Key Dental Patient Search Trends for 2024

Dental Patients Leaving Practices

Dental Patients are Jumping Ship – Are Yours?

We have analysed the past 5 years of online searches for “Change Dentist,” “Dentist Near Me,” “Private Dentist,” “NHS Dentist,” and “Net Promoter Score” to unveil valuable insights into patient behaviour. By understanding these trend, you can tailor your marketing strategies to resonate with your target audience.

Key Finding: Search volume for “Change Dentist” has skyrocketed in the UK by a staggering 65.2% over the past 5 years. This highlights a significant rise in patient dissatisfaction, making it the most impactful trend you need to address.

Possible Reasons for This Trend:

  • Negative Patient Experiences: Uncomfortable waiting times, impersonal interactions, or a lack of treatment options could be driving patients elsewhere.
  • Limited Patient Aftercare: Patients who receive minimal, if any, aftercare can end up frustrated or worried. Without an efficient and convenient two-way communication system, patients may feel isolated and disengaged from your care and your practice.

Capitalise on This Trend:

  • Offer Educational Resources: Provide informative content about the importance of regular check-ups and how to choose a new dentist. Address their concerns by highlighting what makes your practice the perfect fit.
  • Showcase Patient Satisfaction: Leverage positive testimonials and ensure your online reviews are plentiful and glowing.
  • Prioritise Patient Experience: Actively monitor patient feedback for continuous improvement. FollowApp’s automated system simplifies this process for you, helping you focus on staying ahead of the curve and building patient loyalty.

Shifts in Dental Patient Searches

“Dentist Near Me” Trends

Understanding “Dentist Near Me” search trends paints a clear picture of seasonal patient needs. Both globally and in the UK, a consistent January peak suggests a focus on health resolutions, making it a prime time for general check-up promotions. The August and September peaks in the UK likely correspond to back-to-school preparations. This presents an excellent opportunity to attract families with targeted content and promotions for family-wide check-ups. The December dip can be addressed with informative content focused on maintaining dental health during the festive season. Why not run seasonal community events to drive more awareness and traffic!

“NHS Dentist” vs “Private Dentist”: Finding the Right Fit

Our analysis reveals a shift in demand for dental care. The search volume for “NHS Dentist” has grown by a modest 10.17% over the past five years, with peaks in January and dips in December. This indicates a consistent demand for NHS dental services, particularly at the start of the year, likely driven by new health resolutions. Conversely, “Private Dentist” searches have surged by an impressive 65.71%, with peaks in February and August, and dips in November and December. This trend suggests a significant increase in interest for private dental services, likely driven by the declining access to NHS dental services. Practices should ramp up efforts in December to capture the January demand and focus on promotions in July to attract patients for the August peak. Both sectors can use the slower periods for internal improvements, staff training, adopting new internal technologies, and generate patient engagement initiatives to maintain a steady flow of (loyal!) patients year-round.

These specific dentist search term shifts may also explain the decline in “Dentist Near Me” searches, as patients increasingly look for specific types of dentists rather than a general search term.

Maximising Dental Patient Satisfaction with Net Promoter Score (NPS)

We also analysed the trends for “Net Promoter Score” to see if there’s any useful insights from the business side.
Not sure what NPS is? For a deeper dive into NPS and the importance of it for dental practices, be sure to read our comprehensive Net Promoter Score (NPS) guide.
Think of your NPS as a compass guiding your patient satisfaction efforts. This analysis indicates when businesses are most and least focused on improving their customer experience. Globally, dips occur in July, August, and December. This could reflect a shift in focus during holidays or staff vacations.

How to Leverage NPS Trends:

  • Strategic Campaign Planning: Use the peak months to launch patient satisfaction initiatives.
  • Enhanced Patient Engagement: Utilise FollowApp to track and analyse NPS feedback, allowing you to understand patient satisfaction levels and identify areas for improvement. Our automated platform does it all for you; together with our data-panel and in-house experts, you’ll be sure to get to the top of patient satisfaction leaderboards!

FollowApp: Your Data-Driven Automated Dental Practice Partner in Success

Our smart platform empowers you to leverage data insights for impactful marketing campaigns. Optimise your efforts for peak search periods, ensuring your practice is at the forefront when patients seek dental care and when other practices are taking their foot off the pedal.

Enhance Your Online Presence

Regularly review your patient experience and patient feedback to maintain a positive online presence through an impressive Google review catalogue. By using FollowApp’s automated, smart platform for patient feedback and patient communications, you can elevate your patient experience, stay ahead of the competition, and build a loyal patient base. By giving patients a platform to voice any concerns for you to swiftly solve, you significantly reduce the likelihood of them googling “Change Dentist”.

Ready to take your dental practice to the next level?

Contact us today and discover how FollowApp can help you harness the power of unique data to attract new patients, retain loyal patients, and build a thriving practice by enhancing patient experience and setting the pace for competition.

Maria Franklin
Author: Maria Franklin