Ask most principals what they want from marketing and the answer is simple: more of the right new patients. The good news is that patient demand already exists in your area, people search for a dentist every day. The job is making sure they find you, and that your practice gives them an easy reason to book.
Here are the levers that actually move the needle, roughly in the order we’d prioritise them.
When someone searches “dentist near me” or “dental implants [your town]”, Google shows a map with three local results, the “map pack”, above everything else. Most clicks go there. Getting into it comes down to a well-optimised Google Business Profile, genuine reviews, and a website Google trusts for local terms. This is the foundation of dental SEO, and it compounds over time.
Traffic is wasted if the site doesn’t convert. Patients decide in seconds: is it fast, clear, trustworthy, and easy to book? A conversion-focused website with obvious calls to action and treatment pages that answer real questions will turn far more visitors into enquiries than a dated one.
SEO builds over months. When you need enquiries sooner, or want to promote a specific treatment like implants or Invisalign, Google Ads put you at the top of the results today. The key is tight targeting, conversion-focused landing pages, and tracking, so every pound is accountable.
Reviews are one of the strongest signals for both patients and Google. Ask happy patients for a genuine Google review as part of your normal process. A word of caution: under GDC and ASA rules, any patient testimonials you publish must be genuine and must not make clinical claims you could not make yourself, and you must not incentivise reviews, so keep your approach neutral and compliant. Our guide to testimonials and before-and-after photos explains what is allowed.
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Use call tracking and form tracking so you know exactly which channel produced each enquiry and what it was worth. This turns marketing from a cost into a measurable investment.
General dental practice marketing brings in check-ups. If you want more implant, Invisalign or cosmetic patients, market those treatments directly. That means a dedicated page for each treatment, Google Ads campaigns built around treatment searches, and clear information about finance. Our guides to marketing dental implants and cosmetic treatments and orthodontic and clear aligner marketing go into detail.
Many practices lose new patients after the enquiry, not before it. Patients often contact more than one practice, and the first to reply helpfully usually wins the booking. Answer calls promptly, reply to forms and messages within hours, and offer online booking where you can. If enquiries are coming in but not converting, our guide on why dental enquiries aren't turning into appointments will help.
Social media rarely produces as many direct bookings as search, but it keeps your practice familiar to local people and supports cosmetic treatments in particular. Focus on posts that are specific, local and lead somewhere, and judge it on enquiries rather than likes. Our guide to dental social media marketing explains what works.
Dental advertising is regulated. Avoid guarantees and unjustified claims, state clearly whether you are NHS, private or mixed, and make sure any patient testimonials are genuine and not misleading. The ASA now actively monitors dental ads, so compliant marketing protects your registration as well as your reputation.
For most practices, the highest-return starting point is local search: a complete Google Business Profile, a steady flow of genuine reviews and a website that ranks for the treatments you offer. Google Ads can add new patients quickly while that builds.
Google Ads can bring enquiries within days of launch. Local SEO and Google Business Profile work usually take three to six months to deliver meaningful gains, but the results keep working once earned. Faster replies to enquiries can improve results straight away.
There is no single right figure. It depends on your treatment mix, how competitive your area is and how quickly you want to grow. Our guide to setting a dental marketing budget walks through how to work it out.
Ideally both. SEO builds long-term visibility and lowers your cost per new patient over time, while Google Ads brings in patients now. If you can only choose one, our guide to dental SEO vs PPC explains how to decide.
If you only do one thing, start with local search and your Google Business Profile, it’s the highest-return activity for most practices. From there, layer in a stronger website, paid ads for speed, and a steady review habit. If you’d like a hand, we work with practices across South Yorkshire and beyond.
For practices near Barnsley, we've set out our local approach on the dental marketing in Barnsley page. Other towns are listed on our locations page.
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