Marcus Pitts, Owner – Royal Palm Marketing
Jay Elliott, D.D.S. is a dentist in the 4th largest media market in the country (Houston, TX). He’s a client of mine, and he’s at the top of the page if you Google “Dentures Houston,” but believe me, that wasn’t the case when I found him.
When I first met Dr. Elliott, his website was at least a decade out of date. (It’s fine if you want to party like it’s 1999, but when it comes to technology, you need to be a decade ahead, not behind.)
I get it. You’re a D.O. or M.D. You went to medical school and majored in Biology, not HTML and SEO. And if you’re like Dr. Elliott you pulled all those all-nighters so that you could help people.
When I found Dr. Elliott he wasn’t helping nearly as many people as he wanted because no one was able to find him. (Well, no one except me.)
In one year, using some of the following strategies, Dr. Elliott went from barely findable, to ranked No. 1. More patients come through his door as a result of his web presence than all his other marketing efforts combined.
WordPress website
A good first step is creating a WordPress website. Google loves WordPress websites. The code behind WordPress is clean and simple, making it easy for search engines to read and index.
Mobile-friendly responsive design
Web traffic from mobile devices has surpassed that of computers. You must make sure your site is equipped with responsive design functions that look as good on a smartphone as it does on a desktop. If you haven’t heard of responsive design, make sure you find someone who has.
Your website has to incorporate responsive design, so that it looks as good on a desktop as it does on a smartphone. Web traffic from mobile devices has surpassed that of computers. If you haven’t heard of responsive design, make sure you find someone who has.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO helps you get found on the Internet. It boosts the ranking of your website. Higher rank translates into more traffic. More traffic means more new patient appointments.
Results can even be tracked with a special phone number on your site.
Doctors who take advantage of this advice will have the opportunity to help more new patients. Does your online presence project the image you want to portray?
While word of mouth may still be your best source of new patients, you know you need online marketing. If you’ve neglected it in the past, you’re behind many of your competitors.
Creating a solid online presence can increase your bottom line. Everything from website design to social media should be taken into account when implementing your online strategy for maximum impact and ROI.
Consider these important facts:
1. The average American doctor’s name is Googled more than 22 times per month.
2. Over 85% of word-of-mouth referrals now lead to a Google search for the doctor’s name on mobile devices.
3. All of these searches for a doctor’s name display star ratings from sites that patients (rightly or wrongly) trust.
4. Star ratings in Google search results can mean an online appointment or phone call from the patient to book, or what marketers call “Abandonment.” Meaning the patient Googled your name, didn’t see a favorable star rating, and decided to search for another provider.
5. According to a study conducted at Stanford by three graduate students, a one star increase in search results ratings led to a 12.5% increase in annual revenue for small businesses.
If your website can’t be found online, does it really exist?
Studies show that people trust and click organic listings much more than paid listings. SEO employs strategies and tactics to get you found. Simply put, it works to get you on the first page of Google and then keep you there. This allows you to generate new patients at their time of need.
Are you engaging patients on social media?
Social media is no longer an extra or an add-on when it comes to marketing your practice. Patients expect to find you there. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are vital to your online presence. A robust social media strategy can also benefit SEO.
Doctors who take advantage of this advice will have the opportunity to help more new patients. Does your online presence project the image you want to portray?
About the author
Marcus Pitts has worked with hundreds of the best doctors from all over the U.S. Whatever you are currently doing, can almost always be done better. His marketing is about getting results. If you want new patients – call him now, before your competitors do.