Modern Dental Practice Marketing

Though Google is hot to trot to sell Google Adwords, the company recently provided information that shows, organic SEO is second only to direct referrals (like word of mouth), when it comes to making a purchase decision.

Google released some new information on Think Insights called “The Customer Journey to Online Purchase,” and while dentistry isn’t sold online, the decision that leads a patient to a practice is much like that of a customer selecting a product for purchase.

In the article, marketers are encouraged to explore the journey that leads customers to a sale. Channels included in the research were: email, direct, paid search, social, organic search, display click ads, other paid ads, and referral. These channels are divided by region and industry. They’re placed on a timeline that goes from path to purchase to actual purchase.

If we select “health” as the industry and “USA” as the region, we find that:

• Social networking and “other paid” ads only assist with the purchase decision.
• Email, paid search, and display click are at the front of the final interaction before decision is made.
• Organic SEO and direct referral are the closest channels to final decision making.

This means, organic SEO is second only to direct referral, when Americans make health decisions that require a purchase. While all the other channels can lead to the final decision, SEO is the most important, controllable factor along the path.

The SEO Battle

“Creating compelling and useful content will likely influence your website more than any of the other factors discussed here.” –Google Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide

I own a marketing company that specializes in copywriting and SEO, and guess what? Every day, I get emails telling me how some other expert can make my site come up “number one on Google.” My first question is, number one for what phrases? My second question is, paid or organic advertising? My third question is, show me the proof. Everyone gets these emails, so please don’t believe they’re true. Find the company name and Google it. See how they rank for various terms. That will say a lot for their abilities in the realm of SEO marketing.

I’ve also gone head to head with other dental marketing companies that claim having websites (blogs, microsites) on more than one domain is “bad” for organic SEO. My first question is, where’s the proof? I have proof that my dental clients show up multiple times on page one for targeted keyword phrases, and they have multiple domains. Each domain has unique content, incoming links, and SEO strategy, so each site is unique. Google loves unique. My proof is in my clients’ success.

What it boils down to is, Google holds 93-95% of the search market for PC and mobile searches. What does Google say about search engine optimization?

The company offers a one-page pdf download with three steps to optimizing a website. In short, Google says, 1) Look good in search results. This means, page titles, meta descriptions, and domains should describe a page’s content. 2) Help Google understand images, which means the file name and alt tag, and even caption, should describe what is in your image. 3) Post useful, unique, relevant, and up-to-date text on your website, and post regularly.

Problem is, most companies don’t employ writers and journalists who understand SEO. That’s not the case with MDPM Consulting. Our writers are trained in SEO, and we guide our clients’ SEO strategy with keyword research. Here’s a rundown of how we plan an SEO strategy for a dentist’s office:

1. Select keyword phrases based on city, services, symptoms, and synonyms.
2. Check those keyword phrases in Google Adwords, and tweak based on popular variations.
3. Integrate keyword phrases throughout website: metadata, heading tags, image tags, links, and content.
4. Research the keyword list on Google to determine where the client’s sites rank. The goal is page one, position one.
5. Use the research to determine which keyword phrases need work, and create a content management strategy based on that information.
6. Develop a calendar of topics for blog posts, articles, press releases, and web pages, perhaps even microsites, to improve rankings for the lowest ranked keyword phrases.
7. Research the keyword list on Google, and compare it to previous months to determine the next month’s content marketing strategy.

Does this work? Absolutely. I have numerous clients who were never on page one of Google for targeted keyword phrases until they began an aggressive content marketing strategy with MDPM Consulting. Our team of copywriters have expert skills in writing SEO content for all online venues.

For your custom content marketing strategy or a comprehensive online marketing program, including a logo, website, blog, microsites, and articles, call MDPM Consulting today at 972-781-8861 or email us at [email protected]

Do you know what email blasts and enewsletters are? Do you know why they are important for a dentist’s marketing plan?

First of all, email campaigns are sent to your current patients. Your email campaigns will feature a custom banner, a stock or original photo, body text, share buttons for email, Facebook, and Twitter, and the legal requirement of an opt-out option.

• An eblast is a short, one-article email with your custom banner, photo, text, and footer.
• An enewsletter features 5 articles.
• We recommend newsletters quarterly and eblasts monthly.

Why invest in an email campaign to current patients? Dentists are in the unique situation of not seeing healthy customers for six months at a time. In these hiatuses, patients can wander away. Great dental marketing includes staying in front of your current patients every 30 days or so. Email blasts and dental newsletters accomplish this beautifully, while also providing a share option for your happy patients to spread contact information for your office. Studies show, acquiring a new patient costs $200 on the low side, often more. Retaining your current patients is extremely lucrative. Also, word-of-mouth marketing often yields the best, most loyal customers (patients, in your case). Email marketing to your current patient base allows for one-click work-of-mouse shares, so you can win the business of your patients’ friends and family. Read the rest of this entry →

This week, I received a great question from Dr. Quinn Smith of Pecan Tree Dental in Grand Prairie, Tx. I thought all dentists might be interested in this…

MDPM Team,

This weekend I googled “Grand Prairie Dentists”…Pecan Tree Dental comes up as #1!  I feel like what MDPM is doing by SEO and blogging  

Read the rest of this entry →

What is a responsive, mobile-friendly website?

Research tells us that 70% of web users look online for health care services and today, smart phones and tablets are more popular than ever. Dentists need to understand that patients are looking for their services online, and often on a mobile device.

MDPM Consulting builds custom websites that work across all devices and browsers. Our mobile-friendly designs render beautifully on any tablet or smart phone and include custom menus that make navigation easy on touch screens, on large or small tablets, and on the smallest of smart phone screens.

While navigation is important, so is text. We build our sites so that text remains large and readable across all screen sizes, horizontally, and vertically. Design components shift linearly to fit on small screens, without losing important visual elements like buttons and call outs.

Responsiveness refers to a website’s ability to shrink with a window, like this… and all of our sites are now equipped with responsive design.

As a bonus, we create a custom-branded icon that makes your logo look like an app on most smart phones. Install the icon on your mobile device, then click the logo to go directly to your website.

Don’t pay extra for a mobile-friendly, responsive web design.

Call MDPM Consulting for a state-of-the-art dental website with:
• A responsive design that works on all devices and browsers
• An app-like favicon for your website
• Excellent search engine optimization and reporting
• An easy-to-use CMS, or content management system, so you can make updates if you like
• Top tier customer service and support, even on weekends
• Access to innovative designers, copywriters, and technical gurus
• The latest developments in dental marketing technology
• Advice and support from marketing experts who serve dental practices across the US and abroad

An innovative website that looks amazing on all devices will attract patients who appreciate quality dental care and excellent health.

Call MDPM Consulting today at 972-781-8861, or visit us online at www.MDPMconsulting.com, and let’s get started on your mobile-friendly, responsive website!

You may have heard that Google prefers original text on websites. If your dental website features library articles, stock content, or text taken from other sources (like the ADA website, for example), you’re harming your SEO strategy.

Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

On May 6, 2011, on the Google Webmaster Central Blog, we’re provided with a list of considerations for websites. Google says:

• Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?
• Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?

You can surmise from these questions that Google wants high-quality, original, expert information, and if your website provides this type of content, you’ll have more opportunity to index high for targeted keywords. But that advice was from 2011, and Google tweaks its algorithm all the time, right? So what does Google say now? The story hasn’t changed.  Read the rest of this entry →