Local SEO For Dentist in Richmond VA

Patrick McFadden • September 21, 2023

3 Google Business Profile Tips You May Not Know About to Attract New Dental Patients

Today, we're delving into the realm of dentistry. Are you a dentist eager to connect with new patients? Well, you're in the right place! Attracting and retaining patients is a challenge that all medical professionals face, and dentists are no exception. With the advent of the internet and the digital age, the way patients find and choose their dental providers has undergone a significant transformation. In this blog post, we'll explore SEO for dentist who want to thrive in a Google world and stay ahead of the curve. 


Google Business Profile SEO Tips for Dentists: #1

In the realm of local SEO for dentists, it's safe to say we're playing with the richest category available. This is important because Whitespark’s 2023 ranking factors study revealed that dentist who choose the right primary category will increase their rankings in local search results. Currently, you can choose up to 10 categories for your dental practice: 1 primary category, and rest as secondary categories. One thing you or your dental SEO company have to nail down to boost your presence on Google Maps and attract new patients is choosing the right primary category for your Google Business Profile. Out of all tips being provided today, knowing how to choose the primary dental category for your Business Profile has the greatest impact and should be the topic of discussion when hiring dental SEO services.


Which primary Google Business Profile (GBP) category should a dentist in Richmond VA consider?

Let's start with how may categories are available. As of right now, 13 available categories are for dentist. On the surface, this appears to be a fantastic development for enhancing local SEO for dentists. However, it also brings forth some distinct challenges, such as which category to make your primary. So which one do you pick?


  • Teeth Whitening Service
  • Dental Clinic
  • Dental Implants Provider
  • Emergency Dental Service
  • Dentist
  • Cosmetic Dentist
  • Dental Clinic
  • Orthodontist 
  • Pediatric Dentist


From experience, we've found that in almost 100% of situations, the most effective category is simply "Dentist." Why, you ask? Well, because the keyword "Dentist" and its more geographic keyword, "Dentist + City/County," tend to generate the highest search volume. Surprisingly, most patients initiate their search journey with this broad query, even if they're ultimately seeking a particular dental procedure. This category choice appears to not only drive substantial traffic but also leads to the most conversions for our clients.


Google Business Profile SEO Tips for Dentists: #2

Once you've settled on your primary category, the next tip is around figuring out what to do with the remaining 9 available categories. Fortunately, for those keen on leveraging local SEO for dentists, there is a simple local strategy at your disposal.


Go ahead and select the 9 categories that align best with your services. This approach is the most practical, but it's not the most effective. Let's say you're a multi-specialty clinic in Richmond VA, offering services ranging from pediatric dentistry to orthodontics. Now, you're keen to secure a top spot in local searches for 'Pediatric Dentist Near Me.' Here's the hurdle you'll encounter: You'll be competing against specialized pediatric clinics that have 'Pediatric Dentist' as their primary GBP category. The odds of surpassing them in rankings are quite slim if not zero.


Even with that being said, the simplest approach is to choose the 9 secondary categories that make the most sense based on your dental services. The third tip is how to overcome this.


Google Business Profile SEO Tips for Dentists: #3

Google's got a feature for businesses with multiple practitioners. You can create separate Google Business Profile (GBP) listings for each practitioner. Now, why's this a game-changer? Well, let's say you're aiming to increase visibility in local searches for 'Emergency Dentist Near Me.' No sweat, you can make it happen. Just create a GBP for one of your dentists and choose 'Emergency Dentist' as the primary category. Looking to snag the top spot for 'Teeth Whitening Near Me'? Google's got your back. Craft a practitioner GBP, select 'Teeth Whitening Service' as the primary category, and you're on your way. Want some visibility as a 'Orthodontist Near Me'? You catch my drift.


Oh, and here's the pro tip: link each GBP listing to the specific service page on your website. For instance, if you're creating a practitioner listing to rank for 'Emergency Dentist Near Me,' make sure it's linked to the dental emergency services page on your website. It's like telling Google, 'Hey, this is where you'll find all the dental emergency goodness.'


Get in Touch with Your Dental Marketing Expert at Indispensable Marketing

Are you a well-established local dental practice in Richmond VA looking to crack the code of Google's local search algorithm? If your goal is to dominate the first page of Google's search results and score new patients, we are your go-to partner. We specialize in local SEO for dentist, offering a proven approach to dental SEO services to help you succeed.


Whether you're seeking marketing strategy consulting or monthly local SEO services specifically designed for dental practices, we've got you covered. Contact us today to learn more and take your dental marketing to the next level.

By Patrick McFadden May 2, 2025
Everyone is scaling outputs. Almost no one is scaling judgment.
By Patrick McFadden May 2, 2025
Ask anyone in tech where AI is headed, and they’ll tell you: “The next leap is reasoning.” “AI needs judgment.” “We need assistants that think, not just answer.” They’re right. But while everyone’s talking about it, almost no one is actually shipping it. So we did. We built Thinking OS™ —a system that doesn’t just help AI answer questions… It helps AI think like a strategist. It helps AI decide like an operator. It helps teams and platforms scale judgment, n ot just generate output. The Theory Isn’t New. The Implementation Is. The idea of layering strategic thinking and judgment into AI isn’t new in theory. The problem is, no one’s been able to implement it effectively at scale. Let’s look at the current landscape. 1. Big Tech Has the Muscle—But Not the Mind OpenAI / ChatGPT ✅ Strength: Best-in-class language generation ❌ Limitation: No built-in judgment or reasoning. You must provide the structure. Otherwise, it follows instructions, not strategy. Google DeepMind / Gemini ✅ Known for advanced decision-making (e.g., AlphaGo) ❌ But only in structured environments like games—not messy, real-world business scenarios. Anthropic (Claude), Meta (LLaMA), Microsoft Copilot ✅ Great at answering questions and following commands ❌ But they’re assistants, not advisors. They won’t reprioritize. They won’t challenge your assumptions. They don’t ask: “Is this the right move?” These tools are powerful—but they don’t think for outcomes the way a strategist or operator would. 2. Who’s Actually Building the Thinking Layer™? This is where it gets interesting—and thin. Startups and Indie Builders Some small teams are quietly: Creating custom GPTs that mimic how experts reason Layering in business context, priorities, and tradeoffs Embedding decision logic so AI can guide, not just execute But these efforts are: Highly manual Difficult to scale Fragmented and experimental Enterprise Experiments A few companies (Salesforce, HubSpot, and others) are exploring more “judgment-aware” AI copilots. These systems can: Flag inconsistencies Recommend next actions Occasionally surface priorities based on internal logic But most of it is still: In early R&D Custom-coded Unproven beyond narrow use cases That’s Why Thinking OS™ Is Different Instead of waiting for a lab to crack it, we built a modular thinking system that installs like infrastructure. Thinking OS™: Captures how real experts reason Embeds judgment into layers AI can use Deploys into tools like ChatGPT or enterprise systems Helps teams think together, consistently, at scale It’s not another assistant. It’s the missing layer that turns outputs into outcomes. So… Is This a New Innovation? Yes—in practice. Everyone says AI needs judgment. But judgment isn’t an idea. It’s a system. It requires: Persistent memory Contextual awareness Tradeoff evaluation Value-based decisions Strategy that evolves with goals Thinking OS™ delivers that. And unlike the R&D experiments in Big Tech, it’s built for: Operators Consultants Platform founders Growth-stage teams that need to scale decision quality, not just content creation If Someone Told You They’ve Built a Thinking + Judgment Layer™… They’ve built something only a handful of people in the world are even attempting. Because this isn’t just AI that speaks fluently. It’s AI that reasons, reflects , and chooses. And in a world that’s drowning in tools, judgment becomes the differentiator. That’s the OS We Built Thinking OS™ is not a prompt pack. It’s not a dashboard. It’s not a glorified chatbot. It’s a decision architecture you can license, embed, or deploy— To help your team, your platform, or your clients think better at scale. We’ve moved past content. We’re building cognition. Let’s talk.
By Patrick McFadden May 2, 2025
In every era of innovation, there’s a silent bottleneck—something obvious in hindsight, but elusive until the moment it clicks. In today’s AI-driven world, that bottleneck is clear: AI has speed. It has scale. But it doesn’t have judgment . It doesn’t really think . What’s Actually Missing From AI? When experts talk about the “thinking and judgment layer” as the next leap for AI, they’re calling out a hard truth: Modern AI systems are powerful pattern machines. But they’re missing the human layer—the one that reasons, weighs tradeoffs, and makes strategic decisions in context. Let’s break that down: 1. The Thinking Layer = Reasoning with Purpose This layer doesn’t just process inputs— it structures logic. It’s the ability to: Ask the right questions before acting Break down complexity into solvable parts Adjust direction mid-course when reality changes Think beyond “what was asked” to uncover “what really matters” Today’s AI responds. But it rarely reflects. Unless told exactly what to do, it won’t work through problems the way a strategist or operator would. 2. The Judgment Layer = Decision-Making in the Gray Judgment is the ability to: Prioritize what matters most Choose between imperfect options Make decisions when there’s no clear answer Apply values, experience, and vision—not just data It’s why a founder might not pursue a lucrative deal. Why a marketer might ignore the click-through rate. Why a strategist knows when the timing isn’t right. AI doesn’t do this well. Not yet. Because judgment requires more than data—it requires discernment . Why This Is the Bottleneck Holding Back AI AI can write. It can summarize. It can automate. But it still can’t: Diagnose the real problem behind the question Evaluate tradeoffs like a founder or operator would Recommend a path based on context, constraints, and conviction AI today is still reactive. It follows instructions. But it doesn’t lead. It doesn’t guide. It doesn’t own the outcome. And for those building serious systems—whether you’re running a company, launching a platform, or leading a team—this is the wall you eventually hit. That’s Why We Built Thinking OS™ We stopped waiting for AI to learn judgment on its own. Instead, we created a system that embeds it—by design. Thinking OS™ is an installable decision layer that captures how top founders, strategists, and operators think… …and makes that thinking repeatable , scalable , and usable inside teams, tools, and platforms. It’s not a framework. It’s not a chatbot. It’s not another playbook. It’s the layer that knows how to: Think through complex decisions Apply judgment when rules don’t help Guide others —human or AI—toward strategic outcomes This Is the Missing Infrastructure Thinking OS™ isn’t just about better answers. It’s about better thinking—made operational. And that’s what’s been missing in AI, consulting, leadership development, and platform design. If you’re trying to scale expertise, install judgment, or move from tactical to strategic… You don’t need a faster AI. You need a thinking layer that knows what to do—and why. We built it. Let’s talk.
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