How do I market a new dental clinic in its first year?
A new clinic has no reviews, no recall list and no search history. The first year is about getting found and making booking easy.
- We're opening in three months. Where do we start?
- How do we get reviews with no patients?
- Should we spend on ads right away?
Before opening, set up a complete Google Business Profile, a website with treatment and insurance pages, online booking and phone handling. From the first week, ask every patient for a review and pre-book their next visit. Use Google Ads for searches near the clinic while organic visibility builds, and add local presence: schools, community events and nearby businesses.
First-year plan
| When | Focus |
|---|---|
| Before opening | Google profile, website, booking, phones, intake forms |
| Months 1 to 3 | Reviews from every patient, Google Ads near the clinic |
| Months 3 to 6 | Treatment pages, community presence, referrals |
| Months 6 to 12 | Recall running, measure new patients by source |
Systems before marketing
Marketing a new clinic with poor call handling wastes money. Answering, online booking and recall should run from day one.
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We set up systems and marketing together for new clinics. Our new patients guide and Google Business Profile guide cover the details.
- Opening before the Google profile is complete.
- No booking system until month three.
- Discount-led launch offers that breach rules.
- No tracking of where patients came from.
- Systems ready before opening.
- Reviews from week one.
- Ads near the clinic early.
- Source tracked for every patient.
What dentists and regulators say
Here is what new clinic owners say.
Dentists who opened clinics share what brought patients in the first year.
Browse the threads →Google recommends keeping Business Profile information current, which matters most for a new clinic.
Read Google's guidance →Launch advertising must follow the same rules as any dental ad.
Read the RCDSO article →Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll set up booking, phones and launch marketing.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
How many reviews should we aim for?
Ask every patient. Steady growth matters more than a target.
Is direct mail worth it for a new clinic?
It can work for nearby households. Track responses.
Should we join insurance networks?
That's a business decision; make your participation clear online either way.