Seeing a Drop in Organic Traffic? Don’t Panic!

If your practice’s digital content isn’t getting as many clicks as it used to, it’s probably not because of your marketing strategy. With the rise of AI-generated search results and summaries, click rates on some content have fallen. That’s because patients don’t need to click through multiple links or pages to find what they need. They’re getting it directly from Google’s search results. As long as your practice is creating timely, engaging, and relevant digital content, a drop in clicks isn’t necessarily concerning. 

What’s Changed?

AI-generated summaries explain common topics by pooling information from various online sources. So, when a patient searches for a service or poses a question, the search engine will provide basic information in a neat, convenient form, therefore eliminating some of the clicking patients have to do. 

 

Naturally, fewer clicks affect the metrics. However, that alone isn’t enough to cause concern. Your practice may still be showing up in search results. In other words, a drop in traffic doesn’t always mean your practice’s online presence is getting weaker. 

Online Visibility Vs. Traffic

It used to be that visibility and traffic were correlated. That’s no longer the case. You can continue building brand awareness, trust, and authority even if fewer patients are engaging with your practice’s organic digital content. For example, a blog post about a broad topic that patients are likely to search — such as common causes of tooth pain — may not receive the engagement you were hoping for because, when Google summarizes the answer in the search results, fewer people will click through to the content on your website. At first glance, that can look like poor performance, but in reality, the content is still helping patients find the practice because that Google summary cites the blog as a trusted source.

Keep Up the Good Work!

Quality content, including educational blogs and videos, that helps patients become familiar with your practice, demonstrates your expertise, and builds authority is essential, even if the engagement rate doesn’t seem to reflect that. If your practice is still appearing in search results for commonly searched topics and frequently asked questions, your practice’s visibility is still strong. 

What Matters Most Online

Traffic on its own doesn’t tell the full story. To truly understand what’s happening, it’s important to look at the number of appointment requests and new patient inquiries. If there’s little or no change, your digital marketing strategy is still working as it should. Patients are still finding your practice, but perhaps through content that doesn’t usually rank highly in organic search results, including online reviews, social media, and referrals. 

When Is Less Traffic a Red Flag?

Lower organic traffic becomes an issue if it’s content that directly helps patients choose or contact the practice. Unlike general education articles, that type of content correlates to a patient’s decision.

 

Another concern is losing visibility across an entire area of care. For example, if your practice no longer ranks in searches involving a core service, like crowns, that warrants further investigation. Your practice may be losing visibility because a competitor is doing a better job creating relevance around that service. 

How to Reclaim Your Online Territory

Should you confirm that lower online traffic is affecting appointments and new patient inquiries, focus on the activities that build trust and rapport:

 

1. Create high-quality content that’s written for people, not search engines, centered around real patient questions and concerns, reflective of the practice’s experience, services, and approach to care. The goal is to become a reliable, trustworthy source of information.

 

2. Beef up underperforming service pages. A page about dental implants, for example, may benefit from more conversational language, an FAQ section, before-and-after pictures, or multiple calls to action. 

 

3. Give patients more ways to find you. While organic search is important, it shouldn’t be the only way patients can discover your practice. A comprehensive digital marketing approach gives patients multiple channels with which to engage. Social media, online reviews, blog posts, videos, and patient testimonials are valuable because they work equally to attract new patients and retain existing ones.

Traffic Alone Does Not Measure Success

The fact is that patients are getting more answers directly from Google, without having to click a single link. But that doesn’t mean your practice should abandon its SEO strategy. Search engines use and cite digital content in summaries, which can drive patients to your practice.