Did you know that moving just a few positions forward in the Google search engine results page (SERP) matters a lot in terms of online visibility? Websites on the first results page get more than 90 percent of all search traffic. People rarely scroll to the second page and moving further down the line almost never happens.
The first three results on the SERP are the ones that get the lion’s share of all organic search traffic.
Getting your dental practice appearing there is the best recipe for maximising your reach and attracting a bigger number of potential patients to your pages.
To achieve the goal, you need to constantly monitor your performance. Learning how to check your Google position is the first step towards making sense of keywords, the effectiveness of your optimisation and the things you can do for even better positioning in the future.
Today, we’d like to share the intricacies of checking your dental website’s search position for keywords of preference. We’ll also highlight some of the things you can do to maintain that ranking or achieve better positioning if you’re not satisfied with what you’ve achieved so far.
Understanding Google Search Result Positioning
Google search result positioning, also known as search engine ranking, refers to the position at which a website or webpage appears in the search engine results pages (SERPs) for a keyword of preference.
The significance of the Google position lies in its impact on online visibility and organic traffic. Websites that rank higher in the search results are more likely to receive clicks and visits from users.
A higher Google position can lead to increased brand exposure, website traffic, and potential conversions for dentists.
Factors Influencing the Google Position
A number of factors affect search engine positioning. All of your optimisation efforts matter but the key elements Google uses to rank websites include
- Keyword relevance and optimisation:: The selection and optimisation of relevant keywords play a crucial role in determining your website’s Google position. You need to do extensive keyword research before optimising a website to identify industry-relevant phases that have a good chance to rank well for.
- Content quality: Google prioritises websites with high-quality, informative, and relevant content. Focus on creating valuable content (blog posts, in-depth articles, videos) that addresses the needs and concerns of your target audience.
- Website optimisation: Website speed, mobile-friendliness, user experience, and proper meta tags and descriptions can influence Google position. Make sure your website is optimised for optimal performance.
- Backlinks: The number and quality of backlinks pointing to a website can impact its Google position. You should be building authoritative and relevant backlinks from reputable sources within the dental industry as a part of your SEO strategy.
- User engagement: Google considers user engagement metrics like the click-through rate, bounce rate, and time spent on the website as indicators of a website’s relevance and quality.
How to Check Your Google Position
You have a few options that will give you a good idea about your website’s current standing.
The first method involves performing a manual check. Here’s how to do it:
- Searching incognito: When you search for your dental practice’s target keywords in a regular browser window, the results may be influenced by your browsing history and location. By using the incognito mode in your browser, you can get a more accurate representation of your Google ranking. Simply open a new incognito window, perform a search using your target keywords, and analyse where your website appears in the search results.
- Using Google Search Console: Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to monitor and analyse your website’s performance in the search results. By verifying your website and adding it to Google Search Console, you can access valuable data about your Google ranking, impressions, clicks, and more. This tool provides insights into the specific keywords that are driving traffic to your website and helps you identify areas for improvement.
Alternatively, you can count on several tools to get more detailed information about your current positioning:
- Keyword rank trackers: These tools allow you to track the position of your website for specific keywords over time. By entering your website URL and target keywords, such tools provide detailed reports on your Google ranking. Some popular keyword rank trackers include SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz. These tools not only show your current keyword position but also provide historical data, competitor analysis, and suggestions for improving your SEO strategy.
- SEO analysis tools: These tools provide comprehensive analysis of your website’s SEO performance, including your Google ranking. They evaluate various aspects of your website’s performance like on-page optimisation, backlinks, site speed, mobile-friendliness, and more. Tools like Google Analytics, Google PageSpeed Insights, and Screaming Frog are commonly used for SEO analysis.
Using tools can be very beneficial because you’ll get more data than just your position. For example, exploring your position in the context of a competitor’s performance will highlight shortcomings and pinpoint the areas where you could be improving the most.
Best Practices for Checking Google Position
Simply checking your position on the SERP isn’t enough to strengthen your optimisation efforts. To get your dental practice’s website positioned better, you should be doing more thorough analysis.
Regular Monitoring and Tracking
Regularly monitor your website’s Google position for target keywords to stay informed about your online visibility.
To do so, use Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or keyword rank tracking tools. Keep a record of your ranking position and analyse trends to identify any fluctuations or patterns.
Analysing Competitors' Positions
Analyse the ranking positions of your competitors for target keywords to gain insights into their strategies and identify areas for improvement. You can employ tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to compare your website’s ranking position to that of competitors.
Based on this analysis, identify keywords where your competitors are outranking you and explore opportunities to optimise your content and improve your ranking.
Optimising Content Based on Position Insights
Use the data from your Google position tracking to optimise your content and improve your ranking. Identify keywords with high search volume and low competition to target in your content.
Enter these keywords naturally in your website’s meta tags, headings, and content to improve your chances of ranking higher.
As an added optimisation element, improve your website’s user experience, page load speed, and mobile-friendliness.
Leveraging Your Google Position for Dental Marketing Success
Be strategic to make the most of the search engine positioning you’ve managed to achieve. If you’re focused on improving visibility, you need to:
- Aim to rank within the first 100 search results for your target keywords to increase your website’s visibility and attract more organic traffic.
- Regularly monitor your website’s ranking reports to identify any drops or improvements in your position and take necessary actions to optimise your website.
- Optimise your website’s on-page elements like meta tags, headings, and content, with relevant keywords to improve your chances of ranking higher.
- Create high-quality and engaging content that addresses the needs and concerns of your target audience to increase user engagement and improve your website’s ranking.
To strengthen your search engine positioning even further, engage in effective local optimisation efforts:
- Optimise your website with location-specific keywords to target potential patients in your area.
- Create and optimise your Google My Business listing to ensure accurate and up-to-date information about your dental practice.
- Encourage patients to leave positive reviews on your Google My Business page to improve your local ranking and attract more local patients.
Finally, use your positioning data to make even better optimisation decisions in the future:
- Analyse the data from your position reports to identify trends and patterns in your website’s ranking.
- Identify keywords where your website is performing well and leverage them in your marketing efforts to attract more targeted traffic.
- Identify keywords where your website is not ranking well and develop strategies to improve your ranking, such as creating more optimised content or building relevant backlinks.
- Use the insights from your position data to refine and optimise your overall marketing strategies, including content marketing, social media marketing, and paid advertising.
The fact that your website is currently appearing at a certain position within the SERP doesn’t mean the standing will be maintained forever.
Whether you’re satisfied or unhappy with what you’ve achieved so far, ongoing SEO work will be very important. It will allow improved positioning through strategic efforts and a focus on the keywords most likely to achieve good results within your niche.
Also, remember that competitors are also trying to rank well for the dental industry keywords your efforts are focused on. Sometimes, they will outperform you and “push” your website down the SERP. Competition analysis and a consistent focus on quality content creation (don’t forget an incredible user experience, as well) will allow you to maintain a good standing even if others are acing the optimisation game.
What Are the Best Free Ways to Check Your Google Position?
By now, you already know that Google search positions are fairly easy to check. You can complete the process successfully even if you’re not an optimisation professional.
One important question remains, however. Is a free or a manual check good enough? Does it deliver all of the information needed to make stronger choices about your dental marketing in the future?
Let’s first summarise some of the best ways to do a free Google position check:
- Google Search Console: This free tool provided by Google itself offers valuable insights into your website’s performance in search engine results. It allows you to monitor your organic search traffic, track your keyword rankings, and identify potential issues that may affect your website’s visibility. By regularly monitoring your performance through Google Search Console, you can assess your Google position and make improvements accordingly.
- SERPWatcher: Although not entirely free, SERPWatcher offers a free plan with limited features that can still be useful for keeping an eye on your Google position. This tool provides accurate rank tracking for specific keywords and helps you monitor your website’s performance over time.
- Ubersuggest: Created by digital marketing expert Neil Patel, Ubersuggest is a comprehensive tool that offers a free option for basic rank tracking. It provides valuable insights into keyword rankings, and search volume, and even suggests related keywords for better optimisation. Although the free version has certain limitations, it can still give you a good starting point to monitor your Google position and make necessary optimisations.
Testing these free opportunities gives you a good opportunity to acquaint yourself with Google position tracking. You’ll also learn how to research keywords and pinpoint the ones that are best aligned with your marketing goals.
Keep in mind that the free Google position checkers offer limited functionality in terms of additional analysis. That information can still be turned into actionable optimisation improvements, especially if you know what others are doing and what you’re trying to achieve.
Every once in a while, however, relying on more advanced tools may be a good idea. Paid optimisation software that delivers some content alongside Google positioning uncovers lots of opportunities and shortcomings. If you’re just getting started with SEO or you haven’t managed to achieve the best results so far, more advanced position checkers will be a good choice.
How Accurate Are the Google Position Checker Tools?
Google position checker tools can be valuable resources to add to your dental website search engine optimisation arsenal. These tools aim to provide you with an estimate of your website’s ranking for specific keywords on Google.
However, it is essential to understand that the accuracy of Google position checker tools can vary. While they can give you a general idea of your website’s ranking, they may not always provide an exact representation. Several factors can influence the accuracy of these tools:
- Personalisation: Google personalises search results based on factors such as browsing history, location, and search preferences. This personalisation can affect the ranking positions displayed by position checker tools, as they may not have access to the same personalised data.
- Search volume: Position checker tools rely on search volume data to estimate rankings. If the search volume for a particular keyword is low, the tool may struggle to provide accurate results.
- Algorithm updates: Google frequently updates its search algorithms to deliver more relevant and user-friendly results. Position checker tools may struggle to keep up with these updates, leading to discrepancies in the rankings they display.
- Geographical variations: Google’s search results can vary based on the searcher’s location. Position checker tools may not always account for these geographical variations, resulting in inaccurate rankings.
Despite these limitations, Google position checker tools can still be useful for tracking trends and monitoring changes in your website’s rankings. By using these tools in conjunction with other SEO metrics and strategies, you can gain valuable insights into your website’s performance and make informed decisions to optimise your digital marketing efforts.
Are You Making the Most of SEO? Check Your Google Position to Find Out
Effective search engine optimisation is always consistent and evidence-based. That’s why you need to know how well your website is performing during every step of the way.
Tracking your Google position is the simplest way to decide whether your optimisation efforts have started paying off.
Knowing where you stand right now is tremendously important because a higher website ranking increases the chances of being found by users searching for dental services, leading to more website traffic and potential conversions.
Monitoring your website’s ranking helps you identify areas for improvement and optimise your digital marketing strategies.
To make an accurate assessment of your website’s Google search position, you’ll need to do the following:
- Continuously monitor and track your website ranking using tools like keyword rank trackers and Google Search Console.
- Regularly analyse your competitors’ positions to gain insights and stay ahead in the competitive dental industry.
- Optimise your website’s content, meta tags, and headings with relevant keywords to improve your website ranking.
- Enhance your local SEO efforts by targeting location-specific keywords and optimising your Google My Business listing.
- Tailor your marketing strategies based on the insights gained from your website ranking data.
- Stay updated with the latest SEO trends and algorithm changes to adapt your strategies accordingly.
- Consider seeking professional assistance from SEO experts or digital marketing agencies to maximise your website ranking potential.
You can start by doing a manual check for some of the top keywords that you’d like to achieve a good position for.
In time, you’ll get a better understanding of the importance of SEO tracking. When this happens, consider employing tools and software products that assess your position accurately. Not only will they give you a good overview of your current standing, the tools can also put things in perspective by letting you know what the competition has managed to achieve.
