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What Do Dentists Need to Know About Search Engine Optimization?

 

 

The importance of appearing on the first page of search engine results was highlighted in iProspect’s 2006 Search Engine User Behavior Study of 2,639 Internet users. The study’s results revealed that 62% of users stated that they do not look past page one for results. Over 90% of users reported that they never look past the first three pages for results. As this study bears out, if your website is not appearing on the first page of results, it is highly unlikely that it will be found by potential patients. Therefore, it is critical to maintain a high ranking with the search engines and this needs to be accomplished my putting in place systems to ensure maximal search engine optimization of your website.

 

First, let’s explain in simple terms what happens when a potential patient searches for a new dentist online. The patient will choose a combination of words, such as “Dentist in Austin,” and click “Search.” The listings which appear on the results page will generally be in one of three formats:

1.  Organic, also called natural listings,

2.  Local listings which are found on a map, as well as within the search results and

3.  Pay per click, also called sponsored listings.

 

Organic listings are those that appear in a search because a search engine such as Google determines their website content to be relevant to the words entered into the search query. Pay per click listings, on the other hand, appear because these companies have paid to have their websites appear high in the ranking for specific keyword search phrases. Local listings appear on a Google map, as well as within the list of results returned in a search query.  With a recent redesign in how Google delivers local search results, these local listings now appear higher on the first page in many cities.  Local listing ranking results from a variety of factors which I have discussed in more depth in an article on Google Local Search for Dentists.

 

A recent study by the website tracking company Eightfold Logic determined that for the 5,000 companies it monitors, people were 8.5 times more likely to click on an organic listing than they were to click on a sponsored listing. Despite this data, these same companies spent nearly 80% of their Internet marketing dollars on pay per click advertisements and less than 10% on increasing their websites’ optimization and visibility. This to me is a clear display of the backward logic being employed by the marketing factions of these companies. Therefore, if we know that the overwhelming majority of patients searching for you online will be drawn to the organic and local listings they find, it behooves us to market to this area much more than to the area of sponsored ads. We can conclude that making our websites relevant to search engines in a natural rather than a paid manner will provide us the greatest return on investment.

 

In order to help dentists understand what they need to know in order to maximize their appearance online, I have created a Search Engine Optimization Checklist. This checklist is one of the many items you will find in the Practice Management Resources for Dentists CD I have put together over time to help make life easier in my practice. I think you will find these gems quite helpful in your practice as well. Below you will find some of the SEO checklist which can help you start and maintain optimization of your website within search engines. Keep in mind that all applications on the checklist can be performed for you by a consulting company if you elect not to spend your time on these items. It is valuable to consider that many SEO experts agree that the most important aspect of optimization is the building up of quality links to your website.

1. Submit your website to the major search engines: Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Dentistry’s Business Secrets provides links to do so.

2. Submit your Sitemap to these search engines as well. Dentistry’s Business Secrets provides information on how to do so.

3. Sign up for local business listings on major search engines. Dentistry’s Business Secrets provides links to do so.

4. Research possible sites which can link to your website. Links from dental related websites are the most beneficial.

5. Research online directories such as www.TheDentistSearch.com, which appear high in keyword searches for a local dentist.

6. Continue to add quality content to your website through the addition of articles or patient case descriptions and pictures.

7. Post comments on dental related blogs and general answer forums, always providing a link back to your website. Some examples include www.DentalHeroes.com and www.Dentistry.AllTop.com.

Aug 22, 2011 | 8 comments | View Post

I’m Too Nervous to Start My Own Dental Practice, Part I

Recently a young dentist mentioned his desire to start a practice from scratch, after suffering through two failed associateships. He was only three years removed from school and reported a debt burden of over $225,000. This dentist understood that opening a cold start practice would sink him further in debt simply to build out an office capable of treating that first coveted patient. His concern was also about the demographics of his new practice location, and if they would be amenable to the growth of yet another dental office.

I provided the following advice to this new dentist:
Here are some companies and government agencies  that provide demographic research for you: FreeDemographics , U.S. Census Bureau, ZIPskinny and the  United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. While demographics are important, we must keep in mind that nearly all dental practices succeed to some degree or another. You can do it. I think that given your debt load, it would be wise to implement cost controlling strategies. Hire only a skeleton crew and spend as you grow. Starting from scratch creates the greatest trepidation, but offers the greatest reward far and away.

There is obvious financial risk with starting your own dental practice. There are also staff concerns and general small business issues that you will always be responsible for controlling. This is a big responsibility and one that should be taken on only after appropriate research and analysis of your situation. However, the worst day of being your own boss will likely be better than the best day you ever had working for someone else. Part II of this series will focus on acquiring a loan or lease for your new practice.

Nov 16, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

What’s In a Name?

My front office manager does a great job in greeting every patient by name when they first walk through the door. If she is currently on the phone or with another patient, an attempt is still made to greet the patient and let them know we will be with them right away. My hygienist or dental assistant step in to make sure that patients are greeted promptly and personally when my office manager is busy. This may sound like common sense, but the vast majority of medical front offices do not treat patients in this manner.

I’m reminded of sitting in the waiting room at a doctor’s office when a woman walked in frantically informing the receptionist that she thought she was having a hypertensive attack. The receptionist told her to have a seat and someone would be with her shortly. We were the only people in the waiting room and I observed this lady squirming in her chair as the time rolled by. Five minutes elapsed as I listened to the receptionists gossiping about someone else’s life. I watched them file their nails and chat as the patient fidgeted nervously. Finally, she approached the window and asked if she could come in and have someone take her blood pressure. I was relieved that I wouldn’t now be called upon to administer CPR to one of my medical doctor’s patients in his own office.

Though this true story may represent an extreme example, similar anecdotes involving the medical office “witch-ceptionist” abound. Given the fact that it is far more common for these employees to be aloof, cold and unfriendly, efforts to train a staff to interact in the converse manner do not go unnoticed. When attempting to establish an insurance independent dental practice, it is mandatory to have an attitude of caring and concern for your patients. This practice philosophy falls under the auspices of internal marketing and will over time generate consistent patient referrals and a tremendously loyal patient base. Obtaining these two results should be the primary focus of your overall marketing campaign.

My receptionist makes every effort to remember family members’ names and engages in conversation while my patients wait. This helps to put nervous patients at ease and lends a family atmosphere to my office. My front office manager and hygienist make notes on the daily schedule regarding patient’s interests and family members’ names to ensure that all staff members can make the patient feel important, valued and remembered. I include a dedicated page in the patient record that documents information unique to that patient, like the fact that he is fluent in Russian or that she was a competitive Equestrian in her youth.

Using the patient’s name may appear as an obvious principle, but consider the emotion elicited in you when your doctor calls you by name. More important is the routine recollection of your name by the doctor and staff. You feel important, valued and remembered. I know I do. This feeling is consistent not only at the doctor’s office but within any business entity that claims you as a customer. You are made to feel welcomed and wanted. It should be your goal in business to provide this feeling to your clientele. In no manner is it easier to establish this rapport than by simply remembering and utilizing your patients’ names.

The take home point in the discussion of greeting patients is consistent through all instances of patient interaction. People tend to be fonder of their name than any other commodity they possess. This is true even if they would have rather been labeled something else at birth. This particular designation has accompanied them through every occasion in their lives. It was exclaimed during the first reprimand by their mother, pronounced by their teacher at the first day of school, whispered by their first girlfriend and recognized on graduation day. Their name is their identity. Remember it and you will go a long way toward remembering the name of a loyal patient for life.

Nov 17, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

Search Engine Optimization for Dentists

In the past two years my dental office has shifted external marketing efforts almost exclusively to Internet advertising. This has allowed me to decrease my marketing budget while increasing my new patients. I used to spend a considerable amount of time and money on new mover mailers and internal marketing programs, but when I began to advertise online I got a much greater response.

I had created a dental practice website almost a decade ago, but I found that this site was not being recognized by the search engines. After chatting with a patient who was a search engine optimization specialist, I decided to re-design my website with the guidelines she provided. In our discussion, she highlighted the importance of title tags, keywords, and a sitemap. However, the most important step was to build our online presence through links to our site from directories like www.TheDentistSearch.com.

My patient advised me that it could take more than six months for the major search engines to index my site, but within two months my site was appearing high in online searches for a dentist in my city. Patients consistently mention that they came to my office because I was number one in their search. Our website statistics show that our traffic has increased tenfold in the past two years.

Aug 03, 2009 | 3 comments | View Post