You’ve heard it a million times – SEO is a must for digital marketing! There’s no doubt about the popularity of this marketing tool and its importance for your business. Although a simple concept, SEO is quite complex in nature. So, let’s explore what SEO is exactly and whether you’re doing it right for your business.
SEO, or search engine optimisation, refers to your website’s rankings on Google (and other search engine sites). In other words, it affects whether your website appears first or last on Google when patients search for information relevant to your dental practice.
Blog to improve SEO
The easiest way to improve your SEO ranking is by adding content to your website. The more content your website has, the more optimised it will be. It should include standard website content, such as a home page, an ‘about’ section, a contact page and a services section to outline what your practice offers. However, the key to adding more information is to write blogs.
Blogging is so effective in digital marketing, that it’s now considered a necessity for businesses wanting to expand their online presence.
If you’re not sure what to blog about, here’s a general rule of thumb: Blogs should add value to your patients and should answer any questions that they may be asking Google. Whether it may be your top 5 tips on how to practice good oral hygiene or your top 10 foods on how to avoid cavities, your blogs should be informative and useful.
Think about it this way. You begin to notice symptoms – perhaps your tooth hurts or your teeth begin to yellow. Rather than going straight to the dentist (because who has time for an impromptu trip to the dentist?), you Google your symptoms (everybody does it). What page do you click on for your answers? Most likely, the first few.
Your potential customers are doing just that, and your blogs should be waiting for them at the number one search result on Google.
Blogging gives you the opportunity to show off your expertise. Not only should it encourage clicks on your website, it should also tell your patients that you know what you’re talking about and that they should visit your practice for more information. This is one way of converting leads into paying customers. That’s providing, of course, that your practice is located near them. So, your website should contain specific words such as “dental practice in (your suburb)” to attract a relevant audience.
SEO is based on relevant keywords, so your blogs should incorporate those keywords to rank accordingly. Once chosen, SEO experts focus on those particular keywords.
Google ranking isn’t as simple as it once was. The internet is now full of so much content (and competition) that it’s a lot easier to get lost amongst the digital noise. To stand out, ensure that your content is original and unique, even with generic topics. Achieve this by changing the blog titles and information, as long as they’re still accurate, relevant and eye-catching. While your blog may have the same general idea as thousands of others online, ensure that the content is different and insightful.
Additionally, write for humans first, and search engines second. Yes, the whole point is to be search engine friendly, but if you worry about that while you’re writing, your entire blog could end up sub-par. Don’t overcomplicate things – simply write to your audience first, then let the SEO experts edit it to optimise keyword rankings.
Organic results, not paid
Given that information, it’s important to understand that SEO generates organic results. But why bother putting all of that work and effort into SEO if you could just pay to get it done quicker? Organic SEO pays off in the long run and generally attracts more interest to your website (and business, as a result). So if you’re doing everything right, but you’re not seeing results just yet, don’t stress. SEO can take months before it ranks your website number one, but it’s worthwhile. Great things don’t just happen with the click of a finger.
Outsource or DIY?
The last thing to consider is whether to outsource your SEO updates to a marketing agency or whether to take care of the blogging yourself. Some dentists and practice managers choose to write their own content. They can take the information and write compelling content based on their expertise and experience within the industry. After all, they are the dental professionals and they know what they’re talking about and what is trending.
Others find that they don’t have the time to do so. They’re too busy running the logistics of their practice to even consider their marketing plan. If you do choose to outsource, it’s important that you work with an agency who specialises in dental marketing. Some agencies claim to cover all industries and others are upfront about the industries that they specialise in. To ensure accurate and relevant content, choose an agency with industry marketing experts.
At 360 Dental Marketing, our team of dental marketing experts can increase your patient flow by 20-30% in a 90-day plan.
Book your FREE 30-minute consultation HERE
