SEO v Social Media - How to Measure the ROI and Crush it!

By Perry Stevens, Blend Local Search Marketing | May 2026

Key Stat: The top 3 search results get between 60–75% of clicks. Meanwhile, social media has an average organic reach of just 5.2%. However, combining SEO and social media delivers 2.5x more conversions than either channel alone. (Source: Backlinko, "Search Engine Statistics", 2025; HubSpot, "State of Marketing", 2024)

TL;DR

• SEO delivers free, constant traffic — but takes 3–6 months to show results. The top 3 results get 60–75% of all clicks.
• Social media builds brand awareness and trust — but organic reach is limited (~5.2%). It works best as a brand-builder, not a direct sales tool.
• Measure ROI by tracking conversions — contact forms, bookings, and calls. Assign dollar values to each conversion type.
• Combined approach wins — businesses using both SEO and social media see 2.5x more conversions than those using only one.
• Focus your social media efforts — do not spread yourself thin across every platform. Pick 2–3 where your audience is most active.

SEO vs. Social Media: How to Measure ROI for Your Orthodontic Marketing

The internet landscape provides several avenues via which to apply orthodontic marketing for your practice. As an orthodontist, you have the opportunity to build your brand and generate leads for your business by selecting the best strategy for your bottom line. However, choosing to implement a set of actions with a measurable return on investment is as important as the exposure you will receive from these actions.

Using SEO to Boost Your Orthodontic Practice's Brand

SEO is the abbreviation for search engine optimization and describes the process of taking the necessary actions to make your website appear in the top listings of searches done online for your niche. The results that appear in the top three positions of search results get the majority of clicks from users and are thus extremely valuable.

The top three search results for a keyword tend to get between 60 and 75 percent of clicks from users. This percentage varies based on whether the user is conducting their search on a desktop computer or a mobile device as well as on demographic variants. Simply stated, your website needs to appear in the top results for searches done on keywords related to your business if you expect to get results.

The upside to SEO is that it is a free source of constant traffic. If you can achieve and maintain high search engine rankings, users will find your website and inquire about your services without you having to pay for advertising in order to sustain this inflow of visitors. Your success depends on providing relevant content on your website that your visitors will find valuable for their needs.

How to Measure ROI for Your Orthodontic SEO Efforts

Calculating the return on investment for SEO is a matter of tracking how much money your website's organic presence is bringing in and comparing it with your outlay on SEO. This requires setting up your analytics in such a way that you get detailed information on what happens on your website when users visit and how they convert from interested visitors to paying clients.

Start by setting up your Google Analytics conversion tracking to monitor goals that result in client acquisition. Examples of such goals are contact form submissions, booking request submissions and newsletter sign-ups. All these actions can be assigned a dollar value according to the closing rate for each type of behaviour.

For instance, if you have historical data that shows that you gain a new client for every 3 contact form submissions on average, you may take the average value of a sale closed through your website, divide it by 3 and use that as a 'per conversion dollar value.' You can keep track of this amount and compare it to subsequent calculations to see if your website is becoming more or less effective at closing clients.

After you've set up a measurable way to calculate the value of users' actions on your website, you can calculate ROI by factoring in the amount of money you've spent on SEO. This may be a fee that you've paid for a reliable SEO agency to set it up for you or the monetary value of the time you've spent implementing everything yourself.

Calculating ROI is as simple as dividing your net gains from the money invested by the cost of the investment and multiplying by 100 to get a percentage rate of return. If you've calculated your SEO spend at 500 dollars and you made a $1,000 net profit from the sales generated by SEO, then your return on investment is 200 percent.

SEO is the most cost-effective way to attract clients. When combined with an efficient, attractive and high converting website, SEO can yield a steady stream of incoming clients that you can build a relationship with and leverage to expand your clientele further.

How Social Media Can Benefit Your Orthodontic Practice

Social media can yield sales indirectly and is best suited for building your brand and cementing your practice as a leader in the area of orthodontics. Especially in the orthodontics industry, social media is less effective as a direct sales tool and more of a brand-builder for your practice and you should view it as such. The nature of social media allows you to disseminate content that shows your competence in a field where people are looking for positive reinforcement before making up their minds.

Using social media correctly can yield client testimonials that will be shared throughout the internet and position your practice as a reliable place to have orthodontic work done. With the use of special monitoring tools, you can keep up-to-date with the conversation that is occurring online with regards to your brand and respond to peoples' inquiries.

However, it's important to not spread yourself thin by being on every single social network in the landscape. You will need to decide which social media platforms are the most effective for communicating your message and direct your focus to those.

Track ROI for Social Media Marketing

Calculating return on investment for social media is a little different than with SEO but still measures the same types of data. The main difference with social media is that interaction with your audience happens on a third-party platform that you do not control. On your website, you can direct your visitors' focus and interact with them as you see fit. On social media you are abiding by rules set by the platform and communication on the network is influenced by the big tech companies that own the ecosystem.

To calculate ROI for your social media marketing, you will have to set the measurable goals that you will be tracking, just as with SEO. For social media, these can include things like Facebook page follower numbers, group member sign-ups, contact initiated from social media accounts and other forms of communication produced from your social media presence. By assigning dollar values to user actions and to your investment in time etc., you can come up with a return on investment value that you can track to gauge your effectiveness on each platform.

For those wishing to focus on their practice yet reap the benefits of the various platforms in the space, there are reliable agencies that specialize in social media marketing for orthodontists. A knowledgeable consultant can help you determine the strategy that's best for you and implement a strategy that will be measurable.

Although it can be a fun exercise for you and your team to create and publish social media posts online, it does take time and effort. These hidden costs may not actually produce any new patients walking in the door, so it's something to be aware of and monitor closely.

Get Results for Your Orthodontic Practice

Running a successful orthodontic practice may not allow for you to personally implement the wide array of online marketing tactics and strategies your brand needs to grow. It makes sense for a practice to collaborate with an agency of knowledgeable professionals specializing in marketing for orthodontists.

Contact us today to arrange a complimentary consultation where we will show you how we can help you increase your clientele.

FAQ

Should I invest in SEO or social media for my orthodontic practice?

Invest in both, but prioritise SEO. SEO delivers sustainable, compounding traffic that converts into patients at a higher rate than social media. Social media is excellent for brand awareness, patient engagement, and building trust — but it rarely drives direct appointments. The best approach is to use SEO as your primary patient acquisition channel and social media as a supporting brand-building tool. Practices that combine both see 2.5x more conversions than those relying on a single channel.

How do I calculate ROI for SEO?

Calculate SEO ROI by tracking: (1) Set up conversion tracking in Google Analytics for goals like contact forms, booking requests, and calls. (2) Assign a dollar value to each conversion based on your closing rate — e.g., if 1 in 3 contact forms becomes a patient worth $5,000, each form submission is worth ~$1,667. (3) Track organic traffic growth and keyword ranking improvements. (4) Subtract your SEO investment from the revenue generated, divide by the investment, and multiply by 100. Example: $5,000 revenue – $1,500 cost = $3,500 profit. $3,500 / $1,500 × 100 = 233% ROI.

How do I calculate ROI for social media?

Social media ROI is trickier because benefits are often indirect. Track: (1) Direct conversions — bookings or enquiries attributed to social media (use UTM parameters). (2) Engagement metrics — follower growth, shares, comments, and reach. (3) Brand sentiment — monitor mentions and review trends. (4) Website traffic from social channels. (5) Assign estimated values to each metric. Be realistic — social media's primary value is awareness and trust-building, not direct sales. If your social media strategy isn't generating at least some measurable website traffic or enquiries within 3–6 months, reconsider your approach.

Which social media platform is best for orthodontists?

Facebook and Instagram are the most effective for orthodontic practices. Facebook excels at community building, patient reviews, and targeted advertising to parents (your primary decision-makers). Instagram is ideal for visual content — before/after photos, team culture, and patient celebrations. TikTok is growing rapidly for reaching teenagers directly. LinkedIn can be useful for professional networking and referrals from dentists. Start with Facebook and Instagram, then expand based on where your specific audience is most active. Don't spread yourself thin across every platform.

How long before I see ROI from SEO vs. social media?

SEO: 3–6 months for initial improvements, 6–12 months for significant ROI. The compounding nature of SEO means returns improve over time. Social media: Brand awareness improvements can be seen in weeks, but measurable patient acquisition from organic social media typically takes 3–6 months of consistent effort. Paid social media advertising can deliver faster results but requires ongoing investment. The key difference: SEO builds a long-term asset that continues generating returns, while social media requires continuous effort and investment to maintain visibility.

About the Author

Perry Stevens is the founder and CEO of Blend Local Search Marketing, a Singapore-based agency helping local businesses dominate search through conversion-focused content and SEO. With over 15 years in digital marketing, he has helped hundreds of orthodontic practices measure and improve their marketing ROI. He is a tea drinker, cocoa grower and a frequent traveller. Connect with Perry on LinkedIn.