Dental Marketing Consultants Boost Search Engine Optimization

PRLog (Press Release) - Jan. 8, 2013 - When it comes to marketing a dental practice, most dental professionals fly blind. Dental school doesn’t require marketing classes, nor do hygiene school and assistant certification programs. Even office managers who thoroughly understand patient retention strategies and insurance billing often do not know the first thing about dental practice marketing.

From simply functioning in society, a dentist understands that he needs a website (http://www.bestdentalmarketing.us), and that website should rank high on search engines. After all, that’s how most people shop for products and services these days. Dentists can also surmise, since newspapers and phone book companies are going out of business, the Internet is most likely the strongest option for marketing a dental office. The question is, not does a dentist need a website – to that we know the answer is a resounding “yes.” The question is, what should be done to make the dentist’s website rank high on Google (http://www.topdentistwebsites.com) and, as a result, draw in new patients?

The answer is search engine optimization, or SEO.

Asking the Experts about Dentist Website SEO

Located near Dallas-Ft. Worth, the dental marketing consulting firm MDPM (http://www.moderndentalmarketing.com), owned by Jill Nastasia and Shauna Duty, has helped hundreds of dentists build and execute a solid SEO strategy. The company employs graphic designers, dental copywriters, programmers, and an SEO diagnostician who work collaboratively to develop high-end branding and marketing strategies for dental practices across the United States and Canada. Shauna Duty, COO, explains SEO: “Search engine optimization is the key to online success in dentistry, as well as in practically every other industry. Since Google holds 95% of the market share for search, at MDPM, we look to Google for guidance, asking the question, ‘What does a website need to rank high?’” Duty says that Google’s Webmaster blog (http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/) answers this question, though somewhat cryptically. Because Google tweaks its ranking algorithm regularly, Duty recommends dental marketing professionals subscribe to the Google Webmaster blog and regularly review the information provided there.

Types of SEO

SEO diagnostician, Jennifer Rader, tells us that there are two types of search engine optimization dentists should understand: organic and paid. The best return on investment comes from organic SEO, so that is the strategy MDPM focuses on for its clients. Organic simply means natural. By implementing original, keyword-rich text, good metadata, a linking strategy, and other organic SEO tactics, a dentist’s website will gain momentum and a reputation with Google. This results in higher rankings long-term. On the opposite end of the spectrum, paid SEO, or PPC (pay per click) marketing is based on a per-click cost that can become rather expensive over time. Rader says, “Think of organic SEO as investing in buying a home, then fixing it up over time. In the end, you have a profitable investment. PPC is like renting a home. It doesn’t matter what you invest in the property, when you stop paying rent, you’re left with nothing.”

How Dental Marketing Consultants Help SEO
Prospering dentists have little time to manage their SEO, which requires gathering and analyzing data for both rankings and traffic. Improving an SEO strategy requires even more time, as new website pages, microsites (http://www.sleephealthnews.com), blogs, articles, and linking strategies must be created and implemented. Jill Nastasia, CEO, handles sales and business development for MDPM’s client dentists. “Someone who understands dental marketing and SEO, and who can stay plugged into Google’s constant changes, should be in charge of a dental practice’s Internet marketing campaign, and that campaign should accurately reflect the dental practice’s brand and vision. Dentists simply cannot manage this overwhelming task, or hire and manage a marketing director to work in the office. The best, most economically efficient and practical solution is to hire a third party – one with excellent customer service.”