Our Blog
One of the trickiest aspects of web marketing is staying current. The Internet is constantly changing, and we have to doggy paddle to stay above its waters. How can you keep your dental website up-to-date in every possible way? While adding to your site’s service pages, Before and After gallery, and news section will show patients that you’re paying attention, there’s an even simpler way to maintain your site: by writing a regular blog. Better yet, blogging appeals not only to patients but also to search engines. A practice that pleases both people and robots? We think it must be a winner.
Setting Up Your Dental Blog
Your CMS (content management service, like WordPress) should make it simple for you to blog. Most have a blogging system in place on your site as soon as it’s created. From there, it’s easy to log on and get blogging.
…Or is it? Stumped as to what you should be blogging about? Read on for some ideas.
- Your practice’s services – Elaborate on what you have to offer to get patients more excited about treatment possibilities. This also serves as a valuable patient-dentist communication portal.
- Patient education – The more patients know about oral health and the right dental practices, the more engaged they’ll become with their dental care. Talk about oral hygiene, oral disease, and other dental concerns.
- Office specials – If you’re offering something special, why not talk the opportunity to blog about it? This will help increase practice/special visibility.
- Emerging technology – If your practice is keeping up with the technological times, it’s something you should be proud of. Discuss dental technology and the role your practice is playing within it.
- Dentistry-related news – This one is a little tougher. How often is dentistry in the news? Fact of the matter is, the news doesn’t even have to be dentistry-specific. If something catches your eye and applies even tangentially to your practice, bring it up on your blog (you’re sure to get visitors searching for the news item).
Need Blogging Help?
We’re happy to provide your practice with weekly posts. Learn more by contacting Dr. Web Solution online!
With the new year comes a heady mix of resolutions – some more realistic than others. If you’re already struggling to follow through on your latest goals, consider making some that tackle a different realm: your web marketing efforts. Realistic marketing resolutions aren’t too difficult to make, but it can be tough to decide which direction to go with your marketing. Below, we’ve gathered 5 very different resolutions that focus on different areas of web marketing.
Dental Marketing Goals for the Coming Year
Some of these don’t require any more action from you than a careful consideration of your current web presence. Once you start thinking about what your website or web marketing is lacking, you’ll gain insight and be prepared to make changes.
- Consider whether it’s time for a redesign. Is your website looking a little dated? Check out the sites of your local competitors and consider whether yours needs a fresh coat of paint.
- Focus on your conversion rate. How many patients are following through and scheduling upon visiting your site? Evaluate this rate to decide whether it could be improved.
- Embrace SEO. If you’ve been putting off search engine optimization, it’s time to change tracks. SEO is relatively simple to put in place, but you’ll need to take the time and energy to do so. Don’t worry – it will be worth it.
- Revamp your social media presence. Are you active on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest? If you’re not, you’re missing out on patient connections and increased visibility.
- Connect with your patients online. This can mean any number of things – improved social media usage, interactive sections of your website, or improved lines of communication. No matter your means of connection, it’s important that it happens. This will foster relationships with current patients and pave the way for new ones.
Kicking Off Your New Marketing Practices
Seeking more personalized marketing advice? Contact Dr. Web Solution for a complimentary website evaluation. We’ll help you decide on the right place to start.
The world of online marketing is a fluid one, but there are some truths that hold over year to year. In 2013, we saw search engines continue to get pickier and pickier; a social media marketing boom; and countless new tools and innovations to make web marketing simpler and more effective. Below, we’ve rounded up a few of our top posts of the past year to provide a quick rundown of contemporary marketing for dentists. Read on to pick up a few tips!
Ideal Content for Your Dental Website
Your website is no good without words. While design is incredibly important and serves to pull prospective patients in, the text needs to be keep them there. This post elaborates on methods you should use to build your content, and exactly what it should say about your practice.
A Social Media Primer For Dentists
Social media marketing is a friendly, fun way to connect with existing patients and draw in new ones. But it can be a little tough to decipher at first. Check out this post to learn about different social platforms and ways to get started.
Getting Into Pinterest for your Dental Practice
A bit more specific than the “Social Media Primer” post, this one tackles a site that is fast becoming one of the most effective marketing tools. Pinterest is built to be user-friendly, but it’s always good to have basic instructions to help you ensure you’re going about pinning the right way.
Are Your Patients Able To Find Your Practice Online?
No matter how gorgeous your website is, it’s not going to garner results unless it’s visible. This post tackles the question of whether new patients are seeing your site, and how to make sure they do.
The Basics of SEO for Dentists
SEO may seem complicated, and sometimes it truly is. With the ever-changing landscape of search engine preferences, making sure that your practice’s website is robot-friendly can be a little bit of a headache. This post tackles the basics of dental SEO.
Interested in some dental marketing aid? Get in touch with Dr. Web Solution for a free website evaluation.
A website is a powerful tool – and, in our era, an indispensable one. But while it’s simple for anyone to get a website and begin engaging in self-promotion, it’s tricky to decide exactly what that website should contain. The possibilities are limitless. There’s an open-ended quality to your website that can actually become stifling in its potential. How do you decide what to include and what to avoid? Dr. Web Solution is here to help with a list of factors that you simply must include in your practice’s website. Some may seem obvious, but are surprisingly easy to overlook.
5 Things to Include on Your Dental Practice’s New Website
- Contact information, hours, and address. While no one forgets to put a big phone number in the header (establishing a means of connection is the point of the site, right?), they often neglect to make the location and business hours as much of a priority. Patients want to know when and where they’ll be able to see you, and a lack of clear information could lead them to navigate away.
- Your credentials. Patients need to be told why you’re the one to visit. Your “About Us” page should include your degrees, history, and even interests. Establish yourself as a human being to gain patient trust.
- Your practice’s services. Feel free to set up your service pages in whatever way promotes the treatments you’d like to focus on. No matter the layout, the service pages should contain clear, well-organized content concerning the treatments patients will be able to pursue with your practice.
- Before and after photos. Visual examples of the quality of work available will sway reluctant patients, and show off your skills in the most expressive way possible.
- What sets you apart. This is the most difficult and most important part of your website. Take time to articulate what it is that makes your practice special, and then put that into concise phrases and images. You’ll see new patients respond.
Creating Your First Website
Looking for a helping hand? Our dental marketing company is up to the task. Get in touch online or at (630) 209-8195.
No matter how perfect your dental practice’s website is, it has to be seen in order for you to garner new patients. So, how do you get your site seen? It’s a simple- (and even silly-) sounding question, but one that actually requires serious SEO know-how to answer. While there are things we put in place on our websites that appeal to prospective patients, getting your site to rank high in listings (and get clicks) depends on how you appeal to the search engines. As these search engines are essentially robots with constantly-changing preferences, they can be fickle creatures. That’s where search engine optimization should step in and takes control.
Getting Your Dental Practice’s Website to Rank
“Rankings” are the places a website holds in different search engine listings for different keywords. Sound convoluted? To put it plainly, we’ll use an example. When you search for “local dentist,” there will be a certain practice that comes up in the number one position. This is the position you strive to claim for your practice.
But what about every other dentist in your area working toward that #1 spot? Rankings can be a bit of a battle, and staying current is key. Keeping up with the ever-evolving search algorithms (which aren’t always well-documented, and can take some time to puzzle out) is a must. Act in ways the search engines prefer in order to see your dental website rise to the top of the heap.
It’s also important to discover which keywords are ranking well for your website. That way, you can emphasize the right services to appeal to your target audience. Understanding and working closely with Google Analytics and Google Adwords are great places to start this keyword research.
Help with Your Dental Website’s Rankings and SEO
Looking for a helping hand? Doctor Web Solution is prepared to come to your aid. Get in touch with us online!
These days, it’s all about the content.
Modern marketing has to be much more creative than its predecessors. While audiences were once captive, forced to watch ads on television between their programs, there are now unlimited, ad-free viewing options. Internet browsers have ad-blocking extensions, and users are always able to click away from anything they’re bored with or don’t feel like watching. Today’s advertising has be be interesting in order for the viewer to pay attention to it (much less be persuaded by it). This has given rise to something called content marketing. This form of marketing appeals to potential clients with valuable, unique pieces of text, images, videos, or other forms of media. And content marketing is possible for your dental practice or medical practice.
How Does Content Marketing Work?
Content marketing expresses your expertise to current and potential patients. It provides them with educational, fascinating information that they can use in their daily lives to improve their health. Excellent content shows them that you care about connecting with them. And it’s often something they share, whether by word of mouth or on social media. Content marketing can consist of nearly anything, as long as the information being conveyed is unique to your practice and relevant to your target audience.
Aspects of Content Marketing for Dentists
- Blogging – A blog that is part of your website and is regularly updated is an invaluable part of your marketing efforts. Prospective patients visiting to check out an intriguing post will find themselves investing other areas of your site, and potentially clicking through to schedule.
- Social media posts – Social media is a great outlet because the content you post doesn’t necessarily need to be serious. And fun, entertaining posts are the most commonly shared. Consider your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages opportunities to show patients your human side.
Content marketing takes time. Our dental marketing experts are ready to commit to your practice and help you create a superb web presence. Simply get in touch to get started with your new marketing plan.
Social media was conceived as a way for users to connect with one another. While most social media platforms had the initial purpose of entertainment value, businesses have hopped on board. Platforms like Facebook are now an incredibly useful tool for small and large businesses alike. Using Facebook for your dental practice can help you get draw in new patients, communicate with current ones, and educate the world at large. Don’t be intimidated by this social network – a few tips will get you started on your own social media marketing.
Facebook Marketing Is Entertaining But Effective
“Fun marketing” doesn’t need to be an oxymoron. There are ways to get your message across without being dull. Social media is one of the simplest ways to make your marketing more interesting. Simply establishing an active presence on Facebook will get your practice name in current and potential patients’ newsfeeds (and on their minds). Try using Facebook in the following ways:
- Post your own content. Blogging but feeling unnoticed? Posting your own articles on your Facebook will get them seen by patients, and show that you’re interested in staying current and communicative.
- Garner likes. When someone “Likes” your practice’s Facebook, they’re signing up to see your updates in their Newsfeeds. This connects the two of you and keeps them posted in your ongoing activity. The more likes your practice’s page has, the bigger its social circle and impact.
- Make new connections. Current patients who post on your page or share your posts are bringing you into their friends’ spheres. The written/visual recommendation of you and your practice has a significant impact on those who see it.
- Advertise specials. Events, special pricing, and new treatments or technologies all deserve announcements. Get them noticed by detailing them on your practice’s page and calling patients to action.
Social Media and Your Dental Practice
Getting started with social media marketing is as simple as contacting Dr. Web Solution to begin developing your web marketing. Contact us today!
Don’t let the phrase “marketing plan” intimidate you. You’re interested in providing excellent service to your patients, not setting up a complex plan of attack. But if you want to continue bringing in new patients (which goes without saying), your practice will need to engage in web marketing efforts. Even a basic marketing plan will help you determine what your web presence should be like, and how it will draw in prospective patients. The crux of online marketing is establishing your personality with only your website as a means of conveying it. Strike a balance between professionalism and personal appeal, and new patients will be walking through your front doors.
Define Your Practice to Choose the Proper Marketing Tactics
Defining your practice is a little trickier than it sounds. You provide dental care and help your patients build strong oral health. But so does every other dentist – and if every dental website discussed this mission, patients would grow bored and quickly navigate away.
You need to decide what it is that sets your practice apart, and then make sure your website communicates that in an appealing, strong manner. If your purpose is primarily to provide aesthetic dentistry, you’ll want to emphasize images, especially Before and After shots. If your practice is pediatric, work on some kid-friendly pages and approaches. If you provide endodontic treatment, work on laying out the reasons your practice rises above others in terms of patient comfort and sedation. No matter your practice, there’s something unique and special about it (not to get too motivational speaker on you – it’s true). Find that and you have your marketing approach.
Establishing Your Dental Practice’s Appeal on the Web
You’ll also benefit from determining exactly who it is that you want to serve, and how to appeal to them. Different forms of social media, frequent blogging, PPC campaigns, and other marketing measures implore varying types of patients to visit. Understanding how to appeal to those you want to appeal to will make all the difference.
Our dental marketing company would love to help you build your web marketing plan. Get in touch for a complimentary website evaluation, and the beginning of your marketing discussion.
What’s cool and up-to-date on the Internet is (literally) constantly changing. The thing that everyone was talking about on Monday is often totally obsolete by Tuesday. This can make web marketing an ongoing challenge. Understanding how to make a website look contemporary requires an eye for design and an encyclopedic knowledge of what’s happening on the web – as well as an ability to predict what’s going to be happening on the web tomorrow. This may sound like an impossible task, but that’s where Doctor Web Solution can help. We’re ready to evaluate your practice’s web presence and determine the steps you need to take to bring it to a more current place, through website redesign.
Redesigning Your Dental Website
Is your website behind the times? There are a few ways to evaluate whether it may be the right time for an update. Simply ask yourself a few of the following questions.
- How is your website’s design? Web design can be a fickle creature. The design aspects you love may not appeal to patients, and vice versa. Put that aside and consider only how current your site’s design looks. Modern websites prize minimalism and sleekness over super comfortable, friendly-looking websites – but there are ways to combine the two to great effect. A professional web designer certainly helps.
- On what does your website focus? Is your site still promoting the services that you’re currently invested in promoting, or is it still talking about techniques and products you introduced to your practice five years ago? If so, it’s time for a change.
- Is your site’s content current? Recent before and after photos and reviews show new patients that you’re working hard and continuing to keep your existing patients happy. Fresh content and images also communicate to patients that you’re invested in your web presence.
Preparing For A Website Redesign
Redesigning your website doesn’t need to be a trial. Get in touch with Doctor Web Solution’s team to find a crew of professional designers, writers, and marketers suited to the task.
After finishing the process of developing and launching a new website for your dental practice, you’re probably looking forward to a break from online endeavors. But even if your dental website is in place, you’re still not done with your web marketing efforts. The Internet is fluid – it’s always changing, and your website needs to keep up. Search engine optimization is the practice of keeping pace with the rest of the web. By engineering your website to appear to search engines, you help it to draw in new patients. Read on to learn the basics of dental SEO, and what you can do to make your site a success.
The Steps of Dental SEO
Even if your practice’s new website is stunning, it’s not going to draw in new patients without SEO. Imagine a desert island. It’s beautiful, and filled with natural resources; but there’s no way to access it, and no one knows about it. It remains untouched. If that desert island becomes a stop on a cruise line, or if we build an airport on it, it’s going to become a destination.
SEO is the route of transportation between your website and users of the Internet. While that concept is simple, it can be difficult to execute. Search engines are constantly evolving and placing different demands on sites. While receiving that top ranking can be an elusive task, there are a few basic steps you can take to help your website rise in local searches.
- Link building – This is practice of building links to your website across the Internet. The sites linking to your own need to be relevant to it in some way, as well as relevant in the search engine’s eyes. While some link building can be achieved through submission to directories, you’ll also need to build relationships with other dental sites, blogs, and professionals to share links.
- Social media – Social media is the user-friendly method of link submission. As your site’s social posts are viewed and shared, links to your website build. Social media is both search engine- and searching human-friendly; just as it appeals to computers, it appeals to people and shows your practice’s fun, friendly side.
- On-page SEO – Building your website’s pages correctly is key to being recognized by search engines. This involved targeted keywords, appropriately structured content with headings, alt text for images, and useful URLs.
Engaging in SEO for your Dental Practice
We know SEO can seem daunting, and we’re here to help. Get a free website consultation and discuss what SEO could do for your site by contacting us.