The Dental Marketer

I’m getting sick of companies that put up websites for dentists but have no clue how to optimize their sites for the search engines.  I’m very clear with my clients on what their website needs to do for them.  (Check out my posts in the “Internet” category here on this page for these basics.)  Every website has to pull its own weight.  It must rank well on the search engines and bring search engine traffic to the website.  Any site that isn’t doing this is a waste of money.

Sure, your site needs to look great and have good information.  That’s important, but that’s only half of it.  It also has to generate new patients on its own.  If it doesn’t, you need to do one of three things.  Optimize it, get someone to optimize it for you, or get a new site.

There’s tons of dental practice website companies out there.  Don’t let inertia alone keep you with the same underperforming site you’ve had for years.  If you’re not getting new patients every month from your website – call your provider today and find out why.  If your site is new, and they tell you it takes time – ask them when you should call back.  If they tell you your market is extremely competitive, and it’s hard to get a high ranking, then do this:  while your rep is still on the phone with you, Google the name of your town and the word “dentist”.  If your site does not pop up on the first page, ask why, and what can be done about it.  If he tells you it’s impossible, tell him you’re going to call some of the companies who’s clients did make the front page.  Then do it.

If you’re in a small town, and you’d starve without patients from surrounding communities, make sure your site is optimized to rank high using surrounding towns as well.  Mayberry’s probably a nice town, but being top dog there is only easy because there’s no competition.  If there’s no competition, that’s sometimes a sign that you’ll need to think bigger to reach your new patient goals.

Understand that I’m talking specifically about organic listings here – the listings that come from know-how and hard work, not the sponsored listings and pay-per clicks that will cost you a premium on top of the monthly fee you already pay your provider.  Their crappy performance is not an opportunity for them to ask you for more money!  Someone in your town has a high organic listing – why shouldn’t it be you?