57%
of AI citations for dentists point to Google profiles. Zocdoc gets 1%. The practice's own profile and site decide the pick.
BrightLocal AI directory sources, Aug 2026
1,300
US searches a month for "dental seo", at $57 a click. Practices already pay to be found.
Google Ads keyword data via DataForSEO, Sept 2026
45%
of US consumers used an AI tool for local business recommendations in the past year.
BrightLocal, Feb 2026, n=1,002
The new patient asks an assistant
We asked an assistant for a new patient exam and cleaning in Columbus, and for a dental group taking new patients in Austin, with online booking and clear insurance information. It searched, read practice sites, and named independent practices both times.
Neither run ended with an appointment. The assistant could not see a time it could offer, and told the patient to call. The practice it names first is the one that gets the call.
“Taking new patients, which insurance, and the next opening. Those three facts decided the answer.”
What the assistant could not confirm
- 01
Whether you are taking new patients
Multi-office practices rarely say which offices are accepting new patients. The assistant flagged it and hedged.
- 02
Which insurance plans you take
In network with most PPOs does not tell a patient whether their plan is accepted. A named list of plans does.
- 03
What the first visit includes
A $99 new patient special is useful only if it says whether the cleaning and X-rays are included. The assistant could not tell.
- 04
The next opening
Online scheduling that needs patient details before it shows a time looks, to the assistant, like no opening at all.
What wins the pick in dentistry
The practices that come through answer the new patient's questions on their own site and profile. New patients accepted, office by office. The insurance plans you take, by name. What the first visit costs and includes. Openings the assistant can see, and a request it can complete. Hours and a phone number that agree everywhere.
That is dental SEO written for the reader that now builds the shortlist. It helps your search ranking too.
What we do for a dental practice
- 01
Run the patients' real questions, monthly
New patient, emergency, insurance and cosmetic questions for each office, through the assistants people use, against the practices that beat you.
- 02
Publish the deciding facts
New patient status, plans accepted, first visit price and inclusions, written so an assistant finds them on the first pass.
- 03
Open the path to an appointment
Where your scheduler allows it, openings an assistant can see before it asks for a date of birth. We tag AI-sourced calls and requests so you see new patients arrive.
- 04
Fix the profile and the directories
Google Business Profile for every office, consistent with your site, since that is where most AI citations for dentists point.
- 05
Keep measuring
New failures found and fixed every month, with a pick report on what moved.
Who this is for
General and family practices and dental groups with two or more offices that want new patients, where an owner dentist or a practice manager owns marketing. Implant and full arch practices have their own page, linked below.
We are not a replacement for your agency or your scheduler. We make sure the assistant names you, and we prove it.
Dental SEO as usual vs Picked by Agents
| Dental SEO as usual | Picked by Agents | |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Rankings, clicks, cost per new patient | Whether the assistant named you, and why, every month |
| Where the patient decides | A map pack and a page of ads | One answer with about three practices |
| What it fixes | Blog posts and backlinks | New patient status, insurance, first visit, openings, the profile |
| Proof | A traffic report | The assistant's own words, then AI-sourced calls and requests |
| Where it works | One search engine | The assistants your patients use, checked every month |
| When it stops working | When you stop paying | The fixes stay on your site. You keep them if you leave. |
Questions we get asked
Is this dental SEO or something else?
- Both. The facts that get an assistant to name you, new patient status, insurance plans, first visit terms and openings, are what search engines reward too. We test whether the assistants name your practice, every month.
Where do assistants get their information about dentists?
- Mostly from the practice itself. BrightLocal found 57% of AI citations for dentists point to Google profiles and 1% to Zocdoc. Your profile and your site are what you control, and what we fix.
Do we have to list every insurance plan?
- Name the plans you are in network with. A named list lets the assistant answer the patient's question. A line saying most PPOs does not.
Our scheduler asks for patient details first. Is that a problem?
- For an assistant, yes. If it cannot see an opening without entering a patient's details, it tells the patient to call. We work with what your scheduler supports to show openings earlier.
Does this replace our marketing agency?
- No. Keep your agency and your ads. We fix the one thing they do not measure, whether the assistant names you when a new patient asks.
Your next step
See which practices the assistants name near you.
The report is free. It shows who they named for your patients' questions and what they could not find about you. Then we fix it, guaranteed.
Or write to Greg at greg@pickedbyagents.com.