Dental News - Can prospective new patients find you easily on the Internet?

Mary Kay Miller

Mon. 6. April 2009

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Just because you have a dental Web site on the Internet, doesn’t mean prospective new patients can find you online when searching for dental treatment providers in your demographic. Using correct keywords in the HTML source code and written content on your Web site pages is the key to driving prospective patients to your Web site on Google. Unfortunately, less than 5 per cent of dental Web sites can be found on Google Maps and page one of Google when tested with the most common words patients use to find dental treatment providers.

It’s a fact — your Web site ranking can make or break your online presence and Internet marketing initiatives. The better your page ranking (the position your Web site appears in the search engines when someone is searching for a dentist in your area) the more clicks you will receive, which translates into more new patient opportunities to build your practice. If you are not on page one of Google, you might as well be invisible online. Whether we like it or not, the Internet is here to stay. The Internet is the most valuable and inexpensive PR marketing tool available today to promote your practice.

Google is ‘king’ and ‘rules’ the Internet. It dictates the parameters of online search and Internet marketing. It is also considered the only search engine that counts. Google attracts over 80 per cent of all consumers researching online for products and information. Structuring your Web site with correct keyword placement, title tags, written content, html design, and URLs, according to Google guidelines, will assure better positioning of your Web site’s page ranking.

Unfortunately, as consumers, most dentists have no idea if their Web site is SEO optimized correctly by their Webmaster to meet Google guidelines. The time has come, especially in today’s tough economic environment, to be proactive and take marketing responsibility for your Internet marketing program. No business owner can afford to haphazardly lose new patients to their Internet competition. Google does not care about Web site aesthetics, your experience level or the size or your practice. It only understands arithmetic coding based on their rules. The first step to building your online presence is understanding their rules and determining if your Web site is performing correctly on the Internet. ‘You don’t know… what you don’t know… till you know it!’

The Dental Tribune understands the Power of Internet Marketing and how it relates to dental professionals. They have asked me to present a six-part C.E. credit series on Internet marketing to educate all their subscribers. The subject of keyword optimization of your site and how to test your demographic will be addressed in Part II — Google and SEO — Can New Patients Find You Easily On The Internet? This webinar will be aired live online on 16 April at 7 PM EST. Participation is limited, so sign up early for this informative Webinar. It may be the most important marketing course you take all year.

Please find further information and registration under www.DTStudyClub.com, Online Courses.

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