Skip to content
Aaron Carmen

Dermatology SEO guide

SEO for Dermatologists

A practical Dermatology SEO guide: how dermatologists get found on Google and in AI search, what to build, and where your marketing budget goes furthest.

Updated October 13, 2026

At a glance

Local Services Ads
Eligible
Google category: Dermatologist
Google search ads, avg cost per lead
$40.04
LocaliQ 2026, Physicians & Surgeons
Typical job value
Mid-range
Marketing spend signal
Low

Aaron's take

Dermatology has huge local demand. "Dermatologist near me" gets around 673,000 searches a month in the US and "dermatologist" about 450,000. Patients search by condition too, with eczema and psoriasis treatment at about 165,000 each, and by cosmetic treatments. Wait times are often long, so availability is a real selling point.

The dermatology practices that win online separate medical and cosmetic services clearly, have a page for each common condition, explain skin cancer screening, show provider credentials and make new-patient booking easy. Several of the top-reviewed practices also list Skin care clinic and Medical spa on their profile.

Aaron CarmenSenior WordPress Developer and SEO Specialist

Keywords

How patients search for dermatologists

Group your pages around how people actually search, from urgent problems to research before they choose.

Near me

Near me searches

  • dermatologist near me
  • dermatologist

Service

Conditions

  • eczema treatment
  • psoriasis treatment
  • acne treatment

Service

Screening

  • skin cancer screening
  • mole removal

Comparing options

Choosing a dermatologist

  • best dermatologist
  • pediatric dermatologist

Search volumes: DataForSEO (Google Ads data), US, checked October 13, 2026. "Dermatologist near me" gets about 673,000 searches a month, "dermatologist" about 450,000, and eczema and psoriasis treatment about 165,000 each.

Your website

Pages your website needs

In the order I would build them. Each page targets one group of searches.

  1. A page for each common condition

    Eczema, psoriasis and acne each get large searches.

  2. Skin cancer screening page

    Explain who should be screened and how often.

  3. Cosmetic dermatology pages

    Cosmetic patients search differently. Separate them.

  4. New patient page

    Explain booking, wait times and what to bring.

  5. Provider profiles

    Show board certification and special interests.

  6. Pediatric dermatology page

    Parents search for this specifically.

How I plan and build sites like this

Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile for dermatologists

Primary category
Dermatologist
Secondary categories
Skin care clinicMedical spaPediatric dermatologist

Categories checked on October 13, 2026

What to get right

  • Use Dermatologist as your primary category. Of the 10 most-reviewed US dermatology practices I checked, 4 added Skin care clinic and 2 added Medical spa.
  • Add Medical spa only if you offer those services.
  • Never confirm a patient's condition or treatment in review replies. Health privacy rules apply.
  • Create profiles for individual providers where Google allows it.

Reviews

Reviews that matter for dermatologists

Where reviews count

  • Google
  • Healthgrades
  • Zocdoc
  • Yelp
  • Ask every customer, not only the happy ones, right after the job is done.
  • Send one short message with a direct link, so leaving a review takes a single tap.
  • Reply to every review, good or bad, calmly and specifically.
  • Never pay for reviews or offer anything in return. It breaks Google's rules.

Ads and SEO

Local Services Ads, Google Ads and SEO

Dermatologists can advertise with Local Services Ads, the "Google Verified" ads that sit above everything else for many local searches. You pay per lead, not per click.

  • Google category: Dermatologist
  • The Google Verified badge is available for this category.
  • Pre-badge ads are not available, so ads only run once verification is complete.
  • Booking leads are not available for health care categories.

Google is moving Local Services Ads into Performance Max with pay-per-lead goals, starting with a first US phase in August 2026.

Ads and SEO work best together. Ads buy leads while your organic and map rankings grow, and strong reviews and a complete Google Business Profile help both. As SEO brings in more leads for free, you can lower ad spend on the searches you already win.

For context, Google search ads in the Physicians & Surgeons category average $40.04 per lead (LocaliQ, 2026). That is a search ads benchmark, not a Local Services Ads lead price.

Local Services Ads rules for the US, from Google Local Services Help, checked October 13, 2026.

Seasonality

When patients search

  1. Jan: High
  2. Feb: High
  3. Mar: High
  4. Apr: High
  5. May: High
  6. Jun: Peak
  7. Jul: Peak
  8. Aug: Peak
  9. Sep: Moderate
  10. Oct: Moderate
  11. Nov: Moderate
  12. Dec: Low
Relative search interest by month. Source: Google Trends, "dermatologist", US, past 5 years, via DataForSEO, checked October 13, 2026. Searches are highest from June to August and lowest in December. The swing is about 1.3 times.

Structured data

Schema for dermatologists

Add this to your home page, filled in with your details, so search engines and AI tools know exactly what your business is, where it is and how to reach you. It uses the Physician type.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Physician",
  "name": "Your dermatology practice name",
  "url": "https://www.example.com/",
  "telephone": "+1-555-555-0100",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "Your city",
    "addressRegion": "ST",
    "postalCode": "00000",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "areaServed": "Your service area",
  "openingHours": "Mo-Fr 08:00-17:00",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.google.com/maps?cid=YOUR_CID",
    "https://www.facebook.com/yourpage"
  ]
}
</script>

Mistakes

Mistakes dermatologists make

  1. Mixing medical and cosmetic

    They are different patients. Separate the pages.

  2. No condition pages

    Patients search by condition. Give each a page.

  3. Hiding availability

    Wait times are a big concern. Be clear about booking.

  4. Overpromising cosmetic results

    Be honest. It builds trust and follows the rules.

FAQ

Dermatology SEO questions

How big is search demand for dermatologists?

Very large. In the US, "dermatologist near me" gets about 673,000 searches a month and "dermatologist" about 450,000. Eczema and psoriasis treatment get about 165,000 each. Condition pages and clear booking information win the most patients. Clear information on wait times and new-patient booking also matters, since availability is a common concern.

Can dermatologists use Local Services Ads?

They can. Dermatologist is one of Google's US Local Services Ads categories in the health care group. The badge is available once verified, while pre-badge ads and booking leads are not. Most practices get the best results running ads next to SEO. Google says these ads are ranked on factors such as your distance from the customer, your reviews and how quickly you respond to leads.

Should dermatology practices separate medical and cosmetic services?

Yes. Medical and cosmetic patients search for different things and have different questions. Separate sections, with their own pages, prices for cosmetic treatments and insurance information for medical care, serve both groups better. Separate booking paths help too, since cosmetic patients often want to book online quickly.

How can dermatology practices stand out when wait times are long?

By being clear about availability. Many patients search because they cannot get an appointment elsewhere. Show how to book, typical wait times, and options such as physician assistants or telehealth if you offer them. Online booking with real availability is one of the strongest ways to win patients who are tired of waiting.

How much does SEO cost for a dermatology practice?

That comes down to three things: the competition where you work, how many services and locations you want to target, and the state of your website today. For most dermatology practices, a monthly arrangement works best, because local rankings build over time. I start by looking at your site and your rivals, then send a fixed quote.

Related

Related guides and services

  • Local SEO

    Google Business Profile, citations, reviews and location pages, so you show up in the map pack where buyers look first.

    Learn more about Local SEO

  • Web Design

    Clean, fast designs planned around how people search and buy. Built to convert, not just to win compliments.

    Learn more about Web Design

Contact

Get a quote for your dermatology practice

Tell me about your business and your site. Say what you want to achieve and I'll reply within one business day with any questions, then a fixed quote.

  • Reply within one business day
  • No obligation, no hard sell
  • Form and email only, calls optional
What you need

Prefer email? hello@aaroncarmen.com

Sources

  1. LocaliQ: Search Advertising Benchmarks for Every Industry [2026 Data], checked October 13, 2026Google search ads averages (CPC and cost per lead). Not Local Services Ads lead prices.
  2. Google Local Services Help: Business screening and verification requirements (US categories), checked October 13, 2026US. Badge, pre-badge, booking-lead and state-limited category rules.
  3. Google Business Profile categories, checked in a live GBP dashboard, checked October 13, 2026
  4. Seasonality: Google Trends, "dermatologist", US, past 5 years, via DataForSEO, checked October 13, 2026. Searches are highest from June to August and lowest in December. The swing is about 1.3 times.
  5. Keyword volumes (Choosing a dermatologist): DataForSEO (Google Ads data), US, checked October 13, 2026. "Dermatologist near me" gets about 673,000 searches a month, "dermatologist" about 450,000, and eczema and psoriasis treatment about 165,000 each.