by AdminPosted on Posted in social

A single administration interface to improve efficiency

In a recent blog post we discussed how dental practices who use social media most effectively, tend to have at least some involvement with the process. This is often a team effort whereby Dental Media assist with the technical infrastructure, some posting and support whilst the practice staff complement this with practice orientated material. It is these personalised posts that are proven to be the most effective for empathising with, and engaging, clients.

Whenever any new systems and procedures are introduced into an organisation, it’s vitally important to ensure that everything is planned to be as efficient as possible – this is equally the case for your dental social media activity. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are the recommended baseline social channels and whilst these can all be managed via their own interfaces, there are tools available which allow you to manage all three (and more), extremely effectively through a single interface. The tool we recommend for this is called ‘HootSuite’.

using HootSuite to manage social media for dentists

HootSuite – an overview

(more…)

by AdminPosted on Posted in Financial

Here’s why not….

One of the reasons why more and more dentists are transferring to Dental Media is that we don’t insist on monthly maintenance contracts for their websites. Unless your needs are extremely complex, your website can be looked after perfectly well on a pay-as-you-go plan and at a significantly lower cost when compared to an expensive, and unnecessary, monthly service contract.

It’s worth remembering that the companies who push such plans probably have substantial infrastructure costs to cover and need your cash to survive. Surprisingly, lots of dentists fork out for the monthly fee even when they are having little work done on the website. Some even tell us that they paid for years and had nothing done. All rather illogical and of course, there is a far more cost-effective way.

In this article we will look at some of the reasons given by design agencies when trying to up-sell monthly support to a dentist. We also look at the real reasons to show why you don’t need to fork out. Please read on and prepare to save some money….

(more…)

by AdminPosted on Posted in seo

What is it and why is it beneficial?

In this blog article we take a quick look at a feature which Google has made available to web authors to help identify their work on the internet and particularly, where it is referenced in search results. This feature is known as “authorship”, indicated by a small image of the author which shows on Google’s results pages. You may have come across it already and wondered what it’s all about? If so, then please read on….

(more…)

by AdminPosted on Posted in social

Getting active on social media without using impersonal, outsourced services.

Getting your dental practice moving with social mediaThe advantages from using social media for client engagement and to assist search engine optimisation (SEO) have been documented many times and there is no need to re-iterate that here.

However, as with all tools and techniques, there are effective and ineffective ways to manage your social media. This became even more apparent to me yesterday as I conducted a detailed training session for an enthusiastic dental team at an established practice on the border between Leicestershire and Derbyshire.

What became increasingly apparent as we brainstormed ideas for blogs and social media content, was that those practices who undertake at least a portion of the work themselves, are typically far more successful than those who simply outsource it. So why is this?

(more…)

by AdminPosted on Posted in Website

Differentiating your dental practice online

briefing-dental-patientWhilst we may not wish to acknowledge it, there is a tendency for the general public to view dental services as a commodity, with price being the key differentiator.

There used to be a saying which went along the lines of “there are only two things you won’t change in life, your bank and your dentist” but today this is some way off the mark. The vast majority of people are shopping around for services and increasingly, dental services.

Consequently it is incumbent on any practice to examine and implement techniques which will really set them apart from their competition. With patients prepared to travel some distance for non-routine dentistry, this means you could be competing with lots of service providers and not just the guy down the road….

(more…)

by AdminPosted on Posted in seo

Revisiting the basic principles for website optimisation

Common sense optimisation of a dental websiteAs more dental practices develop their online marketing presence, inevitably competition for prominent Google ranking hots up.

This is particularly so in competitive environments e.g. large inner city locations with several practices in close proximity, all vying for new patients and trying hard to market new services.

On the back of all of this, a fairly sophisticated dental marketing industry has evolved, with ‘SEO and Google optimisation’ prominent within the services on offer. The terminology and jargon within the industry can be confusing to the layperson and the cynic in me suggests that this is sometimes used to baffle and up-sell to the inexperienced client. So much so that it’s worth revisiting the basic principles that really do matter for SEO – this way, at least you will have a good working knowledge and access to a reference list when discussing with potential web marketing providers.

(more…)

by AdminPosted on Posted in seo

Optimising a dental website for “long tail” searches

First off, a quick definition of “long tail keywords” – these are typically longer and less common search phrases that cumulatively, make up the bulk of searches for a particular topic. This is possibly best explained by reference to the following graph published courtesy of “Moz” – a highly respected website focused on all things related to search engine optimisation:

A breakdown of search terms by category and quantity

So how does this affect how we look at a dental website when we are optimising for search ranking?

(more…)

by AdminPosted on Posted in Advice

17 frequently asked questions with answers from the Dental Media Blog

If you have a dental practice, you will most probably have a website or at least be looking into getting one set up. Most businesses have a web presence these days no matter how big or small because it will significantly improve their chances of gaining more custom.

There are also other advantages, for example providing a useful source of information and reference point for existing patients.

There are a few points that you must consider when deciding to acquire an “on-line” presence, particularly in that it is important to seek out value-for-money and to avoid the many “up-sold” services you will find on offer. For tips and advice on how to get started and what to do in order to improve your search-visibility and overall quality of your website, read our top 17 frequently asked questions below: please click the link to find out more information!

(more…)

by AdminPosted on Posted in seo

Broadcast quality content to build your web community

It used to be the case that you built your website, published it, gathered a few back-links to promote in Google and job done.

Of course a great website is still the starting point but these days, particularly where competition is fierce, more needs to be done to broadcast your message and promote your services on-line. And this is where “content sharing” comes into play….

How does this work?

(more…)

by AdminPosted on Posted in Advice

Google’s search index is multifaceted – here’s a quick overview

Google-logoWith more and more dental practices developing an online presence and beginning to realise the importance of “Google”, I thought it opportune to compile a quick review of the main components which make up Google’s search index and how they all piece together.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many don’t actually know that the index (or SERPS) is made up of various different types of results; unpaid, paid, maps, local and more. So let’s take a closer look….

(more…)