The Challenge
Elite Clinician. Invisible Practice.
In January 2016, DaBell Orthodontics faced a crisis that many excellent practices never see coming: Dr. Jake DaBell had built a reputation for technical perfection and an extraordinary connection with patients — but his digital presence was virtually non-existent. Despite elite clinical care, the practice was capturing just 90 organic visits per month.
The previous agency had applied the same cookie-cutter template they used for every orthodontist they served. No Spokane Valley differentiators. No unique positioning. No strategic integration between channels. The result was predictable: generic visibility, commoditised positioning, and a social media presence that looked active on paper but generated zero engagement — 1,400+ Facebook followers with not a single interaction.
The solution was not more advertising. It was a fundamental strategic overhaul: treating the practice's digital presence as a living extension of Dr. Jake's clinical values, and building a "defensive moat" of keyword authority that would become increasingly difficult for competitors to breach.
Organic Visits (Jan 2016)
90/month
Keyword Rankings
276 terms (mostly page 2+)
Facebook Engagement
1,400 followers / 0 actions
Competitive Position
Behind Damon-smiles.com & Dr. Scott Ralph
Agency Problem
Cookie-cutter templates, zero local precision
The Strategic Blueprint
Selling an Experience, Not Braces
The core strategic shift was moving from "selling braces" — a commodity — to "selling an experience." DMH conducted deep-dive interviews with actual DaBell patients to uncover the real reasons families chose the practice. Four distinct brand pillars emerged from that research, each rooted in a real patient story.
"The Doctor's Story"
Dr. Jake's personal journey — from studying under world-class orthodontists to building a practice around patient relationships — was developed into the core brand narrative.
"The Clinical Edge"
Specific techniques, technology, and training that separated DaBell from Damon-smiles.com and legacy competitors were documented and amplified across every channel.
"The Patient Experience"
From seamless first consultations to personalised birthday cards and thank-you notes — the entire care journey was surfaced as a marketing asset, converting patient experiences into high-influence reviews.
"The Referral Network"
Hygienist referrals from practices like Dr. Gibbons' team were a key referral channel. We built a systematic approach to nurturing and growing that professional referral ecosystem.
System Components
The Results
The Hockey Stick That Kept Climbing
These results are not a temporary spike. They represent a compounding advantage — each month of consistent content, review generation, and technical optimisation making it harder for competitors to reclaim territory. The keyword moat expanded from 276 terms to 2,679, covering the entire patient research funnel from "braces pain relief" to high-intent "Invisalign" searches.
Organic Traffic Growth
90 → 3,681 visits/month
Phone Calls
16 → 64 GMB calls/month
Facebook Engagement
Ghost audience reactivated
Invisalign Spokane Valley
Plus 2 additional #1 rankings
Growth Timeline
January 2016
— Starting Point90 organic visits/month. 276 keyword rankings, mostly page 2 or worse. 1,400+ Facebook likes with zero engagement — a ghost audience.
Days 1–30
— Foundation60+ local directory listings synchronised for NAP consistency. Technical SEO audit completed. Content strategy built around Braces vs. Invisalign, TMJ/headaches, and how-to-choose-an-orthodontist topics.
Month 4
— First Surge115% organic traffic increase within 120 days. "Orthodontics treatment Spokane WA" jumped from page 2 to #1. Facebook engagement grew 2,553% as the revived content strategy reached the ghost audience.
24-Month Mark
— Dominance3,990% total organic growth (3,681 monthly visits). 2,679 keywords ranked. #1 for "Invisalign Spokane Valley," "Cost of Invisalign Spokane Valley," and "Cost of Invisible Braces Spokane Valley."
Ongoing
— Market Leader5.17k Twitter followers. Surpassed legacy competitors Damon-smiles.com and Dr. Scott Ralph in social authority. Double-digit practice growth year over year.
"Working with Outsourced Marketing has been an outstanding experience. From strategic planning to implementation, they make the process easy and effective. As far as online marketing is concerned, they're the best I've worked with."
Dr. Jake DaBell
Owner / Orthodontist — DaBell Orthodontics, Spokane Valley, WA
Your Practice Could Be Next
Ready to Build Your Defensive Moat?
DaBell's results weren't an accident — they were the output of a systematic, data-backed marketing engine. Book a free discovery call and we'll show you what that engine would look like for your practice and your market.
