SEO-Friendly Blog Posts: 5 Easy Steps

August 15, 2022
Blogging, Dental Advertising, internet dental marketing, Search Engine Optimization

So, you are a dental professional who keeps up with our blog posts and you have taken our advice on the importance of blogs in marketing. You have set up a solid website with appealing design, informative text blurbs, attractive images, and you have added a WordPress blog to it in order to generate fresh content. Now, you are staring at a blank page and wondering how to go about writing your first blog post. ProspectaMarketing can help!

If you haven’t followed all these steps yet, make sure to check out our previous articles covering topics like the power of the blog, engaging website copy, appealing visual media, local SEO tips, and Google indexing strategies. If you have, then you have likely already read these articles and are wondering how to go about crafting a blog post that will have a good chance of getting picked up by Google’s bots and wind up high on search engine results.

Our team has put together a list of tips to get you writing and to ensure you adhere to SEO-friendly parameters, in order to further maximize your visibility and the impact your dental practice can have.

5 Easy-To-Follow Guidelines

  1. Use Proper Headers, Footers, and Contact Info: Guiding your reader’s eye to accessible information about the practice is a crucial part of any blog post. Before you write any text content, ensure you have a good title and that contact info is available somewhere in the post. Your best bet is the bottom, so craft a footer with large, easy-to-read text that details your practices official name, address, phone number, website and/or e-mail. Make sure to place it at the bottom of any and all blog posts, to create a sense of uniformity and professionalism in your blog.
  2. Make Use of the Official Practice Name: We recommend using the name of the practice twice in every blog post; once at the beginning and once at the end. Doing it only once – or not at all – might mean it fails to stick in your reader’s mind. However, doing it too much will stink to a reader of generic SEO fodder.
  3. Include Unique Location Names: When it comes to creating content that is attractive to Google index bots and search engines, location-specific vocabulary is key. What better way to make your writing stand out than to mention uniquely-named locations that your practice serves? Do it at least once during the actual text, and consider adding it to the title, if applicable. “Quick Toothache Solutions” is a good title; “Quick Toothache Solutions in Silverton, CO” is better.
  4. Start With A Story Or A Quote: In the end, writing is all about story; even advertising copy. Pick a good quote about teeth or smiling and place it at the top of your post. Or start with an interesting patient anecdote – make sure to omit any names or personal details! This might kickstart some ideas and help you structure the rest of the blog post.
  5. Adhere To A Structure: A blog post is like a good essay; it presents a persuasive argument, offers supporting evidence for it, and wraps up with a conclusion on the general benefit of the position being argued. Anything you can write will follow these steps. Use sub-headers to separate each of these sections. Come up with an attractive title for each one. For example, if you’re stuck on a blog post about a new teeth whitening service your practice is offering, write a header like “Tooth Whitening News for Norfolk Residents,” then write two sub-headers like “Why Choose This New Method?” and “The Name of Practice Difference.” Just like that, you have the basic structure for a blog post, complete with an introduction to the idea, supporting arguments, and a conclusion that brings it all together.

Just Start Writing

The most important tip is to start creating content. In modern philosophy, there is a concept known as the infinite monkey theorem. It presents the idea that, if a monkey hits random keys on a typewriter for an infinite amount of time, it will eventually write the complete works of William Shakespeare. Many take this to mean that there is no way to be original, as random chance could produce the same result as an artist, given time. At ProspectaMarketing, we believe that, since this feat would take an infinite amount of time, it is also proof of all the unique permutations that exist between the random text and Hamlet.

This means you are very unlikely to write something stale, repetitive, and worded exactly the same as another blog post. You would have to sit in your chair for an infinite amount of time in order to achieve the same exact thoughts, worded the same exact same way, as someone else! So, just start writing! We guarantee that, as long as you come up with the text yourself, both your potential patients and, more importantly, the Google algorithm, will view it as unique copy and respond to it organically.

If you represent a dental practice that needs help writing blog posts, ProspectaMarketing offers a wide selection of blogging services, ranging from basic to fully customized. We are an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

The Power of the Blog: Authority and Visibility

March 15, 2022
Dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Websites

At ProspectaMarketing, we provide a host of invaluable services for our affiliated dental practices. From local listings to search engine optimization, we can help your team take advantage of a wide-ranging digital marketing campaign that can help you become a household name in your area. One of the unique ways in which we do this is through the use of specialized blog content.

Blogs might seem like a section of your marketing campaign that you could probably leave by the wayside. After all, they are read less and less each year. Patients often prioritize other, more informational, less subjective sections of your site over the content in the blog. So, in terms of leads – that is, the amount of avenues for patient acquisition that a certain piece of digital copy provides for the practice – blogs are not doing much of the heavy lifting.

However, our team strongly recommends keeping and updating a blog on your website. Though it might not be the most accessed section of your digital hub, and the blog might not provide direct clicks by interested patients, well-written, customized content can provide several major benefits to your practice that far exceed any costs. Our team has listed some of the benefits below.

  1. Site Accessibility: First and foremost, a blog provides a place for visitors to find certain subjects you might not have an entire page about, or else makes the site more accessible for people who are looking for information. Certain messages cannot be properly expressed through copy, and benefit greatly from customized communication avenues. Examples of content a blog can prioritize include yearly and monthly events, charity drives, upcoming changes to your services, reduced or altered hours, and patient feedback.
  2. SEO, Location, and Key Words: A blog service that is tailored to local SEO strategies can prioritize keywords, locations, and a proper digital pathway for visibility. While it’s true that the blog post as a whole might not be scanned for details, the pages within it provide more pages of content filled with those attractive key terms that search engines like to prioritize. The more pages like this on your site, the more likely you are to provide online visibility for your practice.
  3. Google Index: This leads neatly into our next point; the Google Index is a tool that any and all dental teams must take advantage of. The company itself describes the index as a solution for the internet’s “ever-growing library, with billions of books and no central filing system.” It works just like a real index in a book, providing a list of websites for Google to add to their search engine. The algorithm sends out “crawler bots” to scan your website for new, fresh, original content. If they find any, the bots will index those unique pages and store the information at Google, which then prioritizes them in search results. A blog is a perfect way to keep fresh content regularly appearing on the site. Unlike the rest of your pages, which must remain somewhat static so that patients can have a consistent perspective on your services, a blog can provide new content every week!
  4. Variety: Blogs can cover sections of your marketing effort that have not received as much attention or funding. If your practice specializes on implant dentistry, but has just received new technology for teeth whitening, you can use a blog to immediately begin adding content regarding your new service. The possibilities are endless, and regularly scheduled blog posts can enable you to add new elements to your existing campaign without needing to restructure and retool your core goals.

But the one of the most important ways in which keeping an up-to-date blog can help you is the opportunity to establish your website and practice’s authority.

Website Authority vs Website Visibility

There are two general types of blog posts you can include on your page.

Firstly, there’s what we like to call an “SEO Blog Post.” This is a customized blog post that deals with a regional service and primarily uses local SEO to concentrate key words and locations in one place on your site. Locations are often included in the title and text, so that our Local Listings department can keep track of their traction and visibility. This kind of post is primarily used as a tool for fostering search indexing, as mentioned previously. It can help your visibility.

The second kind of post is what we call a “Site Authority Blog Post.” This sort of post often forgoes local SEO in order to provide truly authentic material. They cover raw medical and dental knowledge and can be used to establish a sense of trustworthiness in your status as an industry leader. However, it can be difficult to provide original content on subjects that have already been studied for years. Considering there’s an ocean of websites out there, crawling with bots, this can also mean that reaching a non-local audience is too daunting to consider.

So, while this sort of post has the potential to be the most beneficial, you must make sure that the text is fresh, new, and somehow different from anything else on the web. Examples include: new technologies, research, the medical background of the dentist and their team, and any unique ethos, mission, or angle your practice uses to differentiate itself from others.

At ProspectaMarketing, we can help you establish website authority and visibility through original website copy and custom blog content. We are an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

What is Patient Attrition and How Do I Avoid It?

February 14, 2022
Dental marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Happy,African,American,Dentist,In,OfficeAccording to a study by the dental care company Henry Schein®, dental practices lose 17 percent of their active patients each year. As a leader of your practice, how are you supposed to ensure that your patients continue to pick you for their dental needs?

In marketing, this potential loss of patients is referred to as patient attrition, and it is a problem all businesses have to deal with. But when it comes to an area like dentistry, which can be subject to sudden insurance policy changes that are outside your control, dentists must rely on online marketing tools in order to keep patients returning.

How To Mitigate Patient Attrition

Let’s start with the cold, hard truth. In an environment where external changes are common, some patient attrition is unavoidable. However, by using some of these handy tips, you can mitigate the problem and ensure that your dental practice has a constant influx of satisfied patients.

  • Online Marketing: As obvious as it sounds, practices that have little or no online presence are less likely to retain patients. If a person is looking to follow-up on dental care and finds it difficult to access their records online, receive updates about closures on social media, or request appointments on their dental practice’s website, they will likely search for a more tech-friendly replacement. In this day and age, social media has become customer service, and it starts before your patients even call! Make sure to keep your website and social media accurately updated with your current policies and services.
  • SEO: We harp on it a lot, but Search Engine Optimization is absolutely key for any practice trying to retain patients. In an ocean of Google search results, using an app like Google SEO can help your listings rank higher on searches. According to a recent study on appointment reminders, text messages and e-mail are increasingly ineffective ways to keep patients updated. The reality is that most people leave their texts and e-mails unopened, especially when they contain obviously standardized messages. A good SEO strategy not only attracts new patients, but helps old patients find your site again if, like many people, they don’t respond to standard reminders.
  • Online Reviews: Patient feedback is your friend! Make sure to publicize your online reviews on an easy-to-access section of your website. 67% of people will consider leaving a review for a positive experience. This means that satisfied, responsive patients are walking marketing tools for your practice.
  • Give Your Marketing Effort Time: If you’ve recently launched an updated website or retooled your digital marketing in any way, giving your new approach time to work for you is important. Marketing efforts can snowball and pulling the rug out from under your new strategy in order to retool it too frequently can erode patient trust. Make sure to put forward a consistent, informative marketing aesthetic in order to avoid attrition.
  • Reach Out: The quest for patient retention does not start or end at the office door. Use all available messaging services, including text and direct mail, to thank patients for their visit, remind them of any additional appointments, and follow up on their dental health. Make sure to use original, or original-sounding messages to come off warm and approachable. Avoid generic text like the plague. Some patients might not read it! But the ones that do will feel a personal connection to their dental practice.

Whether you are thinking of kickstarting a successful marketing campaign, or want to improve your pre-existing marketing efforts, ProspectaMarketing can help you attract and keep new patients so that your practice can continue to grow! We are an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Use Local SEO To Your Advantage!

January 17, 2022
Dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Gorgeous,Male,Doctor,At,The,OfficeDental practices with a strong local SEO strategy are well-positioned to bring new patients into their offices. How is that, you may ask? With local SEO you become more visible to people in your town who are looking for the services that you provide.

SEO stands for search engine optimization. If the term is new to you, it’s a way of designing your website to attract search engines, and thus rank high in Internet search results. Local SEO refines the strategy by targeting the people in your geographic area who are probably already searching for nearby dental services.

Indispensable

Even if you don’t know much about local SEO, you have probably seen what it can do. It’s how local businesses, like dental offices, show up on the first page of Google search results. Their listing includes essential information, like the name of the practice, its phone number and business hours, and its location – usually pinpointed on a map.

This is the power of local SEO. We don’t just search for services like dentists. More and more, search terms are localized with words like dentist near me, or dentist in my town.

  • Nearly half of all Google’s 3.5 billion daily searches are local.
  • 36.4% of websites at the top of search page results are visited by the searcher.
  • 90% of consumers use the Internet to find services in their area.

Even the devices people use for searches matter. 57% of people under thirty-five, and 53% between thirty-five and fifty-four, say they use a mobile device for at least half of all their searches. (For more on this, see our recent post on the growing importance of smartphones.)

If you have a good local SEO strategy, then the people who need what you have to offer can find you, quickly and easily. ProspectaMarketing can help you take full advantage of local SEO. We are an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Optimize For Mobile!

January 3, 2022
internet dental marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Websites

Smiling,Afro,American,Woman,Enjoying,Using,Smartphone,Application,Reading,PositiveIt seems like almost everything we do these days can be done on a smartphone. From ordering a pizza to scheduling a dental checkup, if you can do it online you can do it with your phone. Along with tablets, these mobile devices now outnumber personal computers more than two-to-one. For more and more people, they’ve become the primary way of getting on the Internet.

That means your dental website must be optimized for mobile. “Optimized for mobile” means your site is not only designed for the smaller devices people are using, but also that it performs they way they expect it to. Performance is critical: did you know most people will leave a website after a mere three seconds, if it fails to load?

That’s a really small window, so your site has to be ready for it.

Smart Phone Stats

Smartphones as we know them today have been around since 2007, when we got our first look at the iPhone. With high-definition touchscreens and there’s-an-app-for-that technology, they were instant gamechangers.

Just consider:

  • 97% of U.S. citizens own a smartphone; ownership cuts across most demographics.
  • 47% say they couldn’t live without their devices.
  • 15% of American adults are “smartphone only,” in terms of Internet use.
  • 80.63% of the population worldwide own a smartphone.

By 2025, the number of smartphones in the United States alone is expected to reach 311.5 million!

Mobile First

Google recognizes this increase in mobile use, of course. For the last few years they’ve been moving forward with a “mobile first” policy, which prioritizes the mobile version of a webpage in search results. The search engine giant gave us a reprieve toward the end of 2021 by announcing they are no longer setting a firm date for mobile first. The deadline has already been pushed back a couple of times, because so many sites weren’t ready yet.

But it’s only a matter of time. Google may have dropped its deadline, but mobile first is clearly the future. Your dental website must be ready! Need help? ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

How Does Your Website Rank?

December 15, 2021
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Portrait,Of,Dental,Nurse,With,Dentist,Examining,Patient,In,BackgroundEveryone knows you can find out almost anything by searching the Internet. But did you know that nearly half of all Google searches that people make are for goods and services in their area, like dentists? These are called local searches, and it’s something that any dental practice can take advantage of to bring in new patients.

When someone searches the Internet for a nearby dentist, Google’s algorithm interprets the search terms to determine what practices are most relevant. The search results are ranked on the user’s search results page.

Rank Higher!

What does that mean to a dentist, in practical terms? With a strategy called search engine optimization, or SEO, a practice’s website can influence search results so it ranks higher, thus attracting more attention and driving more traffic to the site.

There are experts who keep track of search engine statistics, and their findings are revealing:

  • 92% of people say most of what they learn about nearby dentists and other businesses comes from the Internet.
  • 72% of those who do a local search visit a place they find, when that place is within five miles of home.
  • Searches that include terms like “near me” have grown by more than 900% in the last few years.
  • 92% of Internet searchers choose local businesses that are on the first page of local search results, and 70% of them go to a physical location.
  • 72% of computer users and 67% of of mobile phone users want online advertising tailored to their town or zip code.

The trick is to use SEO effectively. It’s an inexact science, in no small part because Google is constantly updating its algorithm. Fortunately there are experts in the field. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Dentists: Can Google Find You?

November 1, 2021
internet dental marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Portrait,Of,Dental,Nurse,In,Dentists,SurgeryEveryone uses search engines to find things on the Internet, and that includes finding dentists. A staggering 3.5 billion Google searches are done every single day! When someone is looking for a dentist, where your practice ranks makes all the difference.

“Ranking” refers where you show up on search results pages. The higher you rank, the better. Appearing on the first page of search results is best of all; it increases traffic to your practice website. Studies show that only fifteen percent of users go on to the second results page, and after that – well, it really drops off. You probably know this from personal experience.

Google and SEO

The way users find you is influenced by a process called search engine optimization, or SEO. It means that website content is designed and written in a way that attracts the search engines.

While being on the first page of search results is ideal, best of all is making it to the very top position.

  • The first organic result has a click-through rate greater than twenty-five percent.
  • The top spot gets thirty-three percent of clicks.

Influencing search results with SEO is a specialized process that includes:

  • Keywords: specific terms and phrases users search for, like “teeth whitening.”
  • Strategically placing keywords. They should be in titles, subheads, within URLs, and elsewhere.
  • Great content. Site visitors are looking for your expertise, so this is very influential. Your content should include keywords, of course – though not to excess.
  • Fresh content. Search engines know how old content is, and newer is better. Content should be updated regularly.
  • Making your site user-friendly. A positive user experience on your site – by making it pleasing to look at, easy to navigate, and providing what visitors are looking for – is paramount.

Reaching that coveted first page of search results is easier said than done, but expert help is available. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Is It Time to Update Your Website?

September 1, 2021
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Websites

Portrait,Of,Dentist,Standing,With,Arms,Crossed,In,ClinicIs it time to update your dental website? If it’s been a couple of years since the last time you did, the answer is probably yes.

Updating a website can take a lot of work, and it’s easy to put it off. But there are some very good reasons why you should make regular improvements. The best one may be that the vast majority of consumers – some ninety percent – use a search engine to find dentists and other local businesses. If your site is outdated it will affect how your practice is ranked in all-important search engine results.

Get New Patients

There’s a not-very-old saying: your website is your best salesperson. It’s the first point of contact for potential new patients, who use it to find the information they want to know: your services, your location, your office hours, and how to contact you.

It’s critical to keep all of the information on your website up-to-date so that it tells visitors what they want, and converts them into new patients. But there are other reasons for regular site updating:

  • Outdated technology. The way we access the Internet keeps changing. Google is now mobile-first: that is, the search engine giant uses the mobile version of site content to index and rank them. Voice activation isn’t far behind!
  • Increase site traffic. Your website gets traffic when users can find it. A site’s content is “optimized” to attract the search engines, a process called search engine optimization (SEO). Google alone regularly updates its search algorithms, so SEO needs regular updating, too.
  • Consistency. If one page on your site looks different from another, it not only looks strange: visitors may find it confusing. Yet it’s surprisingly common for design inconsistencies, like different menus, to crop up as websites grow and change. Redesigns can correct them.
  • Stay current! This may seem trivial, but it isn’t. The appearance of websites across the board follow styles and trends, like anything else. Your site visitors will notice. You’re much better off looking modern.

Waiting too long to update your dental website can impact your practice’s bottom line. ProspectaMarketing is an Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

More Common Than The Toothbrush

June 1, 2021
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Relaxed,Mature,Old,60s,Woman,,Older,Middle,Aged,Female,CustomerIt’s been two years since Google introduced its “mobile-first” policy. Since that time the trend toward smartphones and tablets as the preferred means of Internet access has only increased. Everyone has a smartphone now. Some trend-watchers say they more common than toothbrushes!

“Mobile first” means that when users search for something, Google first  evaluates the mobile version of a website for indexing and ranking search results.

If your site isn’t mobile-ready you are at a competitive disadvantage. It may look great on your laptop, but Google may not find it. You end up missing out on a huge pool of potential new patients.

Are You Mobile-Ready?

You may have heard that some web designs work well across the board: laptops, desktops, and smartphones. To a certain extent that is true. But the best approach is to make sure that everything on your site, from design to content, is optimized for mobile devices.

If you haven’t optimized your dental site for mobile, don’t put it off another day. ProspectaMarketing can help. We are an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Dental Marketing: Millions On The Move

March 15, 2021
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

627946913 edit 1Did you know that more than thirty million Americans relocate each and every year? It’s true – and it only takes a little imagination to realize what that means. Each year, millions of people are living in a new town and trying to find a new dentist.

Marketing your dental practice via the Internet enables you to get their attention.

Dental marketing means putting the name of your practice before the public. In the Internet age, it involves influencing search engines and using social media platforms.

Local Searches

Virtually everyone is on the Internet now, and virtually everyone searches for consumer goods and services. Google alone processes more than 3.5 billion searches every day!

Digital marketing puts the name of your dental practice before a large pool of potential new patients, and in a way that:

  • Is easy for users to find
  • Makes it simple for people to contact your office
  • Describes all that you have to offer
  • Presents a positive image
  • and more!

When people look for health care professionals like dentists, they usually include search terms like “dentist near me,” or the name of their city. In other words, they localize their search terms. By optimizing your practice website for local search, you can use this to your advantage.

Local search isn’t much different than ordinary Internet searches. The difference is in the keywords, links, and other content used to attract Google; it all has a local emphasis. That is how people who live in your town, and maybe just moved there, are going to find you.

There are a lot of dentists out there, and millions of people are on the move. Digitally marketing your practice helps you stand out from the crown. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

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