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dental practice websites

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Mobile-Geddon: Did Your Practice Survive?

by Naomi Cooper April 28, 2015

Mobile-Geddon: Did Your Practice Survive?The online world braced for impact last week as Google changed its algorithm in a major way. With a big nod towards the rising influence of mobile, as of last Tuesday, websites that are mobile-friendly will now begin appearing higher in search rankings.

With growing numbers of users accessing the Internet from smartphones and tablets, the need for a mobile-friendly website is more important than ever. 62% of smartphone owners have used their device to look up health information within the past year, so if you haven’t updated your dental practice website recently, you might begin to notice a drop in your website traffic.

What is a mobile website? It is a site that loads properly and is user-friendly across all devices: computers, smartphones and tablets. This is best accomplished through responsive web design, which also happens to be Google’s preferred method.  If you’ve ever tried to access a website from your phone only to have the text appear too small to read or experience the frustration of the website taking forever to load, chances are good that you were trying to view a website that had not yet made the switch to mobile.

If you are not sure if your website is mobile-friendly, check out this handy tool from Google: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/. Simply type in the URL of your website and in seconds Google will tell you whether your site meets their mobile criteria.

What can you do if your website is not mobile-friendly? Contact your trusted web designer to find out what needs to be done in order to update the website according to Google’s rules.

Mobile-geddon doesn’t have to mean the end of the world for your dental practice website. Make sure your site is up to date with the current design technology in order to keep your practice information at your patients’ fingertips!

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Dental Practice Branding: 4 Steps to a Winning Online Strategy

by Naomi Cooper April 3, 2014

Dental Practice Branding: 4 Steps to a Winning Online StrategyIt is estimated that the average person sees 3,000 advertisements every day! Your patients need to be able to recognize your dental practice brand. If you’re not iconic, then all of the time, money and effort that went into the message is completely wasted. So, how do you make the most of your dental practice branding strategy? Keep it consistent, and this has never been more important than it is in today’s digital age.

It’s a good idea to take periodic inventory of your online marketing to make sure everything is up to date. In particular, these 4 digital components should work together to form a cohesive brand:

1) Practice Name: This one may sound obvious but it is not uncommon for me to find that a practice’s business cards read “Joe B. Smith, DMD” while its website uses the moniker “Smith Family Dentistry”. One name should be used across all marketing platforms, including your website and online profiles, in addition to your printed materials.

2) Social Media Profiles: It is ideal to set up your dental practice social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) profiles under the same name as the practice. It may seem more natural to set the profiles in the name of an individual dentist, but again, I recommend keeping everything consistent and using the practice name across all properties so that patients can find and connect with the practice as easily as possible.

3) Patient Review Sites: Word of mouth has shifted to the online atmosphere via sites such as Yelp!, Healthgrades.com and Google+ Local. What I find when consulting with my dentist clients is they do not always realize is that these sites often automatically create a profile for your business. It is up to you to log on and claim your practice’s profile on each of these sites, making sure your business name is correct and contact information is current. After you claim your profiles, encourage patients to share their positive experiences so that when prospective patients are doing their online research, they can get a complete picture of what your practice has to offer.

4) Practice Website: Along with having the same name across all online platforms, it is smart to link your online profiles to your website. The homepage of your practice website should include links to your social media profiles and your blog. Likewise, your profiles on social media and patient review sites should also link to your practice website.

Patients are online now more than ever. It’s up to you to make sure they can find you, and that when they do that you’ve made a good first impression. Remember, make it as simple as possible for patients to recognize your practice by name by keeping your branding consistent – online and offline!

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Dental Practice Websites: Committing to SEO in 2014

by Naomi Cooper January 5, 2014

Dental Practice Websites: Committing to SEO in 2014Online marketing has indelibly changed the way dentists market their practices. If you haven’t been keeping up with the latest strategies, 2014 is the perfect time to jump on board.

Take your dental practice website, for example. If it has been a few years since it was last updated, it is very likely that modern SEO (search engine optimization) tactics are not in play, making it more difficult for prospective patients to find your website.

As it has been said, the only constant in the world is change, and Google is no exception. There have been several significant updates to its search algorithms in just the past 12 months, and unless you are a full-time SEO specialist, it can be difficult to stay on top of.

For more details on these updates, you can read this article from Yahoo Business outlining the latest regarding Google’s updates, specifically named Hummingbird, Panda  & Penguin.

At the end if the day, when Google makes changes to the way the search engine ranks results, it affects not just big corporations, but all businesses trying to reach new customers. With the changes that have been implemented, you could be wasting money on ineffective and outdated SEO strategies.

For example, do you have a local SEO strategy? Are you prioritizing producing video for your website and YouTube channel? Do you have an on site blog that you contribute original content to on a regular basis? And if you’re still depending on a backlink strategy, you should know that Google is now more focused on social media engagement than links.

If you’re not sure what tactics your website relies on for SEO, don’t fret. Dentists should not feel as though they are responsible for executing SEO tactics themselves — as always, I strongly recommend outsourcing! Work with trusted professionals like Sesame Communications or WPromote and keep your online strategies — including SEO — functioning most effectively!

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Cultivating Online Synergy for Your Dental Practice

by Naomi Cooper July 16, 2013

Cultivating Online Synergy for Your Dental PracticeWith dental patients becoming increasingly reliant upon the Internet for healthcare information, a dentist’s online reputation is more important than ever. Just a few years ago, it was enough for dentists to have a static website that was nothing more than an online version of their practice brochure. These days, the website is a powerful marketing tool, functioning best when supplemented by online efforts such as social media and online patient reviews.

According to recent whitepaper on social media marketing by Dr. Lou Shuman, DMD, CAGS and Diana P. Friedman, MA, MBA, respondents to a national survey of 88 dental and orthodontic practices administered by Sesame Communications confirmed that social media continues to provide a strong driver for practice website traffic. In fact, more than 91% of dentists surveyed agreed that social media helps drive traffic to the practice website.

And one of the most crucial things a dental practice website needs is third-party validation from around the web to give it additional credibility. When patients “Google” their prospective new dentist’s name, they will not only find that dentist’s website, but also all the other websites in those search results that feature information about that dentist. This is what constitutes “social proof”.

Content on social media and online patient review sites plays an important role in building social proof and driving traffic to a dentist’s website. Social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter give dentists multiple opportunities to stay connected with patients on an ongoing basis. And patient reviews on Yelp! and Google+ Local carry at least as much, if not more, weight than the information on the dentist’s own site because it’s ostensibly from a neutral source. These types of social proof from other places around the web serve to corroborate the information provided on the practice’s own website, giving prospective patients a well-rounded picture of the dentist and the practice.

It is essential for dentists to have a strong online presence in order for patients find them when searching online. A dentist’s website, social media profiles, and online patient reviews work cohesively to create online synergy. They provide more ways for patients to connect with the practice—and learn about the services available that might help them achieve their ideal smile.

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SEO for Dentists: The Online Marketing Tactic Not to Be Ignored

by Naomi Cooper May 9, 2013

SEO for Dentists: The Online Marketing Tactic Not to Be IgnoredSearch engine optimization, or SEO as it’s more commonly called, is not just for large corporations. Businesses of all sizes, including dental practices, need to employ SEO tactics in order to drive traffic to their business websites, and cast a wider net in order to reach more Internet users.

Understanding SEO, however, is no simple feat. Strategies are constantly changing as Google and other major search engines often adapt their algorithms, sometimes on a daily basis. There is an entire industry of SEO specialists who spend their entire work week staying on top of and employing the latest tactics for their clients. Of course, dentists could take the time to study the science behind search engine optimization, but who really has the time?

For dentists who are looking to get a basic foundation of understanding of search engine optimization, check out this recent blog from the always informative Marketingprofs.com on how to (kinda) become an SEO expert in 10 minutes.

SEO isn’t just a passing trend; nor is it just for corporations. Dental practices of all sizes benefit from smart SEO practices. After all, patients won’t be able to find you if they don’t know you are there!