The Challenge
Healthcare SEO carries the highest stakes in the YMYL category. The client operated 14 dental offices across Texas, Arizona, and Colorado and had invested significantly in local SEO. Their Google Business Profiles were optimized, citations were consistent, and they ranked well in local map packs for branded and near-me queries.
But their organic visibility for non-branded, informational, and commercial dental keywords was weak. DR was 34, and the website generated 8,900 monthly organic visits — almost entirely from branded local searches. High-value keywords like “dental implants cost,” “invisalign vs braces,” and “best cosmetic dentist” were held by national dental directories, WebMD, and Healthline.
The challenge was acute for YMYL: Google’s quality rater guidelines subject healthcare content to extreme scrutiny. Low-quality or off-topic backlinks could trigger ranking suppression rather than improvement. The client needed links from health-related, editorially vetted sources.
The Strategy
Outreach Desk designed a YMYL-compliant guest posting campaign targeting healthcare publications, dental industry blogs, wellness media, and medical content platforms.
- Guest posts on dental industry publications, healthcare blogs, wellness magazines, and medical education sites with DR 40–65 and established editorial review processes
- Content authored under the client’s lead dentist (DDS) with credentials cited in every author bio, satisfying E-E-A-T expertise requirements
- Target page mapping to 8 priority service pages: dental implants, Invisalign, cosmetic dentistry, emergency dental, teeth whitening, and 3 location hub pages
- Anchor text: 50% branded, 25% natural, 15% partial match, 10% topical — the most conservative distribution across any Outreach Desk campaign, driven by YMYL sensitivity
- Monthly velocity: 8–10 placements, intentionally slower to prioritize quality over volume in the healthcare space
Every placement site was checked for YMYL compliance indicators: whether the site published medically reviewed content, whether it had clear editorial policies, and whether existing content on the site cited credible sources. Sites that published health content without editorial oversight were excluded.
The Results (Over 7 Months)
The most significant shift was in non-branded organic traffic. Before the campaign, 76% of the client’s organic visits came from people searching for the practice name or specific location. By month 7, non-branded traffic had grown from 2,100 to 16,800 monthly visits — meaning patients were finding the practice through general dental queries, not just direct searches.
The dental implants service page moved from position 28 to position 5 for “dental implants cost [city]” across all three state markets. The Invisalign page reached position 3 for “invisalign near me” in two of three markets.
The client’s practice manager reported a 108% increase in new patient inquiry calls attributed to website form submissions and tracked organic landing pages. The campaign paid for itself within the first 4 months based on average patient lifetime value.
