surrounding area.
  2. Choose the right platform: Select a digital advertising platform that offers geotargeting capabilities. Google Ads and Facebook Ads are popular options that allow you to target specific locations.
  3. Set up your dental ppc campaign: Create a new campaign and choose the geotargeting option. Enter the locations you want to target, such as specific cities, postcodes, or radius around your practice. Be as specific as possible to ensure you only reach potential patients for your dental service in your desired area.
  4. Refine your targeting: Consider additional targeting options to narrow down your audience further. For example, you can target specific age groups, interests, or behaviours to ensure your ads are shown to the most relevant audience.
  5. Create compelling ad content: Develop engaging ad copy that highlights the benefits of your dental practice and encourages potential dental patients to take action. Use compelling visuals, clear calls-to-action in your ad copy, and relevant keywords to attract attention and drive enquiries.
  6. Monitor and optimise your campaign: Regularly monitor the performance of your geotargeting campaign and make adjustments as needed. Analyse metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and cost per acquisition to identify areas for improvement and optimise your dental marketing campaign for better results.

By implementing a geotargeting campaign, you can ensure that your dental practice only receives enquiries from patients in your local area. This helps you focus your dental ppc marketing efforts on the most relevant audience, increasing the chances of attracting new dental patients who are likely to visit your practice.

Key Takeaway

Remember to review and adjust your Google ads campaign regularly to maximise its effectiveness. By refining your targeting, creating compelling ad content, and monitoring the performance of your PPC ad campaign, you can optimise your geotargeting campaign and achieve your goal of attracting new patients to your dental clinic.

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What are the benefits of using geotargeting for my dental practice's marketing efforts?

Geotargeting can offer numerous benefits for your dental practice's marketing efforts. Here are some key advantages:

  1. Reach your target audience: Geotargeting allows you to target potential dental patients in your local area specifically. By focusing your marketing efforts on the people who are most likely to visit your practice, you can maximise your return on investment and attract more relevant enquiries.
  2. Increase brand awareness: By targeting your dental advertising messages to a specific geographic area, you can increase your brand visibility within that community. This can help you establish your practice as a trusted and reputable dental clinic in the local area, making it more likely for potential patients to choose your services.
  3. Improve ad relevance: Geotargeting ensures that your ads are only shown to individuals who are located in your target area. This means that your ads will be more relevant to the people seeing them, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion. When potential patients see advertisements for your dental service that are tailored to their location, they are more likely to take action and contact your practice.
  4. Reduce wasted ad spend: Geotargeting allows you to eliminate wasted ad spend by ensuring that your dental ads are only shown to individuals who are within a certain radius of your practice. This means that you won't be spending money on advertising to people who are unlikely to visit your dental service, saving you valuable dental ppc marketing budget.
  5. Increase foot traffic to your practice: The ultimate goal of geotargeting is to increase foot traffic to your dental practice. By explicitly targeting individuals in your local area, you can attract more patients who are likely to book appointments and visit your practice. This can help you fill your waiting room with new patients and grow your clientele base.
  6. Stay ahead of the competition: Geotargeting allows you to stay ahead of your competitors by reaching potential patients before they do. By targeting individuals in your local area, you can establish your practice as the go-to dental service in the community, making it more difficult for competitors to steal your patients.

Key Takeaway

Overall, geotargeting offers a range of benefits for your dental practice's marketing efforts. It allows you to reach your target audience, increase brand awareness, improve ad relevance, reduce wasted ad spend, increase foot traffic to your practice, and stay ahead of the competition. By implementing geotargeting strategies, you can effectively promote your dental services to potential patients in your local area and achieve your marketing goals.

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Are there any specific platforms or tools that I should use to implement geotargeting for my dental practice?

When it comes to implementing geotargeting for your dental practice, there are several platforms and tools that can help you effectively reach your local audience. Here are some specific ones to consider:

  1. Google Ads: Google Ads is a robust platform that allows you to create targeted ads that appear when people in your specified geographic area search for relevant keywords. By using location targeting settings in your Google ad, you can ensure that they are only shown to potential patients in your local area.
  2. Meta Ads: Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads both offer geotargeting capabilities, allowing you to create ads that are specifically shown to people in your chosen location. With a facebook ad and Instagram ad you can target users based on their location, interests, and demographics, ensuring that the right audience sees your ads.
  3. Local SEO: Optimising your website for local search is crucial for geotargeting. By incorporating location-specific keywords into your website content and meta tags, you can improve your visibility in local search results. Additionally, creating local business listings on platforms like Google My Business can further enhance your local SEO efforts.
  4. Geofencing: Geofencing is a location-based marketing technique that allows you to target potential patients within a specific geographic area. By setting up a virtual boundary around your dental practice, you can send targeted ads or notifications to dental patients who enter that area. This can be done through various mobile advertising platforms and apps.
  5. Call tracking software: Implementing call tracking software can help you measure the success of your geotargeting efforts. This software assigns unique phone numbers to different marketing campaigns, allowing you to track which campaigns are generating the most phone calls from potential patients in your local area.
  6. Local review platforms: Encouraging your dental patients to leave reviews on local platforms, such as Google Reviews or Yelp, can help boost your local dental SEO, visibility and reputation. Positive reviews from local patients can attract new patients in your area who are searching for a trustworthy dental practice.

Key Takeaway

Remember, it's important to choose platforms and tools that align with your specific goals and target audience. Conducting thorough research and understanding your target market will help you make informed decisions about which platforms and tools will be most effective for your geotargeting campaign.

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How can I determine the specific geographic areas I should target with my geotargeting campaign?

When setting up a geotargeting campaign for your dental practice, it's crucial to determine the specific geographic areas you should target. Here are some steps you can take to identify the right areas for your campaign:

  1. Analyse your current patient base: Start by examining the demographics and locations of your existing patients. Use your CRM to look for patterns or concentrations in specific areas. This information can give you insights into which areas have a higher demand for dental services and where you may have the most success in attracting new patients.
  2. Conduct market research: Take the time to research the local market in your area. Look for data on population density, income levels, and other relevant factors that can help you identify areas with a higher likelihood of potential patients. You can utilise tools like census data and market research reports or even consult with a local marketing agency to gather this information.
  3. Consider competition: Evaluate the competition in your area and identify areas where there may be a gap in dental services, especially around specialisms like cosmetic dentistry or dental implants. Look for underserved areas or neighbourhoods that may not have many dental practices nearby. Targeting these areas can help you establish a strong presence and attract patients who are looking for convenient dental care.
  4. Utilise analytics tools: Online analytics tools and some CRM can provide valuable insights into the geographic location of your website visitors and potential patients. Tools like Google Analytics can show you where your website traffic is coming from, allowing you to identify areas that are already showing interest in your practice. This data can help you prioritise geotargeting efforts.
  5. Leverage patient feedback: Engage with your current dental patients and ask for feedback on their experiences with your practice. Inquire about how they found you and if they have any recommendations for areas where you could expand your services. This feedback can provide valuable information on areas where there may be a demand for your dental practice.
  6. Test and refine your campaign: Once you have identified the specific geographic areas to target, it's essential to monitor and evaluate the performance of your geotargeting campaign continuously. Track the number of enquiries, appointments, and conversions that come from each targeted area. This data will help you refine and optimise your geo-targeted campaigns over time.

Key Takeaway

By following these steps, you can determine the specific geographic areas to target with your geotargeting campaign. This targeted approach will ensure that you are focusing your digital marketing efforts on areas where you have the highest potential for attracting new patients to your dental practice.

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Can you provide some tips or best practices for optimising the targeting campaign for my dental practice?

When it comes to optimising the targeting campaign for your dental practice, there are several tips and best practices you can follow to ensure its success. Here are some key strategies to consider:

  1. Define your target area: Before launching your geotargeting campaign, it's essential to define the specific geographic area you want to target clearly. This could be a specific city, town, or even a radius around your practice. By narrowing down your target area, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are focused on reaching the right audience.
  2. Research your target audience: Understanding your target audience is crucial for effective geotargeting. Take the time to research the demographics, interests, and behaviours of the people in your target area. This will help you tailor your marketing messages and choose the right platforms to reach them.
  3. Utilise location-based keywords: Incorporating location-based keywords into your website content, ad copy, and social media posts can help improve your visibility in local search results. For example, instead of using generic keywords like "dentist," you can use specific keywords like "dentist in [your city]" or "cosmetic dentist near me." This will increase the likelihood of your practice appearing in relevant local searches.
  4. Optimise your Google Business Profile listing: Your Google Business Profile is a powerful tool for local businesses, including dental practices. Make sure your listing is complete and up to date with accurate contact information, opening hours, and photos. Encourage your satisfied dental patients to leave positive reviews, as this can help improve your local search rankings.
  5. Leverage social media geotargeting: Social media platforms like Google Adwords, Facebook and Instagram offer geotargeting options that allow you to reach users in specific locations. Take advantage of these features to create targeted ads and posts that are relevant to the people in your target area. You can also use geotargeting to promote special offers or events that are exclusive to your local audience.
  6. Monitor and analyse campaign performance: Regularly monitor the performance of your geo targeted campaigns to see what's working and what needs improvement. Use analytics tools to track metrics like website traffic, ad impressions, click-through rates, and conversions. This data will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your PPC campaign and help you make informed decisions for optimisation.
  7. Test and refine your campaign: Geotargeting is not a one-size-fits-all approach, so it's important to test different strategies and tactics to see what works best for your practice. Experiment with other ad formats, targeting options, and messaging to find the winning combination. Continuously refine your campaign based on the data and feedback you receive to maximise impact.

By following these tips and best practices, you can optimise your geotargeting campaign and attract more patients to your dental practice. Remember to stay consistent, monitor your results, and adapt your strategies as needed to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Setting up a geotargeting campaign for your dental practice is a great way to ensure that you are only receiving enquiries from patients in your local area. By targeting specific geographic locations, you can focus your marketing efforts on attracting patients who are more likely to visit your practice.

Key Takeaway

There are several benefits to using geotargeting for your dental practice's marketing efforts. Firstly, it allows you to reach your target audience more effectively. Instead of wasting resources on advertising to people outside of your area, you can concentrate on those who are most likely to become your next dental patients.

Additionally, geotargeting can help you improve your online presence. By optimising your dental website and social media profiles for local search, you can increase your visibility in search engine results when potential patients are looking for dental services in your area. This can lead to more traffic to your website and, ultimately, more enquiries and appointments.

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Summing Up Geotargeting for Dentists

When implementing geotargeting for your dental practice, there are several platforms and tools that you can use. Google Ads and Facebook Ads both offer geotargeting options, allowing you to reach potential patients in specific locations. Additionally, tools like Google My Business and local directories can help improve your online presence in your local area.

Determining the specific geographic areas to target with your geotargeting campaign requires some research. Analysing your current dental patient base can give you insights into where your patients are coming from. You can also use tools like Google Analytics to identify the locations that are driving the most traffic to your website.

To optimise your geotargeting campaign, make sure your website and social media profiles are optimised for local search by including relevant keywords and location-specific information in your ad copy as you would your content marketing. Use location-based targeting options on advertising platforms, whether it's display advertising or search, to reach potential patients in your area. Monitor and measure the results of your campaign to make adjustments and improve its effectiveness.

Geotargeting can be a powerful tool for dental practices looking to attract more local patients. By implementing a geotargeting campaign, optimising your online presence, and using the right platforms and tools, you can increase your visibility and attract more patients from your local area. And finally, an example, to see how much revenue you could be missing out on, take our Missed Revenue Quiz at https://takethequiz.dental.

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