PPC or SEO? Do Dentists Have To Choose?

Pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) are both valuable strategies to attract leads and boost conversions for your dental clinic. They can help you collect new contacts and build relationships with online and local communities. PPC for dentists can be the answer to your clinic’s needs.

In PPC advertising, your ad shows up along with search engine results for specific keywords typed in the search bar. If you use Google Ads for your PPC campaign, you can check which keywords may work for your business. Start with a low-risk campaign, and then increase your budget as you see progress in your sales.

As you get leads from the PPC ads, establish your SEO campaign. Eventually, you can lower your budget for PPC and focus more on SEO because it yields long-term results. PPC is for immediate and short-term marketing campaigns.

But does a dentist have to choose between the two? Discover one’s advantages over the other.

If you want to learn how Digital Authority Partners can increase your PPC effectiveness, watch this video!

Advantages of PPC Over SEO

     1. Quick Results for Inquiries and Sales

PPC provides your dental clinic with immediate leads such as scheduling an appointment or asking for the cost of braces. For a given keyword, you can attract qualified traffic to your website. Make sure that you are using the right keywords for your PPC campaigns.

You can use Google Keyword Planner for this. Look for keywords that best reflect your clinic’s services and that contain one or two words that highlight your unique selling proposition.

If you wish to have a competitive advantage, you can add a location. This gives you dominance over your clinic's region and targets a specific community. If your dental clinic is new, this is the best option for you.

     2. The Best Strategy for Brand Awareness

PPC can introduce your brand to your target market for the first time. Using Google Ads, you can select people who have the same demographic profile as that of your target market personas.

You can choose a specific age range, gender, civil status, location, and other characteristics. You can segment your target market by specifying the qualities of your personas. If you are in a hurry to build your client database, this is the best option that you can use.

     3. The Best Method To Beat Established Brands in Search Results

Old and popular clinics have already built their target market databases. It is difficult to beat them instantly. One way you can get the target market’s attention is to be on the highest spot in search results. This is possible through a PPC ad campaign.

But first, you will have to research your competitors’ keywords and check how much they spend on those keywords. Compare those keywords with yours. Consider your brand’s unique selling proposition and add one or two words in the keywords that you will use.

This way, you can offer something special to the target market and provide the basic services they need and want. Having a selling edge provides you with leverage over competitors and makes you a prized brand in the eyes of your target audience. Make sure that you are hitting the right PPC goal every time so as not to waste your financial resources.

     4. Detailed Target Marketing Options

PPC via Google Ads offers you a detailed campaign with its ready options for demographic profile characteristics. You can narrow your target market by selecting attributes of people who represent the personas or ideal client image well.

Be intentional in targeting the audience with the right age, gender, location, occupation, and other persona attributes. Make sure that you have prepared your research for your client’s preferences, lifestyles, needs, behavior, economic statuses, and household demographics. Match your ideal client with the profile options.

Advantages of SEO Over PPC

     1. Long-Term Brand Dominance

SEO has its own performance edge that you might want to use simultaneously with your PPC campaign for your dental clinic. It gives you long-term marketing results.

Over time, you can establish your image as search engines index your pages for years. SEO might cost you much, but it builds the foundation for your website and establishes your online presence. After at least six months of work, you will notice your visibility on the internet.

PPC is short-term advertising, while SEO is long-term. PPC will provide you with immediate leads as long as you pay for every user’s click on your ad, while SEO will give you long-term partnerships with online communities.

Once you have established your brand identity, you can dominate a niche and finally attain brand dominance for your dental clinic.

     2. Brand Reputation

It takes a lot of effort to prove that you are credible and authoritative in the field. SEO can help establish and maintain your brand's reputation for years.

These years of partnership and service with people enable you to build trust and develop loyalty among your target market. SEO is indispensable when it comes to building brand reputation and is the key to long-term success in online business. Without SEO, you would have a hard time establishing online connections.

On the other hand, you have to take care of your brand’s reputation as you become more popular on the internet. Ensure that you have an administrative plan when a negative review comes out or when an angry client rants on social media.

     3. Partnership With the Local Community

By going local, you capture a ready target market within the vicinity, providing you with a reliable set of contacts. Engaging with the local community can be possible through geotargeting. You can integrate your social media pages into your local SEO efforts by connecting with nearby people, participating in local events, and collaborating with nearby shops. When you have many local connections, it is easier for local people to recommend your dental clinic.

People can easily recognize your dental clinic as they pass by and notice your posters. Integrate traditional marketing into your digital campaigns to reap maximum benefits.

Final Words

PPC and SEO have their own advantages, and you can use both for your dental clinic’s overall marketing campaign. While your clinic is still new, invest in PPC to get initial leads to which you can promote your services further. You do not have to choose between the two.

Running a PPC campaign for at least two months can boost your SEO campaign. Once you have established your client database, you can reduce your budget for PPC and concentrate on your SEO efforts.