Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the way businesses approach marketing strategies—including the dental industry. Find out how your cosmetic dental website SEO can benefit from AI tools like ChatGPT, and how choosing the right dental marketing company can help point you in the right direction.

How Tools Like ChatGPT Are Changing the Cosmetic Dental Industry

As AI gets more sophisticated, professionals are using it to streamline marketing efforts like webpage copywriting, social media posts, blogging, and even paid ad campaigns. Large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT help digital marketers brainstorm ideas, generate caption suggestions, and generally cut project times in half.

But this golden goose does come with some caveats. AI can be used to improve SEO for cosmetic dentists—as long as you’re using it correctly.

What is AI and What Can it Do?

First, let’s cover what AI is and how it works. The goal of artificial intelligence is to teach a machine new information, and then ask it to formulate answers to questions or problems. Imagine giving a computer millions of books to read and websites to browse at a rapid pace. This is called machine learning. There are a few different kinds of AI programs you might be familiar with that use machine learning:

• Generative AI For Visuals

Many companies are now using artificial intelligent image creation tools like DALL-E and Midjourney to create visuals for their marketing. Other programs like Synthesia can even create AI-generated videos with avatars that speak like a human.

• AI Voice Assistants

One of the most common uses of AI today is through voice assistants. Alexa, Siri, Google, and Cortana all use artificial intelligence to communicate with people. They rely on AI technology to recognize voices, understand questions, and come up with responses on demand.

•  LLMs

The AI tools copywriters keep buzzing about are large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. ChatGPT is able to mimic human conversation and writing because it has consumed huge amounts of data written by humans. ChatGPT has created some ethically gray areas because it’s being used for things like school essays and college applications, but it can be extremely helpful when used fairly.

Dental SEO Basics

Now that you have an understanding of how AI works, let’s refresh your memory on SEO best practices. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a targeted marketing strategy that helps websites rank higher in search results. In dental marketing, one of your main priorities should be to reach the top of Google SERPs (search engine results pages) through SEO.

How Does Google Determine Search Result Ranking?

If a patient types “cosmetic dentist near me” into Google, they’re more likely to look into the practices that pop up first. But how does Google decide which practices deserve those top spots?

To determine which results show up first, Google continuously reads through and gathers information from published websites online. This is called “web crawling.” Websites that are well-written, updated often, and implement other SEO best practices get marked as credible sources by web crawlers, and moved up the search results list.

In order to show up on that coveted first page of Google, you’ll need to follow some simple tips to improve SEO rankings:

•  Create Custom Content

This is one of the most important pieces of the SEO puzzle. The more custom content your cosmetic dental website produces, the higher you’ll climb in search results, passing up your competitors. Being consistent with content is also a great way to build inbound links to increase your rankings in Google.

• Update Your Google Business Profile

SEO also includes Google Maps. One of the quickest ways to rank higher on Google Maps for cosmetic patients is to update your Google Business Profile (GBP). If you haven’t created one yet, add or claim your business on Google Maps ASAP. If you do have a GBP, make sure the information is current and accurate, and that you’re listed as a cosmetic dentist specifically.

•  Use Researched Keywords

Another SEO basic is the use of well-researched keywords. Find out what your patients are searching for, and incorporate those words and phrases into your website copy, blog posts, and social media. You can also use keywords in your business description to to rank higher on Google Maps.

• Make Sure Your Website is Fast and Functional

Having a technically sound website is crucial for SEO. Any dental SEO guide will tell you that things like broken links, slow-loading pages, and outdated content are all major red flags that will cause Google to rank your website poorly. Make sure your cosmetic dental website loads quickly, adapts to mobile devices, and runs smoothly.

• Collect Shiny Reviews

Gathering positive reviews for your cosmetic dental practice can do wonders for your SEO. And quantity is just as important as quality here. Prospective patients are much more likely to book an appointment with a 4-star practice with hundreds of reviews than a 5-star practice with just one or two reviews.

How Dental Marketing Companies are Effectively Using ChatGPT to Improve SEO

So how do AI and SEO fit together? Forbes' article on AI copywriting points out that there is a right way and a wrong way to use AI and ChatGPT for SEO purposes. Rather than copying and pasting responses into your dental website, you can use AI for cosmetic dental marketing to generate ideas and speed up processes.

• Blogging Ideas and Drafts

Copywriting is essential to dental SEO. Creating original, authoritative content is the best way to increase your ranking, and AI can help you create a consistent flow of content. Dental marketing companies ask ChatGPT for blog topic ideas, outlines, and even rough drafts.

• Social Media Generation

Dental marketing agencies also use ChatGPT to create captions for social media posts. These simple one or two-sentence lines can be catered to match your practice’s tone and streamline your social strategy.

• Email Campaigns

Another great way to use ChatGPT is in dental email campaigns. Whether you’re sending out Google Review links or touting a new promotion, AI-generated email copy can be a great starting point for campaigns.

It’s important to note that ChatGPT has a watermarking technology to prevent plagiarism and that Google’s helpful content update favors content written by people, for people. A trustworthy dental marketing company will make sure all content for your cosmetic dental practice is original and re-worded to fit your brand.

How to Use ChatGPT

If you’re interested in using ChatGPT to help with your dental SEO strategy, getting set up is easy:

1. Create an Account

First, sign up and create an account on OpenAI’s website. You can use the free version or opt to pay for the most advanced current iteration.

2. Start Inputting Prompts

Once your account is active, you can start chatting with ChatGPT. Ask the program for ideas on cosmetic dental blog post topics, blog outlines, or social media posts. ChatGPT will respond right away, and the more detailed your prompt, the more information you’ll receive. ChatGPT also keeps up with the flow of conversations, so you can build upon or ask to change its responses.

Update Your Website Copy With AI’s Help

Overall, AI can be an amazing tool for improving your cosmetic dental SEO, as long as you’re using it correctly. Creating original, consistent content (especially through dental blogging) is the best way to boost your Google rankings, and ChatGPT can help streamline that process.

If you want SEO results sooner rather than later, outsourcing your blog copywriting with a dental marketing company is an amazing option. Leave posting and SEO strategy up to the professionals, and spend your time doing what you love—building beautiful smiles.