Google – “Back-links Are Less Important For SEO”

What makes a dental website rank well in 2023 and beyond?

It’s long been considered that the most powerful factor for getting top Google ranking for a website is the number and quality of the back-links pointed at it from third-party websites. Indeed not so long ago, even websites with poor quality content could be ranked well by compensating with back-links, a process known as “off-site” SEO.

However, things have changed considerably in the world of Google ranking and lots of new factors are coming into play as we’ll discuss shortly. Perhaps one of the most startling revelations was revealed recently during an official Google webinar when one of their employees noted that back-links are increasingly less important for determining rankings.

He went on to say that other factors are starting to take precedence and that a website needs to be good all round to reach those coveted top positions in the Google search index. True to form, Google didn’t elaborate on the extent of these changes and just how much the relative power of back-links had diminished. Equally they did not quantify the other elements needed for great search rankings; however, we can be fairly sure of those elements which make the most difference.

Let’s take a closer look at those features we expect to help dental websites rank really well in Google in 2023 and beyond. If you’re having a new website built or perhaps upgrading an existing website, it makes sense to build these elements into the development road-map.

Excellent, engaging information

Google has said on many occasions that if a website works well for users, then it will most likely work well in Google too. Google has many tools at its disposal to identify high-performing websites and the ones that engage users will be recognised and rewarded with better search positions.

Google also advises that those websites which answer user’s questions most effectively will be seen as most relevant and hoisted to the top search engine positions. This makes absolute sense if you think about the whole rationale for Google – you search for answers to your questions and (usually) the best sources of information are returned to you in the results pages.

So when you are creating the content for your new dental website, or upgrading an existing one, make sure that the quality is excellent and that it clearly answers the questions most likely to be asked by your users.

Don’t skimp on content! Whilst some may advocate “minimalism” as the best way to keep users happy, this doesn’t necessarily work very well for Google. If your website is to appear authoritative and hence useful, it must have good quality information and in sufficient depth. A skilled website designer will be able to get the balance just right.

Appealing visuals

The use of high-quality visuals is extremely important as this will encourage users to stay on the website and explore your information further. Where possible, try to use personalised images as these are much more appealing. There are too many websites which simply rely on flashy stock photography and they all look pretty similar don’t they?

People really appreciate seeing real images of where they are going and the team they will be meeting, so rather than spending £9 or £10k with an over-hyped website company, look for more cost-effective options. You can still get a first-rate dentists’s website and have plenty of budget left to invest in high-quality bespoke photography and video – potential new patients will appreciate it and your website will perform much better too.

Whilst we’re discussing visuals, it pays to mention video. Folk really do appreciate video on websites and whilst it does mean more investment, it works well to enhance overall performance and helps to convince casual browsers to make meaningful enquiries. Video has been a real performance enhancer for several years and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

Testimonial and review snippets

There is nothing like a patient review and/or testimonial to help users decide that you are the dentist they want to use. It’s easy to blow your own trumpet but folk are very savvy and want to see third-parties vouch for you before they make their decision.

Fortunately there are now a number of tools which can be used to make those features as accessible and easy to implement as possible, typically costing just a few pounds per month to subscribe. They work by aggregating your business reviews on Google and other third party websites and then collating these for display on your own site via a plugin or widget. Your web developer will be able to help you implement this and display the content in prominent locations throughout your website.

Technical excellence

Google has been pushing website owners increasingly hard to make sure that their websites are not just aesthetically pleasing and useful, but technically excellent too. They now give ranking advantages to those websites which work very well from a technical perspective; from how fast the pages load to the way in which the information is displayed. You can also get penalised if your website has intrusive pop-ups or other features which detract from the user experience.

Sadly, too many web design companies are still firmly stuck in the “form over function” zone and completely neglect technical performance. The site owner only realises when, several months down the track, the site is not ranking well and the poor implementation of the technical under-pinning becomes apparent.

Off-site SEO

Whilst the importance of back-links for SEO is diminishing, for sure it hasn’t gone away completely. Those sites which rank well typically still have a strong back-link profile so we can’t discount the power of links just yet.

Other off-site factors also play a major role, for example the number and quality of the reviews on your Google Business Profile, particularly important for ranking in the local/map results and now also appearing to correlate with strong organic rankings.

Summary

The landscape of search engine optimisation continues to change and what you need to do now to rank your dental website prominently, is considerably different to just a few years ago. Whilst we cannot yet ignore the power of back-links, it is apparent that they are not quite as relevant as they once were and that other factors related to the on-site quality of a website are starting to take precedence.

What is certain is that you still need to concentrate on both elements, both on and off-site optimisation techniques, and adjust what you do in line with the ever-changing guidance from Google.

Please also keep in mind that your practice website is not a fire-and-forget project and it will take time and effort to keep it in great shape and ranking prominently.

If you would like more advice or perhaps a complimentary audit of your own website, please get in touch with the website optimisation team at Dental Media on 01332 672548.