The Dental Marketing Mix

Hosted by DentalScapes

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Specifically for dental GPs, pediatric dentists, and orthodontists, The Dental Marketing Mix delivers in-depth conversations about all things dental marketing — including SEO, online advertising, social media strategy, website design, AI search visibility, and more. You’ll learn how to attract high-quality new patients, improve practice efficiency and culture, and create an above-and-beyond patient experience that drives retention and referrals. Tune in each week for practical, data-driven insights from DentalScapes co-founders Dan Brian and Brian Craig, and a rotating lineup of innovative practice owners, industry leaders, and dental consultants. If you’re committed to building a stronger, more profitable dental practice, The Dental Marketing Mix is essential listening.

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60 recent

June 3, 2026Episode 1915 min

"Two Truths That Just Died" — And What's Replacing Them in Dental Marketing

Still betting your dental practice's growth on SEO alone? That strategy is quietly expiring.In this episode of the Dental Marketing Mix, DentalScapes co-founders Dan Brian and Brian Craig dig into two ideas that used to be treated as gospel in dental marketing — and simply aren't true anymore. First, the long-held belief that strong SEO lets you skip paid advertising. Brian explains why that world is disappearing fast as Google's results page fills up with Local Service Ads, AI Overviews, sponsored map listings, and now ads inside AI Mode — to the point where many searches surface only one or two organic results. Dan and Brian talk through what realistic growth looks like with organic alone, when ad spend becomes non-negotiable, and the roughly $1,000-a-month starting budget most practices need to gather usable data.From there, the conversation turns to a bigger shift: websites used to be built for human visitors, but Brian makes the case that they now need to be built for AI — and increasingly for AI agents. He breaks down why generic "dentist near me" searches are giving way to highly personalized, context-rich queries, and why your site has to spell out exactly what you do best rather than imply it. Dan and Brian cover the practical fundamentals that make a site AI-ready — individual service pages, FAQs, a detailed About page, and city or neighborhood pages — plus why reviews and a well-optimized Google Business Profile still matter enormously, and the new trend of social media posts surfacing directly on your GBP.If your practice is still operating on the old rules, this episode will help you understand what's changed and where to focus next.📋 Full show notes: https://dentalscapes.com/resources/two-truths-that-just-died-in-dental-marketingWant to know how your marketing stacks up in the AI era? Book a free strategy call with DentalScapes at https://dentalscapes.com/start — we'll take a look at your full patient acquisition picture together.

May 27, 2026Episode 189 min

"Google AI Overviews Are Stealing Your Clicks" — What Every Dentist Owner Needs to Know Right Now

Your Google rankings look fine. So why does something feel off? If new patient calls have softened and your website traffic seems lighter than it used to be, Google AI Overviews may be the reason — and it's not what most people think.In this episode, Dan Brian breaks down exactly what AI Overviews are, which dental searches they're affecting (and which ones they're not), and why a growing number of patients are bypassing Google entirely to ask ChatGPT for dentist recommendations instead.You'll learn:Why "dentist near me" searches are actually safe from AI Overviews — and what Google reversed course onWhich types of dental content are getting hit hardest by zero-click search behaviorWhy your practice may be invisible to ChatGPT even if you rank well on GoogleFour concrete things you can do right now to adapt and stay visibleThe search landscape is changing fast. The practices that understand what's happening and act early are going to have a real advantage. This episode gives you the full picture.Check out the full show notes or schedule a free strategy call with a dental marketing strategist at DentalScapes.

April 30, 2026Episode 1711 min

"Garbage In, Garbage Out" — Why Vanity Metrics May Be Killing Your Dental Marketing ROI

Is your marketing agency sending you reports full of green numbers every month — while your new patient count tells a completely different story?In this episode of the Dental Marketing Mix, DentalScapes co-founder Dan Brian breaks down the vanity metric trap that quietly undermines how dental practices evaluate their marketing. He explains what vanity metrics are, why they dominate agency reporting, and why the data that's easiest to put in a slide deck is often the least connected to what practice owners actually care about — new patients and revenue.Dan walks through the only two numbers a practice owner or office manager should anchor their marketing decisions to: new patients and cost per acquired patient (CPA). He breaks down how to use CPA as a lens for comparing channels and making smarter budget decisions, and digs into why keyword rankings — long considered the gold standard of SEO performance — are increasingly inaccurate, incomplete, and disconnected from how patients are actually finding dental practices today.If you're spending money on marketing and not sure whether it's actually working, this episode will give you the framework to find out.📋 Full show notes: https://www.dentalscapes.com/why-vanity-metrics-may-be-killing-your-dental-marketing-roi/Ready to have an honest conversation about what your marketing numbers actually show? Book a free strategy call with DentalScapes at https://dentalscapes.com/start.

April 22, 2026Episode 1611 min

"Great Big Payoff" — Why Optimizing Your GBP is the Highest-ROI Move in Dental Marketing Right Now

Your Google Business Profile has always been important. But what Google is doing with it now — and what it's using it for — has changed in ways most dental practices haven't caught up with yet.In this episode, Dan Brian breaks down the biggest shifts hitting Google Business Profiles right now: the removal of the Q&A feature, what replaced it (an AI-powered tool called Ask Maps that generates real-time answers about your practice from your profile data, your website, and your reviews), and why a thin or incomplete profile has gone from a missed opportunity to an active liability.Dan also gets into the concept of GEO — generative engine optimization — and what it means to have your website content structured in a way that feeds Google's AI systems accurately. Because your website and your GBP are no longer separate assets. They're connected signals, and Google is synthesizing them together to represent your practice to prospective patients.If you haven't looked closely at your Google Business Profile in a while, this episode will give you a clear picture of what needs your attention — and why it matters more right now than it ever has.Check out the episode blog post: https://www.dentalscapes.com/great-big-payoff-why-optimizing-your-gbp-is-the-highest-roi-move-in-dental-marketing-right-now/Want to put your GBP to work for your dental practice? Head over to https://dentalscapes.com/start and schedule a free strategy call with a dental SEO and GEO expert from DentalScapes!

April 15, 2026Episode 1513 min

"The Slow Burn" — How Long Local SEO Takes for Dental Practices (And What to Do in the Meantime)

How long does local SEO actually take for a dental practice — and what do you do while you're waiting for it to work? In this episode, Dan Brian breaks down the realistic SEO timeline phase by phase, from the foundational groundwork in the first sixty to ninety days through the compounding results that build in months six through twelve. He also covers why paid search isn't just a bridge strategy — and why, if your cost per acquired patient makes sense, running ads alongside SEO means owning more real estate on the search results page than any single competitor.Dan also addresses the bigger shift happening in search right now: the rise of AI Overviews, the growing number of patients using ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools to find dental providers, and why keyword rankings are becoming an incomplete measure of success. The goal isn't just to rank — it's to be recommended. And the practices that understand that difference are the ones that will win in local search over the next several years.Check out the full show blog post over here: https://www.dentalscapes.com/the-slow-burn-how-long-local-seo-takes-for-dental-practices-and-what-to-do-in-the-meantime/If you want an honest look at where your practice stands online, book a free strategy call at dentalscapes.com/start

April 1, 2026Episode 1413 min

"Rankings to Recommendations" — SEO, GEO, and the New Search Marketing Playbook for Dentists

Is your marketing agency still sending you keyword ranking reports and calling it a win? The rules of dental SEO are changing — and most practices and most agencies aren't keeping up.In this episode of the Dental Marketing Mix, Dan Brian, co-founder of DentalScapes, breaks down the shift from traditional SEO to GEO — Generative Engine Optimization — and what it means for how your practice gets found online. With AI Overviews reshaping Google search, ChatGPT being used by hundreds of millions of people, and search results becoming increasingly personalized, ranking #1 is both less impactful and harder to measure than it's ever been. The new game is being the practice that AI recommends — and that requires a fundamentally different approach.Dan walks through what content authority actually looks like in practice, using a real before-and-after example of a weak vs. strong Invisalign page. He covers the evolving role of backlinks and citations in the AI era, why your Google reviews are now a GEO signal and not just a reputation tool, and why the practices quietly winning right now are the ones that started building for this shift before it became obvious.DentalScapes has been building GEO into client strategies since the launch of ChatGPT — before AI Overviews, before AI Mode, before most agencies had even heard the term. If your agency is still only talking about rankings, it's time to ask better questions.Check out the full episode recap: https://www.dentalscapes.com/seo-geo-and-the-new-search-marketing-playbook-for-dentists/🎙️ Book a free strategy call at https://dentalscapes.com/start

March 25, 2026Episode 136 min

"Vanishing Act" - What's Really Behind Your Dental Practice's Disappearing Google Reviews

Are your Google reviews disappearing — and do you know why?In this episode of the Dental Marketing Mix, DentalScapes co-founder Dan Brian breaks down one of the most urgent issues affecting dental practices right now. Starting in early 2026, practices across the country began losing reviews overnight — not suspicious one-star reviews, but legitimate five-star reviews they had worked hard to earn. Dan explains what's actually driving the removals, why Google's AI moderation is now retroactively re-evaluating reviews posted years ago, and what patterns are triggering the system without practice owners even realizing it.He also walks through Google's updated solicitation policies in plain terms — including the surprisingly common practice of review gating, which many front desk workflows and third-party software platforms are still facilitating in violation of the new rules. And he lays out exactly what a compliant, sustainable review program looks like going forward.If your practice relies on Google reviews for new patient visibility — and it should — this episode will help you understand what's changed, what's at risk, and what to do about it.Full show notes: https://www.dentalscapes.com/vanishing-act-whats-really-behind-your-dental-practices-disappearing-google-reviews/Ready to find out if your review strategy holds up? Book a free strategy call with DentalScapes at https://dentalscapes.com/start — we'll take a look at where you stand and what needs to change.

March 18, 2026Episode 1214 min

"Starting from Scratch" - The Marketing Playbook for Startup Dental Practices

Just opening a dental practice and not sure where to start with marketing?In this episode of the Dental Marketing Mix, DentalScapes co-founders Dan Brian and Brian Craig break down the free and low-cost marketing moves that every new practice should prioritize — before spending a dime on ads or SEO. While most of their client work is with established practices, Dan and Brian have a lot to say about what actually moves the needle in the early days, and what startup practice owners should ignore entirely.They cover setting up and optimizing your Google Business Profile (still the #1 local SEO ranking factor heading into 2026), building an affordable website that gets you from zero to early revenue, getting real photography without blowing your budget, and building your Google review velocity from day one. They also dig into why your front desk conversion rate matters more than almost any marketing tactic — and close with a warning about the cheap, automated SEO packages that are quietly preying on new dental practices.If you're opening a new practice or working with a lean marketing budget, this episode is packed with actionable steps you can start on today.📋 Full show notes: https://www.dentalscapes.com/starting-from-scratch-the-marketing-playbook-for-startup-dental-practices/Ready to talk through your practice's marketing strategy? Book a free strategy call with DentalScapes at https://dentalscapes.com/start — we'll point you in the right direction, wherever you are in your growth journey.

March 5, 2026Episode 1111 min

"1st Impressions Don't Get 2nd Chances" - Why Your Dental Website is Costing You Patients (And How to Fix It)

Is your dental website quietly turning away new patients before they ever call?In this episode of the Dental Marketing Mix, DentalScapes co-founder Dan Brian tackles one of the most overlooked problems in dental marketing: a website that looks fine on the surface but is actively costing you new patients every single month. While most practice owners are focused on getting more traffic, the hard truth is that traffic means nothing if your website loses people in the first thirty seconds.Dan walks through the five most common dental website mistakes — slow load times, weak or missing calls-to-action, no social proof above the fold, confusing navigation, and poor mobile optimization — and closes with a bonus issue that silently tanks the ROI of paid advertising: the mismatch between your ads and the pages they send people to. For each problem, he breaks down exactly what's going wrong and what you can do about it, most of which costs little to nothing to fix.If you're spending any money on marketing — Google Ads, SEO, social — this episode will help you make sure that investment isn't going to waste.📋 Full show notes: https://www.dentalscapes.com/why-your-dental-website-is-costing-you-patients-and-how-to-fix-it/Want to know how your website is really performing? Book a free strategy call with DentalScapes at https://dentalscapes.com/start — we'll take a look at your full patient acquisition picture together.

February 25, 2026Episode 1011 min

"The Leaky Bucket Problem" - How a Low Conversion Rate Might Be Killing Your Dental Marketing ROI

Your marketing might be working perfectly — and you'd never know it, because the leads are slipping through the cracks before they ever make it onto your schedule.In this episode of the Dental Marketing Mix, DentalScapes co-founder Dan Brian tackles one of the most underleveraged growth opportunities in dental practice marketing: your conversion rate. While most marketing conversations focus on traffic, rankings, and ad spend, the truth is that none of it matters if your front desk isn't converting qualified leads into booked appointments.Dan breaks down what a healthy conversion rate looks like for a dental practice (spoiler: the average is around 50%, but the best practices are hitting 60–70% and above), walks through the real revenue math behind even a modest improvement, and shares practical, easy-to-implement strategies — both online and at the front desk — that can move the needle without spending another dollar on marketing.In this episode:What conversion rate means in the context of a dental practiceIndustry benchmarks and what top-performing practices are achievingHow a 5–10% CVR improvement can translate to tens of thousands in additional annual revenueWebsite and digital design decisions that reduce friction and drive more patients to take actionFront desk strategies for turning more calls and inquiries into scheduled appointmentsIf you're investing in marketing and not tracking your conversion rate, this episode is your wake-up call.📋 Full show notes: https://www.dentalscapes.com/how-a-low-conversion-rate-might-be-killing-your-dental-marketing-roi/Want to know where your practice stands? Book a free strategy call with DentalScapes at https://dentalscapes.com/start — we'll look at your full marketing and patient intake picture and help you find where the real growth opportunities are.