Choosing Dental Keywords For Effective SEO

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Bill

Keywords and the efficient targeting of them are the crux to a successful campaign. Why? The reason behind this seemingly obvious statement is that a person who does not know the name of a particular dental service is going to key in what he or she thinks accurately describes his/her need. One person may key in ‘dentist,’ while another my search for ‘toothache.’ Still another may key in ‘Atlanta Dentist’ and others my do ‘teeth doctor.’ To target a website for on and off page optimization for all these keywords will be unwise and unnecessarily expensive.

Keyword Basics
Any particular business, and this is the same for dentists, is that it could ostensibly be characterized by any of an avalanche of keywords. It is not like the times where all dentists were placed in the local yellow pages under the heading of dentist. Today, a search engine would include so much more for so many other people looking for all kinds of dental related items.

Keywords need to be researched thoroughly. The term ‘dentist’ alone attracted more than sixteen million searches in a month. And that average is pretty accurate over the last few months. But its not certain what exactly the person keying in this keyword was looking for. They could have been looking for a dentist to do their dentures, or they could have been in pain from an abscessed tooth. It may have been a high schooler researching dental information.

Narrowing The Keyword
To narrow down the Keyword, the SEO professional needs to go thru an iterative process that starts as follows:

1. start with a broad term that categorizes the industry the site in question occupies.
2. Next, look at the number of searches this keyword attracts and what the related keywords are.
3. Then, search for keywords that do not seem to exorbitant in searches as the more searches there exists, it means the search is extremely broad
4. finally visit each page of the search results and

By looking at the results of the keyword the SEO professional gets an idea of which keywords the search engines have whittled through and determined what people are looking for. So you will get a better understanding of the keyword and results page relationship.

But, lets face it, doing this sort of intelligence is not something that will be best served by a dentist busy with the schedule of his business. It can require significant experience to discover the best possible keywords and keyword phrases. That significance is then magnified by the sheer number of primary, secondary and tertiary keywords the site will organically give home to. And in the final analysis, backlinks that come in search of the quality information will serve as a benchmark to the algorithms used by the search engines that the site is indeed of value and authority.

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Search Engine Marketing For Dentists

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Bill

When was the last time a person who didn’t need a service take note of an expensive advertisement that interrupted their favorite programming? When was the last time a commercial for a dentist’s service get broadcast in a demographic two counties away? When was the last time you needed a dentist and turned on the radio to find one? One word answers all three questions posed Never!

Brief History
As recent as half a generation ago, when a person needed to find a dentist, they sought the assistance of the yellow pages. Box ads in yellow pages were all the rage back then, and rightfully so. The yellow pages in itself acted as the single most effective qualifier. A qualifier is someone, or something, that determines a person is indeed in the market of a particular service. Thus the act of a person reaching for the yellow pages to search for a dentist was an effective means of point-of -need advertising.

Fast forward twenty years and you have the likes of Google, Bing and Yahoo that have displaced the role of the trustworthy Yellow Pages but with an infinitely greater reach and a point-of-need strategy second to none. So, you’re a dentist and how does this help you? It helps in three ways;

1 . Identifies a patient based on their need
2 . Qualifies a customer by requiring their input and selection
3 . Communicates basic information without the need for manpower

Identifying a person in need puts them closer to an actionable response favorable to you. A site that is optimized for relevant search phrases, will be within the person’s reach if that search phrase is used. For dental practices, there a few keywords that should be targeted to maximize a practice’s reach.

Keywords
The key to unlocking the benefits of search engines is the ability to understand the keywords or phrases, people use when looking for a service. Using the wring keywords will result in diminished results while choosing a comprehensive blanket of keywords people use to find a dental service will result in gaining critical mass and achieving better results in the search engines.

Power of Collaboration
The internet is all about collaboration and the power of the people. It seeks to give people choices, worthy choices. With that as the basis, search engines write their algorithms to fine tune how people search and what people search for. The power to collaborate and be a part of a network of dentists allows the collective network to target and achieve rankings for a string of keywords.

Power of Varied Content
One of the greatest issues that sites face is not reaching the pinnacle of search engine results. The problem is in actually staying there. Search engine programmers watch the amount of visitors who track to a site, only to hit the ‘back’ button because they did not find what they thought they would. This alerts the search engines that the keyword is not appropriate for this site, consequently de-ranking the site. However, if the site has effective and targeted SEO, upon arriving at the site the patient is presented with an array of choices they are looking for, the chance the person stays longer and clicks through to other pages is higher, keeping the site at its coveted position in the rankings.

In conclusion, it is notable that there are many factors, considerations and layers of situations that need to be deciphered in the process of optimizing one’s site. Even then its most probably insufficient. A single dentist does not have the time to manage his practice and attempt a successful SEO campaign which is why the prudent course of action is to consider professional SEO services from a company experienced in dental practice marketing.

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Dentists And Search Engines

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Bill

From a patients perspective, finding a dentist was not as easily accomplished in the recent past as it is now. The key that unlocked the path to efficient targeting of customers was the development of search engines and the significant advances that have ensued. It is undeniable, search engine technology has become the dentist’s greatest tool, since the yellow pages.

Caution, however, is the word of the day, especially for those who falsely underestimate the amount of intense work required to wield this strategy of search engine marketing. Just as a primer, an attempt shall be made here to delineate the rudimentary steps required to initiate a search engine optimization campaign.

Search Engines
Search engines are the gateway to the internet. It allows a person to find almost anything, at anytime, just about anywhere in the world. An impossible feat if one solely relies on print media. By keying in a search phrase in the search box, search engines will scour its vast database to match what a person is in search of and the person is then able to click on the link and be transported to the site.

Search Phrase
A keyword or phrase is what the person types in. For instance, if one was in need of dental services, then its conceivable terms such as ‘dentist,’ ‘dental service,’ ‘toothache,’ or even maybe ‘tooth doctor’ are used by a person. The keywords then direct the search engine to return results of sites in its database that could match what the person is looking for.

Choosing Keywords
When embarking on search engine optimization, it is necessary that the dentist’s keyword choice be well planned and meticulously researched. There are two reasons for this:

I. Improper keywords that do not perfectly match the site will lead to unqualified visitors arriving at the site who will not take action once they gather other than to hit the back button.

II. If too many people hit the back button back to the results page, the search engine will eventually strip the ranking of the site. This will result in wasted time, effort and resources.

On-Page Optimization
There are two distinguishing channels of optimizations. On-page and off page. Off page optimization is concerned with search engine mechanics while on-page optimization deals with the dentists website finely tuned to the following:

keywords that organically appear in the page such as ‘dental work,’ ‘dentist,’ ‘patients’ are all words that should appear in a dental website. They encompass both primary keywords and secondary. And when balanced correctly, appeal to the algorithm that search engines use to determine the quality of the site.

Site maps that tell the search algorithms what pages are within the site and how to crawl them. The more extensive the site them more important and relevant it seems. A single page site is not a site at all but more like a contact page and search engines are not interested in ranking those.

The information presented here barely scratches the surface. There are more issues and more details that one needs to understand before embarking on a campaign. But even so, the better option especially for dentists is to be part of a dental network and allow the network to focus on the optimization.

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Dental Social Media Marketing Campaign

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Bill

The advent of social media sites like Facebook have totally changed rudimentary forms of social media. Today, around 845 million people are connected worldwide through Facebook and the avenues for social media campaigns are only getting better for dentists. People are also getting into the bandwagon of using these social media sites to advertise products and services. However, Facebook is not the only social media site which you can use for an all-out marketing campaign. Here are some of the most famous sites which you can take advantage of today.

YouTube

This video-streaming site has become one of the most powerful media sites of all time. People are acquainted with this site as they try to enjoy videos ranging from funny to dramatic ones. If you are a dentist, you may tap the possibility of making a viral video which can let people know about your services and business. The video doesn’t really have to be connected to your services, you just have to host it somehow and put out your logo or brand before or after the video. You can commission a really good singer to do a cover of the latest pop songs while you advertise your clinic at the end of the video. It’s simple yet powerful.

Twitter

This micro blogging site has garnered around 300 million users in the year 2011 and everybody is talking about the tweets of famous celebrities and personalities. Twitter has become very famous because of the calibre of famous people who are writing micro blogs every day. It is a good way to follow someone if you’re a fan. Now, you might ask how you can take advantage of this site if you want to advertise your dental business. It’s simple, you can use Twitter as a bridge to gain more exposure on your other online social media campaigns. For example, you can make an account with a catchy username and template, and try to post tweets through it that directs people to your website.

The Combo Trio

These are very simple steps which you can implement anytime. Make sure to use this combo trio – Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. This just might be your needed leap of entrepreneurship to rise above your major competitors. You can research for more specific topics like how to set up a Facebook landing page in Google. This is not something new today, that is why you should update your marketing campaigns.

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Establishing Your Internet Presence

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Bill

You might have noticed the increasing need for dental services in the past decades. With the exponential increase in population among most areas, it is very common to see one dental clinic after another, separated by only a few blocks. This makes competition tensed between dental professionals. When word of mouth is no longer a very good marketing strategy, it is time that you begin to dental practice internet marketing.

Here are some ways which you can practice to mark a healthy online presence. When not all dentists are doing this today, you just might gain the edge that is necessary for you to maintain your business well. These three ways may be very helpful in your venture to increase clients through the internet.

Google Maps

Google Maps is an innovative mapping technology that is provided by Google today. It makes everyone literally explore the world either through satellite or through the world map. However, this can also be used to your advantage as you can initiate a listing for your business in the map. Today, they say that you not only need a website, you also need a detailed listing in Google Maps. If people will look for a dental clinic at your place through Google Maps, your clinic will surely be advertised. Aside from that, the exact location of your business can be followed through the different routes and coordinates that are displayed in the map.

Personal Website

You may notice that the most celebrated dental professionals today have their own websites. By making your own website, you get to increase the exposure of your business and people will come to rely on your own expertise. If you have a real talent in writing, you will be able to lay out in your website the various services you offer and your own professional image to potential clients.

Prompt Implementation

Do you know that the internet can be accessed by up to three billion people in the next four years? By starting to build your online presence now, you gain advancement among other dental professionals. So don’t wait until the next year to try internet marketing. It is a proven strategy to maintain your dental business. If you have to invest in it and spend some money for professionals to optimize your site, know that you are doing the practical thing. Internet marketing professionals and companies which provide dental marketing services are definitely the most appropriate people who can assist you in this endeavor.

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SEO Writing for Dentists

Posted on February 14, 2012 by admin

Writing could be daunting for some dental professionals. If you’re looking into search engine optimization for your blog or website and you think you can’t write, you should be able to hire a talented SEO writer. SEO writers know the rules to make SEO ready articles. Unlike ordinary writers, they know the ways by which Google indexes website and they know how to take advantage of some key aspects necessary for a successful SEO campaign.

Here are three things which you should look for in a SEO writer. You will come to find out the importance of these aspects once a writer successfully brings your website to better page rankings in Google.

Ability to write

Foremost, the ability to write should be your number one priority when hiring an SEO writer. Even if a writer knows the rules if he can’t write articulate articles, viewers of a site will still presume that the content is not reliable and would not want to explore the site further. In today’s freelancing world, there are so many incompetent writers who make a living from writing without even mastering the language or the fundamental of writing. Thus, if you were to outsource writers from freelancing sites, make sure that you do a thorough assessment of their skills before hiring them.

Ability to put keywords in strategic places

One aspect which should be implemented in SEO writing is the ability to put keywords in strategic places of the article. Primary keywords must be used in the title and in the first, middle, and last paragraphs. Secondary keywords should be used in subheadings. Related keywords must also be used throughout the body as this widens the scope of the main keywords.

Ability to pay attention to keyword density

Last, an SEO writer should know how to pay attention to keyword density. Keyword density shows how many times a keyword is used in the article. For primary keywords, a good density range would be 2-3%. It is simple to calculate the keyword density. One only has to multiply the number of times a keyword appears in the article with the number of words in the keyword phrase; then divide it by the number of words in the whole article. The answer should be then multiplied by 100%. For example, if the keyword phrase “orthodontist in New York” appears five times in a 500-word article, one will do this equation: (5*3/500)(100%). The answer is 3%.

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Making an Effective Dental Marketing Plan

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Bill

With competition pacing in at such an inconvenient rate, you may question yourself on what you really need to do in order to be on top of other dental practitioners. When you can make so much money before by just practicing your craft with dignity and expertise, the modern times spell a difference as you see that almost all new clients never stick through your services in a long-term scale.

This may be practically brought about by too much competition as more clinics are set up within your locality. People nowadays are also practical thinkers and would only go to clinics which are nearest to their place. If you’re already too bothered about this, here are three tips that may help you overcome the challenging rigors of your business.

Resilience is the key

Make sure that you can adapt well with any adversity. The changing times call for different measures. There’s no point being stuck up with how bad your business is going if you don’t do anything about it. A very good example is internet marketing which has bloomed quite well in the past decade. Don’t wait for the next month for you to set up your own website, Google Maps listing, Facebook landing page and whatnot. People are very inclined to technology and the internet today is almost a sure way for you to get potential clients.

Practice good competition with other dentists

Know how to win the hearts of new clients by treating them with the best customer service and by pricing your services a tad lower than your greatest competitor. People are always looking for bargains and would want to spend less on dental services. However, you should know that quality is your best foothold in doing this and your patients should always come out satisfied from your clinic even if you let them pay less. This is the best consumerism tactic you can do to gain loyal clients – quality should always take precedence.

Think positively

If you come to apply those tips well, there is no doubt that you’ll see positive advances on your dental business. By simply being flexible to change and by acknowledging a healthy competition among other dentists, you will surely succeed and turn your dilemma inside out. The times may be hard, but you can always rise above the occasion and let your clients know that you deserve to be their dental provider.

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Dentistry And The Internet

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Bill

The importance of one’s gums and dental health rarely comes into focus on any given day. Even the act of brushing one’s teeth is superimposed with thoughts of matters, more pressing, to be faced as the the day progressed. So how then, is a dentist to place his proverbial shingle such that a prospective patient can take note. How too, to keep this as cost effective and unobtrusive as possible? The solution presents itself within the cradle of leading edge technology.

History Behind Internet Presence

A brief history of the internet is in order, especially it’s reach. The internet will be accessible to three billion people within the next four years, up from a almost half that just two years ago. What is even more impressive is the rate of mobile connectivity that is moving at a faster pace. When the internet was in its early infancy, it lacked a critical component. The ability to search. It’s common knowledge that the likes of Yahoo and Google, forever changed that fact and with it, the landscape of the internet, information and commerce. The internet provides -

• superior reach;
• definalble footprint – global or just citywide; and,
• transparent access to information.

Search Engines

The advent, and prevalence of search engines, fanned the flame of utility throughout a population that appreciated the importance of information – timely information. Search engines changed the game and was as disruptive a technology as silicon chips were to vacuum tubes. Search engines propelled marketing at warp speed and for the first time connected people to what they needed when they needed it. The simple act of a person keying in “dentist” or “dental services” or whatever else they were in search of, meant the person was in the market for dental service – and thus a qualified prospect. That in advertising terms was a goldmine. Search engines, essentially accomplish the following. They -

• surgically isolate the customer by need and demographic;
• identify what people are in search of; and,
• provide an opportunity to be placed in front of a qualifies porspect.

Before search engine marketing, dental services that wished to advertise, targeted their messages en masse. Do the masses, all need dental work today? Probably not. If they did, would the dental service be able to accommodate them? Certainly not. But, conventional advertising did not distinguish between a customer on his way to work with no need for dentistry and the person at the cusp of a root canal. It blanketed all with equal zeal. It was altogether a waste of resources as it was expensive; it was counter productive, as it numbed the target customer; and it was ineffective, since it sought people who were not in the market for that particular service.

Taking Advantage Of The Internet

The tools required to reach a customer effectively at the moment of their need, is invaluable. But the effort into setting up the system will detract form the professional’s daily routine. Setting up such a system and keeping it current and effective requires constant, sometimes daily, maintenance. Keeping on top of key phrases, managing search trends and keeping the site, otherwise healthy requires constant attention. Its almost apt to say, that a good dentist wil not have himself as a patient. So to when it comes to internet presence, one should never go it alone.

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Making Sure Things Are Working Well Online

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Bill

Show up in searches
The best way to evaluate whether your website is doing its job or not is by finding it in Google, Bing and Yahoo searches using your company’s actual name that is indicated in your website. After all, the main goal of a website is for people — prospective clients at that — to find you. The assumption is always that more and more people are looking for services or products online and that searches are, most of the time, general.

Investing in Google ad words or in creating content that naturally places your site on top of the list is not a walk in the park though; thus, patience and diligence are needed at all times. Lastly, web analytics services are also readily available. They give you the numbers, the specific data generated from your site — clicks, pages visited, length of stay in your site, backlinks and re-posting of your website content on other sites (social media).

How do I look?

This is where market intelligence comes in. It identifies your direct and indirect competitors and analyse your website against theirs. Being able to determine at least two (2) national organizations will give you an idea if your content is up to date while comparing your site to at least five (5) dental sites within your area. Another set of sites on key cities will give you a point of comparison on website appearance. With this information, you will be capable of steering your website into the trend, be up-to-date with content, and create a professional design.

The key to dental website success is the up-to-date and comprehensive content while creating a homely yet professional appearance. In the dental industry, you need to convey that your patients will always feel comfortable, at home with your service, and confident with your skills. Thus, it is necessary to extend these feelings to your website.

How do I do in the social network?

The easiest way to a greater reach is an enhanced and comprehensive social media site filled with needed content in the form of related articles, remarkable service offerings, clear videos, good music and impressive photos. Most of the time, social media platforms are for free — a great reason enough for everyone to converge here.

The good thing about social media sites is that it allows you to reach a larger number of people, virtually everywhere and anyone. Here, you are able to create a network of your own and sift through lists of people with specific interests or categories. Therefore, the basis in assessing is the amount of interaction, whether it is based on your dental practice or with any other topics. Exchange of communication and ideas need not be stiff, as building relationships with clients or prospective clients are the priority here.

Furthermore, social media sites also allow you to integrate it on your own website, adding more following and increasing site visits and vice versa.

Is my blog effective?

Promoting your dental service would necessitate you to join professional forums and online networks of the dental profession and organizations. Most of these sites allow users or members to express thoughts or post articles, opening a good avenue for you to show colleagues your stuff and a chance to build your credibility. By participating in blog forums, regularly at that, readers would turn to your articles and even personally send you queries to seek professional advice. On the side of your colleagues, positive comments or concurrence to opinions enhance your image.
Once this happens, you have succeeded in getting your message across and, most importantly, improve your image as an expert dental practitioner.

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Dental Marketing – The Pathway to Profitability

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Bill

If you ask a lot of your Senior Dentists or the ones who were able to practice first in this field, it wasn’t much of an effort to establish, build and grow your their practice during their time. They would just simply set up their office, find a good location, and practice their specialization or craft with utmost dedication which would surely lead them into having a good reputation. More of it was based on loyalty of patients who would trust them with their dental needs from time to time. But now, that’s not the case, it’s becoming harder and harder. Dental marketing has simply evolved over time.

Why is it perhaps? It is because time and the world definitely had changed. Competition from one practitioner to the other has changed. Now it seems that there are almost a lot of dentists in the neighborhood, from one corner to the other. The more competitors you have, the much harder it is to retain your patients. And sadly enough the loyalty of your patients become shorter and shorter and sometimes there is no guarantee of them coming back because people nowadays are used to being “mobile”. They change jobs and decide to relocate which has been accepted to be a regular basis for some. Since they are so used to mobility already, if for example they might not like the quality of your service, they can immediately switch dentists who might be just around the street.Now that you are faced with this kind of condition, you might then need to market your dental practice.

Since a lot of dentists nowadays acknowledge the need for dental marketing in their practice, you must learn first some of the reasons why they are not getting any good results from their marketing strategies.

Here are some of the reasons why.

• Insufficient Actions or Lack of It – A lot of dentists put up a lot of time and money on their marketing plan but never get to act on it or never reaches the implementation stage. You need to make it happen.

• High Expectations – Sometimes it becomes so unrealistic already. It doesn’t happen overnight and sometimes your expected results cannot be seen or felt immediately.

• Lack of Perseverance – It is all about pacing, you are not joining a marathon or race. Timing is of the essence.

• Lack of Planning and Poor Decision Making – You have to learn and understand first what are the marketing tools that you need to use and how it works together.

• Approach and Think Out of the Box – Sometimes dentists would look for the most “in thing” but still it won’t work. To get the job done, you still have to look for the best marketing tools and techniques.

• Do Not Copy From Others – Try not to mimic what other dentists do and use a different approach. You will not be noticed if your marketing ways are like of the others.

To be able to successfully market yourself there is a need to accomplish three basic objectives and these are the following:

• Try to think differently, find a niche that will work for your practice.

• Focus on having a core message or objective for your practice that will best describe your chosen niche.

• Proper delivery where you will outstand the rest of your competitors.
Accomplishing these three basic objectives is just the start but will surely support and help you accomplish your goals in a timely and efficient manner.

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