The dental SEO landscape isn’t what it used to be. We’re no longer just optimizing for traditional search engine results. We’re also preparing websites to be quoted by tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, and even Alexa. Use our dental SEO cheat sheet below and its essential practices for SEO today, and your website will thrive in spite of the crazy shake-up that the search engine world is experiencing.
Embracing LLM optimization
LLM optimization ensures your website content, structure, and digital presence are optimized for large language models. These AI tools don’t search the way people do—they read, extract, and rephrase.
While some refer to this as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), LLM optimization goes further. It’s not just about appearing in AI overviews; it’s about becoming part of the datasets these tools use to deliver answers—even outside of traditional search engines. SEO isn’t dead; it’s becoming smarter.
Our Dental SEO Cheat Sheet
Here’s our step-by-step guide for what you need to implement to win visibility in the age of AI:
Structured content for AI crawlers
You’re not just writing for humans anymore. While it’s still critical to have a user-friendly website, algorithms are parsing your headings, categorizing FAQs, scanning schema markup, and distilling your words into summaries.
- Online Visibility Tip: Use structured schema markup, especially for FAQ sections. This makes your answers easier for AI tools like ChatGPT to cite in full.
City-specific SEO with the Right Keywords
Even in the generative era, local SEO best practices are crucial:
- Mention your city and service areas.
- Create dedicated service pages for what you want to rank for.
- Avoid promoting services you don’t want—bots can’t promote what doesn’t exist on your site.
Just as Google Maps has been doing for decades now, ChatGPT presents local search results, so don’t sleep on basic local SEO principles.
Answer patient questions
Generative search engines thrive on Q&A logic. Fill your content with natural, conversational answers to common questions.
- Use your Google Business Profile’s Q&A feature proactively. Don’t wait for patients to ask—ask and answer your own questions.
- Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to farm questions that addresses your target audience’s actual interests.
Generate Positive Reviews to Build Credibility and Drive AI Trust
Even in the age of AI, what others say about you still matters—and that includes online reviews.
Large language models like ChatGPT and Bing Copilot pull from a wide range of data sources when generating answers, including:
- Google reviews
- Yelp
- Healthgrades
- Mentions in news articles or blog posts
When your practice has a consistent stream of positive, recent, and detailed reviews, it signals trustworthiness—not just to dental patients, but to AI systems, too.
- Encourage every satisfied patient to leave a review.
- Ask them to mention specific services (“TMJ treatment,” “same-day crowns,” etc.).
- Respond professionally to all reviews—yes, even the negative ones.
AI isn’t just reading your website. It’s reading your reputation.
Want to really stand out? Ask your team to incorporate the patient’s first name and service into their response (while protecting privacy). This reinforces key terms LLMs associate with your practice.
Traditional SEO: Smarter but still relevant
While optimizing for AI, the fundamentals remain important:
- Fast, secure, mobile-friendly websites.
- Internal links between website pages that highlight important content.
- Consistent NAP across directories.
- Google Business Profile ownership and updates.
- 5-star reviews with responses.
Unique content wins. Include doctors’ names, specific technologies, and what makes your practice different. The more unique, the better for LLMs.
Bonus: Use video
LLMs struggle with video, but humans love it. It builds trust and authority quickly.
Tools like ProView Social help dentists create Q&A videos optimized for social media and websites. Video isn’t just content; it’s a trust signal that sets you apart.
We Bring It All Together
The future of dental SEO lies in local SEO, GEO, and LLM optimization. It’s about earning trust, citations, and visibility wherever patients search for answers.
At Pro Impressions Marketing, we help dentists appear in zero-click search results, generative answers, and LLM-powered tools—not just search rankings.
Ready to train algorithms to recommend you? Let’s build a website and digital presence that AI loves to showcase.
