Should I susbscribe to web directories like Yell etc?
What benefit do I get from paid subscription to Yell and other online directories? Will this generate new patient enquiries?
This is a question we are often asked and one which has a fairly clear answer – “no!” The rates charged for “premium” listings in web directories run by Yell and similar are generally quite high and frankly offer very poor value. Much better ROI can be had by directing these resources to alternative, proven dental marketing methods like professional SEO to improve your natural position in Google. So why are we so sure that such subscriptions are of limited value…..?
Analytics
The answer to this lies in the use of Google Anlaytics and in particular the option that shows where your website traffic originates – amongst other things, these referral statistics show where a user clicked on a link on another website, for example a directory listing. Google Analytics shows this type of data in detail and its easy to see where your referrers are generating good traffic and where they don’t.
We manage lots of SEO campaigns for dentists and have access to many Analytics accounts, a number where clients have historically signed up to contracts with the likes of Yell and other online directories. Almost without exception, the referrer stats indicate that very few visitors actually arrive at the client’s website as a result of a click-through from the directory; very often just 2 or 3% of the total traffic to the site. If you then go on to look at how this tiny amount of traffic “converts” i.e. generates a direct contact with the practice, then the number is very low indeed.
The alternative
Rather than waste hundreds of pounds on these types of overpriced paid listings, its far more beneficial to direct funds towards alternative means of marketing your dental practice – here are just a few examples:
- professional SEO – get your website optimised for a better showing in Google; start with an overhaul of the website content and underlying code and then consider ongoing monthly link-building to improve rankings.
- build a practice blog and invest in some training to get your blogging efforts underway – this is now essential for supporting and improving your position in Google.
- crank up your social media efforts – get some assistance to help set up your accounts and some training on the best ways to use social media to help build your brand and engage with clients
- build a mobile website to capture the growing quantity of traffic from hand-held devices (currently > 20%)
Those are just a few of the key elements making up an effective web marketing strategy and which deliver *much* better ROI than expensive submissions to business directories.
Just before we consign business directories to the trash, there is one very important area where they are very useful – SEO. Submission to local directories is a proven method to help gain prominence in the local search results that Google places on page one. The key is that many of them can be subscribed to either free of charge or at very low cost; way more worthwhile than paying hundreds of pounds for a listing that promises clicks but in reality delivers very little for your dental marketing campaign.
If you would like us to analyse your website traffic to determine if you are getting value for money for your online advertising spend, please call us on 01332 672548 and we’ll be pleased to assist.