How to drive new patients to your
practice Web site...tomorrow
For more on this topic, go to www.dentaleconomics.com
and search using the following key words: Web site,
dental marketing tool, Internet, online searches, search
engine.
Should there be any question about
the importance (and the immediacy) of the internet aS
a dental marketing tool, just ponder the sheer number
of online searches: about eight billion — yes,
with a b — searches per month.
So the real question is: How
can my local dental practice Web site capture well-qualified
prospective patients from among this enormous sea of
searches? The answer is that a local slice
of the billion-search rush is affordably close …
using Google AdWords, MSN AdCenter, Yahoo Search Marketing,
and other tools we’ll outline for you here.
First, you need a good Web site...
Obviously, you can’t take advantage
of any of this traffic if you don’t have an effective
and professional site. (Now would be a good moment to
check the online competition and decide about doing
or redoing your site with these tips in mind.)
Has the response to your site been
underwhelming? You built it, and to your surprise, they
DID NOT COME. Fortunately, there are solutions that
will blow those virtual tumbleweeds off yourWeb site
and turn it into a thriving new-patient generator.
Search marketing reaches patients
at the exact moment they’re looking for your services.
When someone uses a search engine
(or many other sites), the results often include little
ads above and to the right of search results, marked
“sponsored links” or “sponsored results.”
These ads — at the premium, top-of-the-page space
— represent a tremendous opportunity for you.
Out of the eight billion searches this month, you want
to head the list when someone is searching for a local
“dentist,” “orthodontist,” or
maybe “chipped tooth.”
While it typically takes months or
more of hard work and luck to be listed anywhere in
the top 10 of organic (free) search results, you can
attract patients today by taking advantage of these
key word ads (also known as Search Engine Marketing
or SEM).
Start with Google AdWords.
Search engine systems operations vary,
and there are specific strategies that work best for
each. Begin with Google AdWords; they are the undisputed
leader and they make it surprisingly easy to get started.
• Target geographically.
Known in the biz as “geotarget”; conserve
your budget with focus on online searches by people
in your service area.
• Key words are the
name of the game. All networks have key word
generators, but real success lies in brainstorming every
possible word and phrase that searchers might use to
find you. At a minimum, you should have 300 key words,
and 1,000 or more is much better.
Think like a patient and generate a list of key words
that he or she would choose to do a Google search. For
example, a prospective dental patient in San Diego might
look up “San Diego dentist,” “San
Diego dental implant,” “San Diego tooth
whitening,” and/or “San Diego cosmetic dentistry.”
Drawing from actual Yahoo network
stats, San Diegans actually did search those exact key
word phrases, respectively, 6,103 times for “dentist,”
872 times for “dental implants,” 4,866 times
for “tooth whitening,” and 1,044 times for
“cosmetic dentistry.”
- Bid carefully. Some systems use
“bidding” that estab•lishes how
much you’ll pay for key words. This will generally
range from a few cents to a few dollars, but competition
and the more relevant key words can push the going
rate.
- Use budget controls. Although you
may hold a bid on hundreds of key words, some systems
allow you to set a ceiling on the total allowance
authorized for the month.
- Tracking is key. Track the results
and continually optimize your campaign. Make changes
as you determine what works best, and do more as you
find the winners.
- Make local connections. Direct
visitors to a Web page where it is obvious that you
are local. Web users will quickly move on if you don’t
have a local address prominently displayed on your
Web site.
• Caution: Resist being a “do-it-yourselfer.”
To their credit, the mega search-giants like
Google and Yahoo make it easy for small businesses to
get started. But busy dentists often do not have the
continuing time and attention needed. So, it is often
best to reach out for professional help to avoid costly
mistakes and crank up the effectiveness by doing it
right. Call us if you’d like to be pointed in
the right direction.
Search Engine Optimization:
Free clicks. When (prospective) patients search
online for services that you provide, does your practice
Web site make the short list (below the sponsored ads
we just discussed)? Sadly, a typical dentist’s
own patients may have a hard time finding the practice
Web site, even if they were to search for you by name.
Most searchers never get beyond the “top 10”
search results, and a poor search engine showing means
you are missing out on over 80% of patients who search
online.
SEO Phase 1: Make your Web site “search
engine friendly.”
Unfortunately, many Web designers
are clueless about how to create a site that search
engines can easily “spider” and catalog.
Do you have a graphically beautiful site that is totally
invisible to search engines? If your site has been online
for over a year and is still invisible, chances are
your designer has failed you.
Designers may completely overlook
easy ways to make your site visible, such as including
a “title tag” on a Web page — something
most search engines value highly for ranking. Your site
should also incorporate appropriate key words, descriptions,
and “meta tags” into the source code, which
can further help you be located. Even descriptions associated
with your photos, your URL name, headline choices, and
text count tremendously.
You should also make sure you get
your Web site listed in the two most important directories:
Yahoo (https://ecom.yahoo.com/dir/submit/intro/) and
Dmoz.org (http://dmoz.org/). A directory is not a search
engine; it is a human categorization of Web content.
However, once you are listed in these directories, you
are more likely to get noticed.
SEO Phase 2: For more advanced needs.
Using these basics, most dental practices
can be “found” by search engines, and within
a few months should be among the organic results in
local searches. However, if you are in a highly competitive
category and geographic area, you are going to need
to call in the heavy artillery.
For our clients in this kind of situation,
we often recommend one of the Search Engine Optimization
companies that we hold in high regard. SEO is a serious
specialty that works continuously to make a Web site
visible to the major search engines. Here are three
important tips to advanced Search Engine Optimization:
• Content is first.
Search engines love written text (they cannot read images),
especially content that increases regularly and is laden
with key word phrases. For competitive markets, you
should generate regularly changing content.
• Use “backlinks.”
Systems give extra weight when they find inbound links
— or links directed toward your site (not from
them). In other words, if many relevant sites link to
your site, it must be important. Google somehow measures
the relevancy of links, as well as the value of the
referring site. So a link from your brother the plumber
is not valuable, but a link from the New York Times
probably would be important.
• Don’t cheat.
In the great game of SEO “getting noticed,”
there are rules — things that are not allowed
and can be dangerously counterproductive. Search engines
have seen every trick in the book and they will “blacklist”
Web sites that use programming techniques to unfairly
get ahead in the results.
Guerrilla tactics to generate traffic.
Here are additional “guerrilla marketing”
tactics (that are free or nearly free) to bring targeted
traffic to your practice Web site — things you
can do today to produce results quickly.
• Basic ID and links.
This fundamental is easily overlooked, but always include
your Web site address (URL) everywhere you list your
name and practice name — letterhead, cards, brochures,
signs, etc. Include a link in any online or other articles,
news releases, etc. Always ask for attribution and a
link when quoted, cited, or published.
• Start an e-newsletter
for patients. With “permission marketing,”
sending an e-newsletter is low-cost and immediate. Collect
e-mail addresses and “opt-in” permission
both online and in the office. And post a library of
this information as pages on your site. Encourage readers
to forward the information to others.
• Submit your e-newsletter
content to e-zine portals like www.ezinearticles.com.
Submission of your content is usually free, and posting
it online helps with search engines.
• Use with your own
publicity. The nature of your profession and
experience makes you an authoritative source and qualified
to write timely and informative articles. Reference
your Web site (with a link).
• Post timely and useful
links to others on your site. Create a LINKS
page on your site and list two dozen of the most appropriate
other sites that relate to your topic, profession, or
specialty. More importantly, try to get links back from
these same organizations.
There’s nothing simple about
generating patients from your Web site. It’s complicated
and time-intensive, and to do it right you may want
strong and qualified help.
The good news, of course, is that
with the right firepower, the Internet can be a valuable
and effective part of your marketing toolbox. And getting
started right now puts you way ahead of most of your
competition.
Stewart Gandolf, MBA, and Lonnie
Hirsch are cofounders of Healthcare Success Strategies,
and two of America's most experienced practice marketers.
They have worked with dentists for a combined 30 years,
have written numerous articles on practice marketing,
and have consulted with more than 3,000 private health–care
practices. They may be reached by calling (888) 679–0050,
through their Web site at www.healthcaresuccess.com,
or via e–mail at info@healthcaresuccess.com.
Source:Dental Economics
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