Your dental website rank is horrible. In fact, you can’t find your site on Google at all.

The problem could stem from a few different issues. Here’s a rundown on the common problems with dental website optimization and how to resolve them.

First of all, make sure that you’re conducting your search properly.

  1. Google’s Intuitive Search: Usually, a website is actually ranking, but because of Google’s intuitive search, you won’t see your own site pop up in search results. It’s kind of scary and very Big Brother, but Google knows what you’ve seen in search results, as well as what you’ve searched for and which websites you’ve visited. It will automatically filter in websites you’ve not visited before. So, if you’ve looked at your own website many times, which I hope you have, Google knows that you’re familiar with that site, and your search will turn up NEW results. This makes sense if you’re shopping for an auto mechanic, but not if you’re conducting marketing research.

The work-around is opening an Incognito Page, in Chrome. Here’s how.

  1. Looking for the Wrong Keywords: If you type in your name or practice name into Google Search, you’ll find your site. However, if you search for keywords, you may not see your site in the first few search engine results pages (SERPs, for short). Before you conduct a random search, create a list of target keywords and phrases.

For instance, if you want to do more Invisalign cases, consider which keywords your target patient might use in search to find an Invisalign dentist. Those should be the terms you type into Google Search (using in an Incognito tab). A search for your city name with the word “dentist” probably has very high competition, particularly in metropolitan areas.
Do you really want ALL patients to come to your office? No. Sure, you might accept them all as patients, but the truth is, you have an ideal patient – it’s probably the one who pays cash, prioritizes his/her oral health and appearance, and does not cancel appointments. Define your target patient and the services he/she needs, then brainstorm keywords and keyword phrases.

At that point, you can conduct a search (using an Incognito tab) and see results that can guide future marketing efforts.

If your site does not show up when you search for the targeted keywords, using an Incognito tab, we can assume that your site has a ranking problem that needs to be addressed. Here are the 10 most common issues I see keeping dentists’ websites from ranking on page one.

  1. Duplicate text – the text was taken from another website, usually another dentist’s site or a manufacturer’s site
  2. Lack of good content – the text has common information, does not provide anything unique about the dental office, and is mundane at best
  3. Lack of image tags – images, including photos, illustrations, and diagrams, do not have proper tags for good searchability
  4. Lack of keyword-rich headings – headings, which have greater weight in search than body content, do not contain keywords
  5. Overuse of keywords – the keyword is used too many times in the page content
  6. Not enough content on a page – Google likes 550+ words per page, and the closer to 800 the better
  7. Not enough pages of content on a target topic – in areas where competition is high, you may need an entire section of your site dedicated to a particular service (Invisalign: what is it, what to expect, cost of, challenges, benefits, doctor’s training, etc.)
  8. No blog to support website pages – Matt Cutts, a Google guru, said a few years ago that every business needs a blog, and when you blog regularly, your site will rank better; I’ve seen this truth proved in ROI research
  9. No internal links on pages, to support other pages – this is a standard SEO tactic that should be implemented on every page of a website
  10. Videos are not published on YouTube with an indexable script – many people are not aware of the power a video can have in search when it is properly published and supported by text

Website Assessment

You can see from reading this article, I have some experience with dental websites and online marketing. It’s true. I’ve been in this niche for over a decade, and every day I’m working with dentists to make sure their websites have what it takes to rank well in Google Search. I invite you to call me so that we can review your website together. If you like what I have to share, I’ll conduct a thorough website review and provide you with a list of items that need to be addressed. From there, we can work together to make sure your site ranks high and wide, so you can see an increase in patients with the New Year!

Call Identiwrite Creative at 940-395-5115 and talk to me, Shauna Duty.

Or, you can email me at [email protected].

Be sure to visit www.identiwrite.com to sign up for our monthly newsletter, which is packed full of tips for online marketing and improving service within the dental office.

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