Archive for December, 2009

PatientPortal Launch Phase Explained

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

When broken down into its most basic elements, a PatientPortal includes a Website, a proven Internet marketing campaign, and an unrivaled team of customer support staff and personnel.  For this post we will be examining how the launch process makes a PatientPortal unique from all other dental websites.

PatientScout begins working on Internet marketing even before there is a dentist to work with.  We accomplish this by simply launching a Website in your town.  The purpose of this is not necessarily to achieve “page-1 rankings,” but rather to begin the process of associating a website URL with both dental related terms and a geographic location.  This process would take up to a few months, whether there was a dentist on the site or not, so by beginning this process PatientScout is in a sense “taking the hit,” meaning we eat the losses so you don’t have to experience the least productive period of the website’s lifecycle.

After the launch, the PatientPortal is ready to be leased to one of our dentists.  We take the website and customize it for his or her practice based on procedures and specialties the dentist wishes to highlight.  This customization also includes additional elements like dentist and staff biography and pictures, smile gallery of work performed, patient testimonials, etc.

Once the personalization has been completed the Website is then “reintroduced” to the search engines, meaning that we submit it to be re-scanned for vital information.  The search engines will notice the key features (that were previously absent) such as your name, your address, practice name, etc.

As this is happening, the search engines are also checking other sources to verify that your business data is correct.  These are called content partners and are made up of large, often directory or review style sites such as Yelp, Superpages, CityPages, YellowPages, etc.

Incorrect business data on these content partner sites can be detrimental to an SEO campaign because extremely mixed messages are being sent to the search engines.  This may result in duplicate listings, partially correct data, or completely incorrect data.  PatientScout “cleans up” this data by going to the originating sources, the ones that even the content partners are using to get their data.  These are the large data companies like infoUSA, Acxiom, Hoovers, etc.  We re-submit your data to these sources, which in turn is picked up by the content partners (review sites and directories) who fix their own incorrect listings.  When Google and other search engines crawl these sites and see multiple listings across multiple directories with the same data, it sends a very clear and message that this is in fact a dentist’s website, and will also give the portal more credibility in the local marketplace, meaning the keyword rankings for dentistry related terms will begin to improve.

Long Tail vs. Short Tail SEO

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
One incredibly important aspect to understand about internet marketing, especially as it applies to dentists, is the difference between “long tail” and “short tail” keywords.
The basic concept is that an internet search containing more adjectives (describers and modifiers) results in a much more targeted and qualified visitor.
In dentistry, the traditional way to target keywords is by using the old formula of occupation and location, meaning the term most targeted is typically ‘YourCity Dentist.’
But any webmaster who evaluates search trends will tell you that while those top terms do bring in more traffic than any other single keyword, MOST of the site’s traffic is generated from the many long keyword combinations that only receive a few hits a month.
That’s because people who are looking to improve their smile cosmetically, those who have a broken tooth or restoration, or those who are looking up symptoms are not just searching for YourCity dentist, they are doing research and searching very specific, very long keyword strains like ‘dentist in YourCity who can fix a broken bridge.’
So if we know that long tail keywords account for more traffic than those “top earners”, how is it that they are actually more valuable as well?  Well this can be understood, and is especially applicable to dentistry, because long tail terms produce traffic that can be assigned a quantified value.
Think about the difference in what a patient might spend after searching ‘YourCity dentist’ (which could be any procedure), and one who typed in ‘dental implants in YourCity’.
Undoubtedly, a dental implant case is much more valuable than just an ordinary dentist search.
Specifically targeting long tail terms based off procedures and services you offer is an easy way to generate much more traffic to your site, and is also the most powerful way to make sure that traffic is targeted and qualified.
PatientScout has made long tail optimization for dentists easier than ever before, and in fact there is likely a PatientPortal in your location that already ranks for hundreds of these terms.  When you lease a PatientPortal these terms are then customized to your practice and all leads generated are diverted to your office.  Contact PatientScout today for more information on leasing a PatientPortal in your location.

One incredibly important aspect to understand about internet marketing, especially as it applies to dentists, is the difference between ‘long tail’ and ’short tail’ keywords.

The basic concept is that an internet search containing more adjectives (describers and modifiers) results in a much more targeted and qualified visitor.

In dentistry, the traditional way to target keywords is by using the old formula of occupation and location, meaning the term most targeted is typically ‘YourCity Dentist.’

But any webmaster who evaluates search trends will tell you that while those top terms do bring in more traffic than any other single keyword, MOST of the site’s traffic is generated from the many long keyword combinations that only receive a few hits a month.

That’s because people who are looking to improve their smile cosmetically, those who have a broken tooth or restoration, or those who are looking up symptoms are not just searching for YourCity dentist, they are doing research and searching very specific, very long keyword strains like ‘dentist in YourCity who can fix a broken bridge.’  For example, over a period of 30 days a Vail Dentist had 104 different keywords that resulted in hits to her site, and all but 10 of those were long tail keywords.

So if we know that long tail keywords account for more traffic than those “top earners”, how is it that they are actually more valuable as well?  Well this can be understood, and is especially applicable to dentistry, because long tail terms produce traffic that can be assigned a quantified value.

Think about the difference in what a patient might spend after searching ‘YourCity dentist’ (which could be any procedure), and one who typed in ‘dental implants in YourCity’.

Undoubtedly, a dental implant case is much more valuable than just an ordinary dentist search.

Specifically targeting long tail terms based off procedures and services you offer is an easy way to generate much more traffic to your site, and is also the most powerful way to make sure that traffic is targeted and qualified.

PatientScout has made long tail optimization for dentists easier than ever before, and in fact there is likely a PatientPortal in your location that already ranks for hundreds of these terms.  When you lease a PatientPortal these terms are then customized to your practice and all leads generated are diverted to your office.  Contact PatientScout today for more information on leasing a PatientPortal in your location.

Local Search Maps and Dentists

Monday, December 14th, 2009

In 2008, the major three search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) began displaying a special module atop their search results for searches that included a location, such as “Dentist Windsor, California” or “Santa Rosa Cosmetic Dentist“.  This new feature has since been refined to either 1, 3, or 7-Pack local listings, and have provided a completely new path for potential clients to find local businesses. Take a look below to see what these local listings look like.

“Each month, over half a billion people search Google for a
local product, service, or destination
.” - David Mihm

Google Local Search Results:

Dentist Windsor, CA (Google)

Yahoo Local Search Results:

Dentist Windsor, California (Yahoo)

Local search is proving to be an ever-increasing trend, as consumers looking for business information, hours of operation, photos, videos, or even customer reviews can now find everything they need right at their fingertips.  Having a well optimized map listing can help you stand out against competitors and it can mean the difference between booking that appointment or not.

But the benefits are not simply that you appear in the map, because having a well optimized map listing can translate into improved rankings organically as well. Take a look at the screenshot below and see how Dr. Mitchler has conquered both the local maps and the organic listings for a Dentist in Windsor, California.

Local Maps and Organic Listings

If you want to find out how PatientScout can benefit your dental practice please give us a call today at (888) 342-1492.

Website and Local SEO, A Winning Combination

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Local Search Engine Optimization - Standing Out

In this day and age, a website is a ‘must have’ for businesses if they wish to appear modern and professional, but if your only goal is to have an address to place on office stationary and business cards (there are thousands upon thousands of fine web designers who can do just that), then you are really missing out on the most valuable function of a website–marketing. Using a website’s ability to actively reach target clients and generate new business is seen by the nation’s top marketers as the most cost effective form of advertising*. (Forbes 2009 Ad Effectiveness Survey) This is especially true for dentists, as just a single new patient can be worth thousands on the first visit and tens of thousands over their lifetime. Furthermore, as dental related searches continue to increase month to month this is one of, if not the fastest growing segments from which new patients are found. The key for dentists is to capture these searches, making sure prospective patient find YOU when they go online to find a dentist in their area.

A website without local search engine optimization is like a department store without doors, windows, or even a sign–potential customers may know you’re there and they may be looking, but they’ll never find you. To gain this visibility, a website must be paired with a sound internet marketing strategy, meaning a thought out campaign to target relevant keywords in your area, and a continued effort to increase these rankings. This is where PatientScout’s PatientPortal comes into play, because we have made this process easier and more affordable than ever before. We have already started the campaign and are simply waiting for you to join us! A beautiful website (portal) is already running and generating new dental patient leads in YOUR area. These portals (once you lease one) are customized to your practice to include biographies of you and your staff, smile gallery to showcase your work, testimonials to show prospective patients, and a whole slough of general information to better inform internet searchers about your dental practice. A PatientPortal’s features don’t end there, we also syndicate your practice’s information across hundreds of industry related websites and geodirectories to build a strong link campaign, raising your website in the rankings and map listings.

We have taken the guess work and cost out of dental internet marketing and made it obtainable for any sized practice. Our PatientPortals include:

Until now building a Website was a complex enough task but to add an internet marketing campaign onto that would usually make it an expensive nightmare. PatientScout’s PatientPortals have a head start on your competition since they are:

  • Already established in your area
  • Ranked on popular search engines for local search terms pertaining to your business
  • Visible, so you can see the site before you lease it
  • Guaranteed to bring you new patients or the next month is FREE