A short list summarises ethical review collection and response practices.

These practices connect directly to broader marketing work that combines content, GBP and paid acquisition — covered next.

Effective dentist marketing blends local SEO, targeted content, reputation management and selective paid advertising to build a predictable patient acquisition funnel. The approach is integrated: GBP and local content capture high‑intent searches, content educates and moves patients toward booking, reviews increase trust, and ads capture immediate demand for urgent or competitive services. Small practices should prioritise: start with GBP completeness and a review system, then build service pages and targeted search campaigns for high‑value procedures. Track cost per lead (CPL), conversion rates and new‑patient value to guide budget decisions and balance organic work with paid spend.

Top strategies for immediate and sustained visibility include:

These strategies form a layered funnel; the next section covers content marketing that educates and converts while staying AHPRA‑compliant.

Reputation management increases visible social proof, which speeds the decision to contact your practice and improves the local ranking signals that drive discovery. The link is measurable: review volume, rating and recency influence both ranking and conversion — more positive, recent reviews typically lift CTR and bookings. Effective systems combine well‑timed review requests (at discharge or in follow‑up), simple staff workflows, and monitoring tools that flag urgent issues. Use ethical, AHPRA‑compliant language when soliciting and responding to reviews to reduce regulatory risk.

1. Request reviews at a natural touchpoint (post‑treatment follow‑up) with neutral wording and clear consent.
2. Provide a simple, friction‑free process for patients to leave feedback and an alternative contact for concerns.
3. Respond to reviews within 48–72 hours, reference specifics and invite offline resolution where needed.

This workflow improves ratings and speeds issue resolution, feeding back into local ranking gains covered earlier.

Ethical review generation relies on timing, neutral prompts and documented consent; responses require empathy, privacy awareness and a route to resolve issues offline. Best practice includes training reception and clinical teams on a short review request script, documenting consent where necessary, and using concise response templates that acknowledge the patient’s feedback without revealing clinical details. Have separate templates for positive, neutral and negative reviews and always invite the reviewer to contact the practice directly to resolve problems. Track sentiment trends and prioritise responses that address systemic issues quickly.

These steps improve reputation metrics that contribute directly to local search performance, as explained previously.

Online reputation impacts local search by shaping user behaviour signals — higher click‑through rates and more direction requests — and by contributing to authority signals in local ranking algorithms. Review volume, recency and average rating correlate with better placement in the local pack; active, professional responses also signal legitimacy. Improving reputation metrics typically raises conversion (clicks to calls) and supplies more real‑world data to refine campaigns. A targeted plan to increase review velocity, respond quickly and resolve issues turns into better discovery and higher conversions.

A brief checklist summarises reputation KPI targets:

Next, we cover website design and technical SEO that convert the traffic you attract.

Mobile responsiveness matters because most local searches happen on smartphones and patients expect to call or book without layout or speed problems. Mobile‑first indexing means Google evaluates the mobile version first, so responsive design affects both ranking and discoverability. Helpful mobile UX patterns include a persistent call button, simplified appointment forms with autofill where possible, and clear service navigation to reduce taps to booking. Speed fixes — image compression, lazy loading and caching — further cut friction and improve Core Web Vitals, which increasingly influence rankings.

Measure local SEO success with metrics that show visibility and patient action: GBP calls, website traffic from local searches, appointment bookings and review volume. Tools like Google Analytics and Search Console give organic performance data, while GBP insights show profile impressions and actions. Track these KPIs regularly to adjust tactics and improve results.

Common mistakes include leaving the Google Business Profile incomplete, letting NAP details diverge across directories, and not actively managing reviews. Practices also often skip localised content that answers community questions and neglect mobile optimisation, which matters because many patients search by phone. Avoiding these missteps will improve local visibility and patient acquisition.

Online reviews matter for both ranking and patient trust. More positive, recent reviews tend to improve local search performance because they boost click‑through rates and confidence. Responding professionally to reviews — positive and negative — also demonstrates engagement and can enhance your practice’s reputation and attractiveness to prospective patients.