Edge Out Competitors With Topical Authority

5,500%
Increase in User Traffic

23 Million+
Impressions

168,000+
Clicks

Client Spotlight:
A Closer Look

Aesthetic Dental Associates is a dental practice located in Downtown Seattle that offers comprehensive dental services. Dr. Johnson is recognized as a top dentist in Seattle, specializing in dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, general dentistry, and more. Aesthetic Dental Associates has served the Seattle area for over 30 years.

Before implementing our Topical Authority strategy, the numbers for Aesthetic Dental Associates were average, with around 1,000 impressions and 5 clicks each day.

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Results

5,500%
Increase in User Traffic

23 Million+
Impressions

168,000+
Clicks

Our Topical Authority Approach

In March 2023, there was a significant Google broad core update. It was an algorithm update that aimed to improve the search results by rewarding high-valued web pages. Due to the update, we reevaluated our SEO processes and came up with a new topical authority approach. With topical authority, we could create high-quality content that focused on originality and authoritativeness.

These are spreadsheets we created that detail how many pages are needed to cover each topic.

Once our topical authority maps were complete for each topic, the content was written. Each dentistry topic had between 15 and 30 pages of content.

Topical authority includes specific internal linking. Every page features internal links and it all gets connected, ensuring users can access each page when needed.

For keyword research in topical authority, each page’s focus is the main idea. For example, for a page about dental implants and smoking, the main keyword is “dental implants and smoking.” However, we also focus on secondary keywords such as “smoking and dental implants,” “can I smoke after dental implants,” etc.

We selected Aesthetic Dental Associates as one of our topical authority test websites. We began adding content section by section, starting with dental implants. All of these pages were carefully created to correlate with each other but still possessed unique information on each page. They’re also interlinked together, using specific anchor text that matches the names of pages. We started seeing upward trends in traffic within a month.

During the summer of 2023, using new tools allowed us to further refine our SEO process, which would boost organic search traffic to Aesthetic Dental Associates. We were able to take the topical authority content we hadn’t yet added to the website and optimize it to its highest potential. When monitoring progress, we use tools such as Google Search Console, SE ranking for keyword position changes, and Google Analytics.

Real Results

By August 2023, Aesthetic Dental Associates was averaging 10,000 impressions per day with around 50 clicks.

As of October 2024, their highest-performing impression day has reached 112,932 impressions, while their highest-performing click day reached 748 clicks. (We aren’t factoring in the anomaly in March, as that was a day when our website appeared in the search results for the Maryland Bridge collapse). This is over a 10,000% increase in impressions and a 14,000% percent increase in clicks since starting our new approach in March 2023.

After the March 2023 Google Core update, three more would roll out. The August Core update, the October Core update, and the November Core update. August’s update focused on improving how Google assesses content, while October’s focused on improving the ranking of helpful content. As you can see from the Google Search Console image, Aesthetic Dental Associates wasn’t negatively impacted. After the August Core update rolled out, we started to see drastically better results.

Another Core update rolled out in March 2024, along with a June 2024 spam update and the August 2024 Core update. We saw no negative results in our numbers from either algorithm shift.

Update case study numbers for Aesthetic Dental Associates

Aesthetic Dental Associates featured snippet

By implementing topical authority, we saw an increase in SERP features, particularly snippets. Some of the snippets we have on Google include:

Porcelain veneers cost Seattle
Mini-implants for single-tooth replacement
Smoking and dental implants
Gross debridement
How to prepare for dental implant surgery

We also track data using Google Analytics. From March 2023 to October 2024, we’ve seen over a 5,000% increase in user traffic to the Aesthetic Dental Associates website.

We have also seen a drastic increase in the number of keywords that rank organically in the SERP. Before we started uploading topical authority content in March 2023, Aesthetic Dental Associates ranked organically for 191 keywords. As of October 2024, they now rank for 40,416 keywords in the SERP.

By utilizing keyword tracking tools, we’re able to monitor the position fluctuations of specific keywords. Aesthetic Dental Associates has earned many number one search position spots, specifically with words such as IV Sedation Dentist and Aesthetic Dentist – both keywords have a significant search volume – which aids in traffic to the website. They’ve also gained Google Local Map Pack positions as well.

keyword ranking for Aesthetic Dental Associates

How Local SEO Helped to Localize Search Results

The Objectives

Local SEO was crucial for enhancing Aesthetic Dental Associates’ Google presence in their service location and surrounding areas. Our objective was to obtain access to the Google Business Profile for this client and make sure it appeared in the Google Local Pack. This means that the business listing and website would show up in the top 3 positions on Google Maps for relevant search terms.

We also wanted to build citations and ensure consistent NAP across Google–name, address, phone number–to help improve their search visibility and attract new customers.

The Strategies

A Google Business Profile is a snapshot of your business and is often the first thing customers see when looking for a business on Google Search or Maps. A complete Google listing shows Google that you’re an active, relevant business.

Once we got access to the Google Business Profile for the dental practice, we made the following changes:

Added the services and products they offer
Uploaded pictures of their logo, staff, and office
Wrote a short description of who they are and their mission statement
Linked to key pages on their website
Added social media links

We implemented monthly updates to their Google listing to maintain a favorable reputation with Google, building credibility and boosting online visibility. Our team created monthly Google posts featuring brief paragraphs highlighting their services and providing dental tips that linked back to their website.

Google recommends interacting with customers to show that the business is active, so we responded to both positive and negative reviews. We also answered any questions that were left in the FAQ section of the listing.

Optimizing a business’ website for the city they’re located is beneficial for ranking on Google, so we embedded a map that provides directions to Aesthetic Dental Associates’ office. Their city and state were also added to various pages of the site to increase their reach in this area.

Backlinks play a crucial role in enhancing search visibility online, helping your business rank higher on Google Maps and Search. We utilized in-house SEO tools to update existing backlinks and establish new ones for Aesthetic Dental Associates, we utilized in-house SEO tools. These tools assisted us in identifying the most relevant and highly used search engines and directories while ensuring a consistent NAP (name, address, phone number) across all citations.

Additionally, we reached out to other dental sites and local organizations that the dentist was associated with to request backlinks.

The Results

Since signing up with Now Media Group, Aesthetic Dental Associates has successfully secured leading positions in the Google Local Pack. They now organically rank within the top 2 spots for many popular dental search terms like “veneers”, “dental implants” and “sedation dentistry”.

Due to the increase in visibility on Google Maps and achieving number one spots in the Google Local Pack, our client achieved an average of 37.1% increase in calls, website visits, and direction requests compared to last year.

The dental practice’s Google Business Profile views also increased by 99% over 12 months.