Are You A Dentist or THE Dentist?

Seems like a strange question at best and an ego-driven rhetorical question at worst, right?

Mandelbaum!  Mandelbaum!  Mandelbaum!

“So, you think you’re better than me?”

I couldn’t help working in a Seinfeld reference!

A meeting of the "dental minds" in Las Vegas.

A meeting of the “dental minds” in Las Vegas.  Can you name them?  🙂

What do I mean by the title of this article?  I was thinking about how most of my new patients referred by my website end up on my website and then in my chair.  I often ask those patients if they remember which search terms they used.  Often, they tell me they were looking for something specific… a specific service or a specific type of dentist.  They weren’t looking for A dentist.  They weren’t looking for ANY dentist.  They were looking for THE dentist (who met some specific criteria).

Who are you?  Who, who?  Who, who?

Yes, there are many prospective patients looking for A dentist who:

  • Is conveniently located.
  • Accepts their HMO or PPO plan.

And, there’s nothing wrong with being that dentist.  There are many very successful dentists who proudly occupy that market segment.  And, if that’s where you are comfortable and happy, good on ya!

On the other hand, there are also prospective patients who are looking for THE dentist who:

  • “Specializes” in:
    • Porcelain Veneers
    • Dental Implants
    • Smile makeovers
    • Short Term Braces
    • “Sleep” dentistry
    • Other specific or niche services
  • Offer alternative payment options or in-house plans.
  • Emergency treatment.
  • Use a specific technology.

You da man, Dr. Jekyll!

Ah…. but, you can be BOTH dentists.  You can optimize your website to show up in the search results either way.  Though, if you’re in a larger metropolitan area, there will be more competition for “dentist your town” than a more specific search (aka “long tail” search).

My point here is that you should consider creating web pages that will turn up for those people looking for THE dentist.  Don’t just be “a man.”  Be “da man.”

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4 Responses to Are You A Dentist or THE Dentist?

  1. Jordan says:

    Good post here! It is definitely true that you can be A dentist and THE dentist… the person people go to because you’re the one around, or the one they go to because you’ve got the skills they NEED. Thanks for sharing!

  2. I thoroughly enjoyed the Seinfeld reference. At least I am not an anti-dentite.

  3. Finally a humor filled post by THE dentist.

  4. Michael says:

    Yeah i agree . optimize your website . you can find the keyword for your dental website
    from

    1. google keyword planner ( sometimes the search volume is low , but
    don’t trust it completely , it is just a data )
    2. google search suggestion ( when we typing our search at google , google will suggest some keyword )

    and make sure you install google analytics to your website so you know what keyword that bring the user to your website

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