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Today's Thoughts to Ponder is brought to you by Jen Vogel with Net-Craft.com Inc.
The importance of effectively marketing your practice cannot be understated. One effective method is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). When considering SEO, it is imperative that dental practices concentrate on their local search-engine rankings because more smart phones are equipped with the GPS used by Google to display local results for search queries. The higher your ranking, the more likely you will be seen by the types of patients you are hoping to attract.
To run an effective SEO campaign, your first step should be to claim your Google Places listing. Google Places is a relatively new offering from Google that allows you to create a business profile that help patients locate and learn more about your dental practice. Claim your free listing here: www.google.com/places
Bing also has a local business listing service that allows you to create a profile, upload images and verify your map listing on Bing Maps. Simply visit ssl.bing.com/listings/BusinessSearch and add/verify your practice listing. This is free for business owners.
In addition, Yahoo has their own local business map listing service as well similar to Google and Bing. If interested, you should claim your listing at listings.local.yahoo.com
Once you have your practice listed, the next step needs to be creating or verifing your listing with Yelp. Yelp began as a website that allowed consumers to post reviews about places to shop, eat and drink. Now Yelp has expanded to cover almost all business categories including dental practices. It is important to check if your site is listed at Yelp and then verify that the information about your practice is correct. If it is not listed, you can add it for free. Your information at Yelp is also used by search engines such as Google when determining search rankings. Check-out yelp at www.yelp.com. CitySearch.com is a similar service to Yelp and you should claim /verify your practice listing on their site as well.
The next step is to increase the amount of times you mention your practice name, phone number and address on third-party sites. These are very important for improving the rankings of your map listing entries. Search giant Google puts more weight on citations from trusted resources like Yelp and CitySearch.
Finally, your efforts to improve and maintain your local search-engine ranking should be a consistent one. Since your local profile pages are in a constant state of flux, make a recurring task in your calendar to review them. If details such as phone number, location, hours, services offered, etc. change, be sure to update them.
Using the strategies outlined above will help your practice receive a more targeted new patient profile...something every dentsit strives for!
If you would like us to review your search engine strategy with one of our consultants, please contact Jen today for a free internet marketing analysis. You can contact Jen Vogel toll-free at 877-638-2723.
Continued Success to you and your Team!
Sincerely,
Art Deden
Vista Practice Management
www.vista-practice.com
If I can be of further service to you, your family, friends or business associates - please let me know. Most of our business comes from referrals; please tell others of our services... DONT KEEP US A SECRET.
