Most orthodontists know they need local SEO. Few know exactly what "doing local SEO" means: which tasks matter most, in what order, and what ongoing maintenance looks like.
This checklist closes that gap. It is organized in the sequence you should work through it: start with your Google Business Profile (GBP), move to your website, build citations, then shift into ongoing content and review acquisition. Work through it section by section and you will have a solid local SEO foundation.
For context on why each element matters and how the pieces work together, read our guide on how to rank #1 on Google Maps. It was written for chiropractic practices, and the ranking factors apply to any local healthcare practice.
Section 1: Google Business Profile Setup and Optimization
Claim and Verify
- Claim your Google Business Profile at business.google.com
- Complete phone verification or other verification Google offers
- Ensure you are the verified owner (not just a manager)
- Check for duplicate listings, including old ones from a prior location or a former partner, and request removal of any duplicates
Basic Information
- Business name matches exactly what is on your signage and website (no keyword stuffing)
- Address is entered exactly as it appears on your website and other directories
- Phone number is your local direct number (not a call center or 800 number)
- Website URL is correct and links to your homepage (or most relevant page)
- Business hours are complete and accurate, including holiday hours and any early-morning or after-school hours
- Primary category is set to Orthodontist (not a broader category like Dentist)
- Secondary categories added only if they truly apply
Business Description
- Description is written (up to 750 characters)
- Description includes your city and neighborhood name
- Description mentions your primary services (braces, clear aligners, early treatment, adult orthodontics)
- Description includes a credibility signal you can support (years in practice, specialty training, clear aligner provider status)
- Description ends with a soft call to action ("accepting new patients" or "complimentary consultations," if that is true and allowed in your state)
- No URLs or promotional language in the description (against GBP guidelines)
Services
- Every service your practice offers is listed individually (traditional braces, ceramic braces, lingual braces, clear aligners, early interceptive treatment, retainers)
- Each service has its own description (up to 300 characters)
- Service descriptions include the city name where natural
- Services are organized under relevant service category headings
Attributes
- "Accepts new patients" is checked
- Accessibility attributes completed (wheelchair accessible entrance, parking, etc.)
- Insurance attributes completed (list accepted insurances)
- Online appointment link enabled and linked (if you offer online scheduling or consultation requests)
- All other relevant attributes checked
Photos
- Profile photo is your practice logo (clear, professional)
- Cover photo is a high-quality exterior or interior photo of your practice
- Exterior photos uploaded (minimum 3, multiple angles)
- Interior photos uploaded (waiting room, treatment bays, consultation room, minimum 5)
- Team photos uploaded (individual professional headshots)
- Technology photos uploaded (digital scanner, imaging equipment)
- At least 20 total photos uploaded
- All photos are high-resolution, well-lit and professional-looking
- Any photo showing a patient, especially a minor, has a signed release from a parent or guardian
GBP Posts
- First GBP post published (educational tip, consultation offer, or practice introduction)
- Weekly posting schedule established (calendar reminders or social media tool)
- Each post includes a relevant photo
- Each post includes a call-to-action button ("Book," "Call now," or "Learn more")
Section 2: Website Technical SEO
Mobile and Performance
- Website is fully responsive and usable on mobile devices (parents often search on a phone)
- Website loads in under 2 seconds on mobile (test with Google PageSpeed Insights)
- Google Core Web Vitals pass (LCP, CLS, INP)
- SSL certificate is active (https:// not http://)
- No broken links on key pages (homepage, service pages, contact page)
Local On-Page Signals
- Homepage title tag includes "Orthodontist" and your city name
- Homepage meta description includes city name and a benefit or differentiator
- NAP (Name, Address, Phone) appears in the footer on every page, matching GBP exactly
- Homepage H1 heading includes your city name and primary service
- Contact page includes full NAP, embedded Google Map, and driving directions
- An embedded Google Map of your practice location is on the website
Schema Markup
- LocalBusiness schema implemented (ideally a dental or medical business subtype)
- Schema includes: name, address, phone, URL, hours, geo coordinates, payment methods
- FAQPage schema added to FAQ page (if you have one)
- Schema validated with Google's Rich Results Test, no errors
Site Structure
- Individual service pages exist (one page per service, not one page listing all services)
- Each service page has substantial, unique content
- Each service page title includes the service name and city
- Location/area pages exist for every city or neighborhood you serve
- Each location page has unique content (not the same text with the city name swapped)
- Internal linking connects service pages, location pages, and the homepage logically
Section 3: Citation Building
Tier 1 Directories (Complete These First)
- Google Business Profile (done in Section 1)
- Apple Maps, claimed and complete
- Bing Places, claimed and complete
- Facebook Business Page, claimed, complete, and matching NAP
- Yelp, claimed and complete
Tier 2: Healthcare and Orthodontic Directories
- American Association of Orthodontists "Find an Orthodontist" listing, if you are a member
- Your state or local dental society directory
- Healthgrades, profile claimed and complete
- WebMD and Vitals, profiles claimed and complete
- Clear aligner provider locators you qualify for, with listings kept current
- Insurance carrier provider directories you participate in
Tier 3: General Directories
- Yellow Pages (yp.com)
- Foursquare
- Better Business Bureau
- Manta
- Superpages
- CitySearch
- MapQuest
Tier 4: Local and Niche
- Chamber of Commerce website (local)
- Nextdoor Business profile
- Any city-specific business directories
- Local school and parent community pages that list family-friendly businesses
NAP Consistency Audit
- Every listing uses the exact same business name format
- Every listing uses the exact same address format (Ste. vs Suite, St. vs Street, etc.)
- Every listing uses the same phone number format
- Old addresses or phone numbers from previous locations have been corrected
- Citation audit completed using a tool (BrightLocal, Whitespark, or Semrush) to find inconsistencies
Section 4: Content Strategy
Core City and Service Pages
- Homepage is optimized for your primary city and core services
- At least one dedicated page per major service (braces, clear aligners, early treatment, adult orthodontics)
- At least one dedicated page per city or major neighborhood you serve
- Each page has unique, helpful content (not duplicated from other pages)
Blog Content
- Blog section exists on the website
- First 3-5 posts published covering questions parents and adults actually ask (what age to see an orthodontist, how long treatment takes, braces versus aligners, how retainers work)
- Each post is substantial and useful, not thin
- Each post includes at least one internal link to a service page or contact page
- A regular publishing schedule is established
FAQ Content
- FAQ page exists covering common patient questions
- FAQ questions match what patients actually search ("does insurance cover braces," "how much do braces cost," "how long do braces take," "what age should a child see an orthodontist")
- Answers are general and do not promise a specific treatment time or result
- FAQPage schema implemented on FAQ page
Section 5: Review Strategy
Initial Setup
- Direct Google review link created (shorten your GBP review URL for easy sharing)
- Review request process defined (when and how do you ask patients and parents?)
- Automated review request system set up (a text or email sent soon after a good visit, such as a debond or a smooth adjustment)
- Staff trained on when and how to ask for reviews
Ongoing Review Acquisition
- Google review link is on your website (in footer or contact page)
- Google review link is in your email signature
- Review request is included in your post-appointment email sequence
- A realistic monthly review target is set and tracked
- Negative feedback routing exists (a private channel to capture complaints before they become public reviews, without gating or discouraging honest reviews, which Google prohibits)
- Parents, not minors, are the ones asked to post for patients under 18
Review Response
- All 5-star reviews receive a personalized (not generic) response promptly
- All 3-star and 4-star reviews receive a response acknowledging the feedback
- All 1-star and 2-star reviews receive a professional response offering to resolve the issue offline
- No review response confirms that someone is a patient or discusses their treatment
- Response rate goal: respond to nearly every review within a couple of days
Review Platform Diversification
- Yelp reviews, actively accumulating
- Healthgrades reviews, actively accumulating
- Facebook reviews, actively accumulating
Section 6: Ongoing Maintenance Schedule
Weekly
- Publish one GBP post
- Respond to any new reviews
- Check for and respond to any GBP Q&A submissions, if the feature is available on your listing
Monthly
- Review Google Search Console for keyword and traffic trends
- Check GBP performance (views, searches, actions)
- Audit for any new inaccurate citations or duplicate listings
- Publish new blog content on your schedule
- Add a few new photos to GBP
Quarterly
- Full NAP consistency audit across all citations
- Competitive analysis: where do top competitors rank, and what are they doing that you are not?
- Review and update service page content for freshness
- Evaluate GBP categories and attributes and add any newly relevant ones
- Check website page speed and Core Web Vitals and fix any regressions
- Review backlink profile and identify new link-building opportunities
Annually
- Full local SEO audit against the latest Google updates
- Update business description if services, hours, or differentiators have changed
- Refresh service pages and location pages with updated content
- Review and update photos, removing outdated ones and adding new ones
- Competitive benchmark review: are you still in the top 3 for your primary keywords?
How to Use This Checklist
Work through Section 1 and Section 2 first, since they represent the highest-impact activities. Do not start building citations until your GBP is fully optimized. Citation building amplifies what is already there, so make sure the foundation is solid.
Citation building (Section 3) can be time-consuming. Services like BrightLocal or Whitespark can automate much of the Tier 3 and Tier 4 submissions while you claim the Tier 1 and Tier 2 profiles manually, where accuracy matters most.
Content (Section 4) and reviews (Section 5) are the ongoing investments that compound over time. A practice that publishes regularly and keeps collecting honest reviews builds both content and trust that competitors take a long time to match.
For a deeper dive, read the full guide to ranking #1 on Google Maps and the State of Chiropractic Marketing 2026 report. Both were written from our chiropractic work, and the local SEO fundamentals carry over to other specialties.
If you would rather have a team manage this system while you focus on patient care, explore our local SEO services, the TopRankPro platform, or our orthodontics marketing overview.
The Bottom Line
Expect a real block of setup time up front followed by a few hours of ongoing maintenance each month. Local rankings move at different speeds in different markets, and nobody can promise a specific position or timeline.
The practices that rank well in their markets are rarely doing anything magical. They complete the foundation and keep up the cadence.
