Dental SEO |5 min read

This Calculator Reveals SEO’s Real ROI

Imagine knowing exactly how much revenue SEO could add to your bottom line.

Yes! I’m talking cold, hard cash. Not impressions, clicks, or page rankings.

Well, I’ve got this tool that’ll unveil the real ROI of SEO for dentists so you can make strategic decisions to move the needle for your dental practice.

This is Kelsey with Roadside Dental Marketing.

With my 15-plus years of SEO experience, I’ve constantly heard dentists express uncertainty about investing in SE). They’re unsure about spending money on content.

“We’ve done it before. It doesn’t work.”

  • Well, is it really worth investing in SEO?
  • Why should I spend the extra money on it?
  • With AI emerging, isn’t SEO just dead?

Those are valid concerns. So, let’s address them head-on.

SEO stands for search engine optimization.

It means optimizing everything so it can be found. We need to approach Google holistically and understand the different opportunities available to help patients find you.

Our job as your strategic growth partner isn’t just about keyword rankings. It’s about getting you more patients.

That’s why we built this ROI calculator specifically focused on SEO.

Let’s walk you through actually using this calculator to see exactly where the return on your investment is going to be by moving up in the search engine rankings.

The SEO calculator for dentists

We’re going to use a real client for this demonstration. Their main goal was to rank number one, specifically in the top three for “dentist near me.”

To get the most accurate numbers, I’m going to walk you through our entire process of keyword research.

We are looking for “dentist near me,” but I don’t just want the search volume for the entire United States.

I want to know for their specific city. So, we’re going to drill down into Cleveland, OH, where this practice is located, and find out what the monthly search volume is for their locale.

In this specific case, you’re looking at 3,600 searches a month for the keyword “dentist near me.”

This gives us the most accurate information possible. While the monthly U.S. volume is nearly 850,000, using just the local volume will clarify these figures considerably.

Next, we’ll input the numbers into our calculator to produce our calculations or our output. The exact query is “dentist near me.”

We’ve already seen there are 3,600 searches per month. We’ll also input their current average position, which is number nine.

The average cost per click, if you’re running ads targeting this specific keyword, is $7.56.

We’re using very low base numbers.

This is where you’ll start seeing the output and the ROI from investing in SEO, starting with the land-to-lead ratio—how many visitors realistically become leads after visiting your website.

We’re being very conservative at 8%, slightly below the industry average of 10%, because I want you to see the benefit of investing in SEO.

Next, we’ll look at the lead-to-sale ratio.

Once a prospective patient becomes a lead on your website, how many of those prospective patients become actual paying patients in your practice?

We’re using a very low conversion rate of 15%, although the industry average realistically ranges from 25% to 50%. Again, this is to highlight the value of SEO investment.

The average patient or treatment value over the lifetime of a new patient is also set low, at around $5,000.

This accounts for just two cleanings per year over about seven to eight years, which is considered the lifetime of their value.

Naturally, the value per patient could be much higher, especially if they accept any kind of treatment planning that you provide.

We’ll also examine the average profit margin, taking into account specific features.

For example, if you’re doing orthodontics, the profit margin would be much higher, potentially 50%. We’ve gone conservative at a 15% profit margin for the practice.

Finally, we’ll look at the actual investment in SEO.

This is based on our competitive package of $2,500 a month for SEO, spanning a 12-month period, totaling a $30,000 investment for the year. Now, let’s look at the output.

If your current position is number nine, your annual reach would be 43,200, generating 1,104 clicks and 88 leads over the year, resulting in 13 new patients.

This puts your cost per acquisition well under the industry average of $150, at approximately $94.50, and you would generate an average of $66,225 in revenue for your practice.

After deducting the $30,000 SEO investment, you’re looking at a profit of $36,000, or a 120% return on investment.

But the real magic happens when we start moving your position up to the top five on page one, maintaining the same reach.

You’re still getting the same number of impressions for that keyword, but now you’re getting more clicks.

Your leads have doubled from 88 to 161, and you’re also doubling the number of new patients. As a result, your revenue jumps to almost $121,000, meaning your profit after investing in SEO is $90,000.

Now, you’re looking at a 300 percent ROI.

The ROI when you’re in the top 3 spots of Google

If we can get you into the top three spots, which of course is the goal, that’s when the real magic happens. Just look at the difference between being in the top three and being number one.

You’d go from 3,800 clicks to 12,000, from 300 leads to almost 1,000 leads, from 46 patients to 145 patients, and from $230,000 in revenue to nearly three quarters of a million in new revenue for your practice simply by investing in SEO.

Look at the return on your investment: from 120 percent in your existing position up to 664% in the third position, and a staggering 2,300 percent return if you can secure that number one spot.

So, is investing in SEO worthwhile?

Well, you be the judge—or actually, let your revenue be the judge. We can use the results from the calculator to make informed marketing decisions where your dollars will have the biggest impact.

We want to ensure that you’re measuring SEO by its impact on revenue, not just rankings.

If you want us to do a free SEO audit and get actionable tips to boost your SEO, just fill out the form below. We’d be happy to help.

FREE SEO AUDIT

 

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