Where Iowa's dental practices are
The largest concentrations of dental practices in our Iowa data are in Iowa City, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Waterloo, Dubuque, Ankeny, Des Moines and West Des Moines. Competition for the map pack is heaviest there, and so is the reward: the same review count that dominates a small town is invisible in Iowa City.
The map pack in Iowa
In Iowa, 51.9% of dental practices have fewer than ten reviews. That is the good news if you have twenty: most of your local competitors are not trying. The bad news is that the three shops in the map pack for Council Bluffs searches are not in that group. They are near 455 reviews and they ask every customer.
The website gap in Iowa
A website is the clearest marker of a dental practice that is going to compete for the map pack, and 24.3% of dental practices in Iowa do not have one linked. Across the country the median review count with a site is 103, without one 1. If your shop is in the 24.3%, start there.
What to do first in Iowa
- Set a review velocity. One review per job day, asked at the door, moves a 7-review shop past the Iowa 75th percentile (123) within a year. The guides have the scripts.
- Finish the Google profile: primary category, every service you offer, real job photos, and hours that match reality. It is free and it is where Iowa customers decide.
- Follow up every lead within five minutes. Speed to lead beats ad spend in a trade where the customer is collecting three quotes. The calculator shows what slow replies cost.
- Then, and only then, spend on ads. Pointed at a profile with 7 reviews and no website, ads pay for your competitor's education. Pointed at a finished profile, they work.
The full national picture, with percentiles, ratings and hours, is in the benchmark report. The method is on the about page.