Methodology ad-visibility-v1
A transparent measure of patient-search visibility.
The index measures discoverability in standardized Google Maps and organic searches. It never claims to measure clinical quality, and paid American Dentists placement cannot influence it.
What the score means
Each city receives the same standardized set of high-intent dental searches. A practice earns visibility when its confirmed Google Place or attributable website appears in those results. Higher positions receive more credit, and keywords are weighted by local demand and commercial intent when reliable data is available.
The overall city leaderboard uses one common keyword denominator so every practice is compared on the same market opportunity. Service-specific insights and recommendations are shown only when American Dentists has evidence that the practice provides that service.
Maps sampling
We do not search from each dentist’s address. That would systematically favor every practice near its own office. Instead, the market benchmark uses a fixed three-by-three grid centered on the city. The same nine points are reused for every practice and every scan.
Entity matching
Maps results are matched primarily through confirmed Google Place IDs. Organic results use verified domains, ranking URLs, location evidence, and known practice aliases. Shared corporate domains are not assigned to every office automatically. Ambiguous results stay unassigned until reviewed.
What is kept separate
AI recommendation mentions, American Dentists profile activity, reviews, website authority, Search Console data, and technical health are supporting measurements. They do not get blended into a mysterious all-purpose SEO score.
Independence and corrections
Featured placement and subscription level never alter rankings, weights, sampling points, or entity matching. Subscriptions change update frequency and dashboard depth only. Practices can report an identity mismatch or stale website through the normal profile correction process.
Tracked intent set