Search Has Changed—But Not How You Think
I got an email the other day that said, “Search has changed.” That’s true, but not in the way most people think. What’s actually changed is what happens after someone finds you.
Following the customer journey of a prospective dental patient used to be fairly straightforward: a person searched for a dentist, clicked on a website, and decided whether or not to call.
Now, to be clear, people are still using Google. In fact, last year, Google surpassed $400B in revenue. Four hundred billion dollars and nearly a quarter of that was “driven by 17% growth in Search and 9% growth in YouTube ads,” according to Sajeet Nair, a member of Google’s sales team. So, people are still engaging with ads and still using Google.
Even so, now prospective patients are just as likely to never even visit your site before making a decision. They may read your reviews, scan an AI-generated summary, compare you to a couple of other practices in the map pack, and maybe glance at your social media if they’re still unsure. By the time they finally land on your website, if they ever do, they’ve already formed a strong opinion.
It’s not just about being found anymore. Your efforts to improve your online visibility have to go beyond a successful dental website strategy. You also have to consider what people see and feel across multiple touchpoints before they ever talk to you.
The Problem with Traffic-First Thinking
A lot of dental marketing conversations haven’t caught up to that reality. They’re still centered around traffic. How many clicks are we getting? What’s our cost per click? Are rankings improving? Those are important questions, but they’re incomplete. Clicks alone don’t create patients. Most people won’t decide to become your patient from a single website visit.
How Patients Actually Choose a Dentist Today
Think about how someone actually chooses a dentist now. They search “dentist near me” and immediately see a map with three options, each with star ratings and review counts. They might notice an ad at the top or a few organic listings underneath, but before they click anything, they’ve already started comparing.
If your reviews are weaker than the practice next to you, you’re at a disadvantage. If your messaging feels generic or inconsistent, you’re forgettable. And even if you do win the click, your website has to confirm what they were hoping to find, or they’ll back out and keep looking.
Where Most Practices Lose Patients
This is where a lot of practices lose people. Their off-website online presence is inconsistent with their website and especially their in-office experience. It’s like a puzzle that’s missing pieces…and has a few others from a completely different puzzle.
The “Checkbox Marketing” Mistake
You’ll hear plenty of advice telling you that you need SEO, Google Ads, social media, and a steady stream of reviews. None of that is wrong. The problem is that most practices treat those things like separate boxes to check. They hire one dental marketing company for ads, another for dental SEO, maybe someone else for social media, and then they hope it all works together.
It usually doesn’t.
When those pieces aren’t aligned, your ads might promise a certain experience, but your reviews don’t back it up. Or your website might position you one way, while your social media shows something completely different. Your Google Business Profile might be outdated or underdeveloped, even though it’s one of the first things people see.
None of these issues seem catastrophic on their own, but without holistic management, they cause mounting problems.
Why More Marketing Isn’t Producing Better Results
What’s interesting is that many practices are technically doing “more” marketing than ever before, but seeing diminishing returns from it. Theoretically, they should be showing up in more places, but because they’re not connecting the dots between those places, it’s not panning out.
Or, because their brand isn’t being respected and they have so many cooks in the kitchen, each place presents them in a different way and in a different light, so instead of reinforcing trust, they’re diluting it.
The Marketing Mix That Actually Works
That’s why I wrote The Marketing Mix That Works. Dentists often feel like they’re doing everything right but it’s still not generating results.
At Pro Impressions Marketing, we don’t treat your SEO, paid ads, social media, and reputation as separate strategies. They’re different tactics of a comprehensive strategy and we treat them that way. When they’re working together, they create a consistent impression that builds confidence (for Google, ChatGPT, the other LLMs, oh yeah, and for the prospective new patient). When these tactics aren’t coordinated properly, they create gaps that patients fall through.
What a Cohesive Strategy Looks Like
In a cohesive dental marketing plan, your ads reflect the same positioning as your website. Your reviews validate the claims you’re making in your marketing. Your Google Business Profile is active, accurate, and aligned with everything else. Your social content is personal and reinforces how you want to be perceived. Each piece supports the others, so that every interaction makes it easier for someone to choose you instead of continuing their search.
Don’t Just Get Found—Get Chosen
Without that cohesion, you can end up doing something that feels almost backward. You invest in getting found, but you don’t give people enough reason to choose you once they do. If you think that’s your office, schedule a consultation with us and we’ll help you turn that around. Call us today at (970) 672-1212 or click the button below to get started.
