“The secret of a high-ranking website is not its colours but its content” - Amit Kalantri

Introduction:

Gone are the days of people opening up the Yellow Pages and going down the list of dentists to find one near them that is taking on new patients. Your website's positioning in the results is one of the key determinants to how many people will call you. Over 67% of all search traffice goes to the top 5 websites on the results page. If you're not on page 1, or in the top 10, your site is effectively non-existent.

Here are the top XX things you can do today to improve your website's search ranking, and start getting more patient calls:

1. Make sure your site is fresh

We are in the year 2024 now, your site shouldn't be stuck in 2008. Like good oral hygiene, your site needs regular review, cleaning up of old content, and ensuring that everything continues to work as it should. It is generally recommended to update your site at least monthly (new page, new blog post, etc.), and to review it and do a major refresh every 3-4 years at least. So, if the last time you updated your website was to add COVID-19 information to your site, its probably time to refresh it!

2. Claim your Google Business Profile (and Bing!)

Claiming, or updating your info on Google Business Profile (GBP) tells Google that you're an active business. When you have an accurate information on your GBP or Bing listing, then when someone searchs "Dentist Near Me", you are significantly more likely to rank for such searches. And if you accept emergency after hours calls, this is also a great place to list this.

3. List your site on multiple directories

Once upon a time there was the Yellow Pages. This was the only directory that most businesses cared about making sure they had a listing on. Nowadays, there are multiple online directories, each with their own audience, and each providing you with an opportunity to get listed on. We have list of local, regional and national directories that help increase your business profile, and build backlinks. Remember to ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) is identical across all. The more accurate, and identical, each listing is, sends signals to search engines that you're a strong business that matters.

4. Start a blog

A blog is more than just a web log of your day to day activities. They have become a way to regularly share information and ideas that others might be interested in. Sharing content that is of value to readers is important. Try answering frequently asked questions, or explaining how you approach certain procedures. Its a way for you to open up and share your own ideas, and approaches to your practice. Just make sure you maintain a professional approach, and don't run afoul of the marketing and advertising regulations set up by your provincial association.

5. Get active on social media

Getting a Business Page active on social media, especially in local groups will help to build brand/name recognition for your practice. And, again, the internet is interconnected, so demonstrating that you're an active business across multiple channels will start to send signals that improve your search rank. Social media is also a great place to share your humanity. Share content that matters to you. We often preach the 70-20-10 rule. This means that 70% of your content should be informative content you create, 20% is content that you've found elsewhere that you think others might find interesting, and the final 10% has some sort of sales/marketing message.

6. Improve technical aspects of your website

Nobody likes a slow to load site. If your website isn't fast, intuitive, and useful to potential patients, Google will start to recognize that people don't spend time on your site, and de-rank it. Reduce the size of images and videos. Make sure all of your links work. Clear up any coding clutter on the back end that isn't needed. Make sure your site isn't just mobile-friendly, but ideally is built with a mobile-first approach. Review your H-tags, and ensure that they are probably allocated.

Technical SEO is something that most people don't spend enough time on, nor enough attention to. But it can quickly help your website improve search rankings by delivering a better user experience, as well as stronger signals to search engines about the value of the content.

7. Start link building

When you write content that others find interesting and of value, chances are high that they will want to share it. Earning these links back to your content tells Google, or other search engines, that this content has value, and that it should also share it. As your website grows, and you create more content and earn more backlinks, the inherent value of your website will grow. Its also important to track and monitor the sites linking back to you. The types of sites that link to your site will also influence how Google ranks you. Links from sites such as DentalTown.com, The Globe & Mail, or The New York Times are going to have much more value than "Aunty Sue's Travel Blog".

If you're struggling with your website, feeling overwhelmed about how to manage and maintain it, or realize you haven't updated it a number of years, book a complimentary consultation, and we can give you a quick review of your site, and suggest some ways to support you.

You can schedule a call here, or, send us an email through our contact page.