By Misty Clark
December 19, 2013
The hummingbird: such a harmless, beautiful, non-threatening creature. And yet, the latest Google update with the same name has many sites dropping like flies. How could something with such a non-threatening persona wreak so much havoc? While no one knows the new algorithm changes definitively, many theories are abounding and seem credible. What we know is that Google is making every effort to continue to increase the user experience, making it authentic. To do that, unique content is still a winner. For dentists, this can be difficult – how many different ways can you describe a crown? Here are four things you can do to help improve your search status:
Blogs
Write a blog about dentistry. The beauty of a blog is that it can be short and informal. Check with your team. You may have a couple of willing team members who would like to contribute weekly or monthly. Your topics can be anything dental related. Maybe you had a discussion with a patient about why her new crown caused pain. Or maybe you want to share how to increase the results of at-home tooth whitening. Whatever it is, write about it and post to your blog page. Don’t have a blog page? Ask your web provider to help set you up with one and link it to your website.
How to maximize your dental practice's website potential
Videos
The new social media world has made it easy for everyday people without a degree in filmmaking to create a video. People actually like more informal videos, as evidenced by the success of YouTube. Go to YouTube (owned by Google) and create a channel for your practice. Take videos of patient testimonials (with written permission), team members, and even yourself. Post to YouTube and link to your website.
Social media
Have a social media presence. They are included in people’s searches on Google. This includes Twitter and Facebook. Integrate all of your social media channels with your website. Include links back to your website from your social media page.
Services
Want to be found on the term “same day crown” for your area? Then rewrite the description of your definition for “same day crown.” Include 350 words of content with the words that you want to optimize. Add in pictures, testimonials, and videos to that page. Give people the option to like the photo or share it on their social media sites. Encourage clicking to other pages.
Taking an active role in your SEO can help to drastically increase the results. Great amounts of unique content with calls to action can help your website move to the top of the list.
