Jun 22, 2022 | Harris & Ward
The Basics of Google Analytics for Dentists
The number one priority of dentists that own a dental practice is to provide high-quality dental care to those in their surrounding community. Our digital marketing experts understand that in order to achieve this goal, there needs to be traffic driven to the practice’s website.
Increasing your website’s traffic can help increase your domain authority, which allows you to rank higher on search engine results. This may leave you wondering how exactly you can boost your traffic, and hopefully increase your amount of dental patients.
That’s where Google Analytics can help by providing website analytics for dentists. In this article we will introduce you to a data tool that can help you create a strategy for increasing traffic to your site.
What Is Google Analytics for Dentists?
Google Analytics is a data collection tool that can be used to track the performance of your dental practice’s website. This data includes the amount of visitors to your website, along with the amount of time spent on each page. It also collects data on the user visiting the site in order to track the amount of new and returning traffic is being generated.
All of this information and more can then be generated into reports that allow you to gain a better understanding of your online presence. The different report types are as follows:
- Real-Time Reports: This is a live report that shows you the user data from your site during the time you are viewing it. This is a great way to get an overview of your site traffic at any given time.
- Audience Reports: These reports give you insight on the demographics of your website users, including age and location. You can also learn the type of device they are using to view the site. User information like this will help you to cater your web, social, and advertising content to those specific audiences.
- Behavior Reports: This gives valuable insight over how users are interacting with your website, detailing which pages they view and the page they were on when they left the site. This can help you decide which of your website pages has the most engaging content, and determine areas for improvement.
- Acquisition Reports: This report type tells you how your website visitors came across your website. Having this information can aid you in determining your ad spend budget, and if you need to invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services. The acquisition methods include:
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- Organic – by searching on Google or other search engines.
- Paid Ads (CPC) – when a user clicks on a paid “cost per click” ad.
- Referral – a user clicks on a link to your website from another website.
- Social – a user clicks a link from a social media platform.
How Does Google Analytics Benefit Your Dental Practice?
These reports along with other Google Analytics features enable you to analyze and monitor your website data and give you the means to visualize that information into deliverables you can easily digest. This allows you to take control and create an effective strategy to market your business and continue building an online presence.
No matter the size of your practice, people are using google analytics for businesses large and small.
Implementing Google Analytics for Your Website
In order to get started with Google Analytics, it is important to become familiar with one of their companion tools, Google Tag Manager. This tool works as the link to connect your website to your Google Analytics dashboard.
Within Google Tag Manager you can create an account for your business that holds the tags for your website within a container. For each container, a unique set of code is created (referred to as GTM code). When the container tags are properly set up with your Google Analytics properties and your GTM code is added to the backend of your website, you will then be able to start collecting data for your site.
Although the details for this process seem a tad complicated, we can assure you that it is well worth the time and effort. There is nothing more valuable than the opportunity to understand the needs and interests of our customers and patients.
Taking control of your online presence doesn’t just increase your amount of website traffic, but it also improves the overall user experience for those navigating the site.
Experts in Google Analytics and Digital Marketing for Dentists
We understand that your number one priority is providing the best possible dental care to your patients. That can sometimes mean that your experience with digital marketing tools gets left on the back burner. At Harris & Ward, we help dentists just like you remove the burden of digital marketing for your dental practice.
Our team is experienced in SEO for dentists and dental websites. We can even help you set up your own Google Analytics account. Sometimes it can be difficult knowing where to start, but we can guide you along the way.
Your focus should be on building relationships with your current patients and catering to their unique dental needs. That’s why you can trust having our marketing professionals in your corner to help find potential patients to help your practice grow.
Interested in learning more about Google Analytics and the services we have to offer? Don’t hesitate to visit our website for more information on dental marketing.
May 11, 2022 | Search Engine Optimization
About 70% of all online activity begins with a search engine. Unfortunately, most people (75% of search engine users) never check the second page. Without a strong search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, you might not reach clients online.
In order to develop a strong med spa SEO strategy for your business, you first need to learn how to do keyword research. Choosing the right keywords will ensure your med spa business appears in front of ideal clients online. Then, you can start booking more appointments to boost your ROI.
Not sure how to find the best SEO keywords for your med spa’s content strategy? Read on for the tips you need for beautiful SEO today!
Research Your Target Audience
Google looks for content that aligns with the search engine user’s needs. In order to create content your clients want, you need to understand who they are first. Before you can learn how to do keyword research, you first need to gather audience research.
For example, what beauty or health problems are your med spa clients currently facing? How can your services satisfy those pain points?
Understanding their needs, problems, and expectations can help you create high-quality, personalized content. Personalization can help you better appeal to your target audience. Otherwise, you might struggle to connect with consumers through your SEO and content marketing strategies.
In fact, generic content is now considered a turn-off. About 52% of consumers will switch brands if a company fails to personalize communications. Another 74% get annoyed when web content fails to meet their interests.
If you want to attract new clients to your med spa business, you need to understand who your clients are. Consider their:
- Age
- Gender
- Location
- Marital status
- Household income
- Buying behaviors
- Interests
- Hobbies
- Pain points
- Education
- Career
Your clients will likely fall into multiple demographics and psychographics. Consider creating distinct buyer personas as you research your target audience. Creating personas will help you create personalized content for each group.
It will also ensure you find the best SEO keywords based on each group’s distinct needs.
For example, a 21-year-old college student likely has different needs than a 50-year-old man. These two consumers will likely consider different med spa services, too.
Understand the Search Intent
Understanding who your clients are can also help you better understand their search intent. Search intent indicates what the consumer expects to find during an online search. Usually, search intent is:
- Navigational
- Commercial
- Transactional
- Informational
Understanding the user’s intent will help you better understand the keywords they use during a search.
For example, perhaps the consumer wants to learn about your services. Maybe they need answers to their beauty questions. About 8% of all search queries are phrased as questions.
Answering the consumer’s questions can prove you’re able to provide them with the experience and expertise they need. It could also help you rank for featured snippets and voice searches. Featured snippets appear at the top of search engine result pages (SERPs).
Ranking at the top of SERPs can help you experience the benefits of SEO like generating:
- Brand awareness and recognition
- Website traffic
- Brand credibility and authority
- Brand trust and loyalty
- Leads and sales
- A higher ROI
In fact, over 40% of all voice searches come from a featured snippet. About 75% of these search results rank in the top three for a query. Meanwhile, nearly 50% of consumers use voice for general searches.
If your content doesn’t match the user’s search intent, it won’t appear for that search. If a consumer does visit your site and finds the content doesn’t meet their needs, they’ll leave. Your bounce rate will rise, which can hurt your search engine rankings.
Check Out the Competition
You can also find med spa SEO keywords by checking out your competitors. Review their blogs and consider what keywords they’re targeting for each post.
Think about the topics they’re covering and the types of content (blogs, videos, infographics, etc.) they’re creating.
Choose Your Topics
Select three main topics that suit your med spa business or niche. Then, consider what subtopics you can cover within each one.
For example, your med spa might specialize in skin rejuvenation, injectables, and vein treatment.
Under skin rejuvenation, you might focus on chemical peels, skin tightening, and sunspot correction.
Choosing topics and subtopics can help you organize your SEO research as you move forward.
Select Long-Tail Keywords
Once you know what topics you want to cover, you can start finding the best SEO keywords for each category. You can use tools like:
- SEMRush
- Answer the Public
- Moz
- Keyword Planner
- Google Trends
When gathering keywords, look for long-tail keywords (which feature four or more words). Focusing on long-tail keywords can help you better understand the user’s search intent. One-word keywords, on the other hand, are broader.
For example, keywords like “skin” or “beauty” won’t help you determine the user’s search intent. The user might want content about:
- Skincare products
- Beauty magazines
- Foods for beautiful skin
You likely won’t want to appear for these searches. Instead, focus on longer phrases that are relevant to your med spa business.
Choose Secondary Keywords
As you begin selecting primary keywords, consider adding secondary keywords to your list as well. Using the same keyword within a post too often could lead to keyword stuffing. Google might penalize your site as a result.
Instead, look for related keywords (synonyms or related terms) that are relevant to the primary keyword and topic.
Understand Keyword Placement
Once you’ve learned how to do keyword research, you’ll need to learn how to add the primary keyword to your content.
First, let the keyword inform the post. Don’t write a post, then add the keyword in after the fact. Otherwise, the keyword might sound awkward within the context.
Instead, add the primary keyword naturally as you write. It should appear in the:
- URL
- Page title
- Opening and closing paragraphs
- Body text
- SEO title
- SEO meta description
- An H1 header
- Image file name
- Image alt text
If you need help gathering the best SEO keyword for your med spa business, consider working with an experienced agency. They can help you gather research, write content, and optimize your posts.
Keying In: Gather Keyword Research for Your Med Spa SEO Today
If you want to experience the benefits of SEO, you first need to learn how to do keyword research. Use these tips to gather the med spa SEO keywords you need. Then, start writing with your target audience in mind.
Give your med spa business a boost with these tips today.
Need help? Get ready to grow your business!
Contact us to get started.
Mar 3, 2022 | Social Media, Dental Marketing, Search Engine Optimization
Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
With 199,486 dentists working in the dentistry field as of 2018, being competitive to attract more clients is a crucial responsibility of your dental practice. The average retirement age of dentists is increasing, which means more of your competition is sticking around longer.
1. Having a Weak Website
You need a dental website that looks visually pleasing and is functional. If the visuals are outdated, poor quality, or unappealing, potential clients may click away before they get past the first page. Making the website pretty only gets you so far if visitors can’t find the information they’re looking for.
A well-functioning website is one with easy navigation where patients can clearly find the info they want immediately. It also loads quickly and is secure.
Updating your website regularly also helps. If you haven’t changed anything in years, potential clients may wonder if your practice is reliable and current on other things, like dental techniques.
2. Not Understanding Your Target Audience
Who are your typical dental clients? Your marketing strategy should change depending on your target audience, whether you’re a pediatric dentist, orthodontist, or general dental practitioner. If you cater to low-income families, your marketing will look different than a cosmetic dentist targeting wealthier clients.
Fully understanding your target audience helps with your branding, which is the image you create through your graphics, wording, and all other portrayals of your business. Including your branding in your marketing to fit your audience makes it more effective. Your clients respond better to marketing when it appeals to them or addresses their pain points.
Social media connects you with current and potential patients in ways you can’t achieve with a website alone. You interact directly with the people who follow your page, which builds a relationship that makes your dental practice different than the competition.
You can also use social media channels to have your loyal patients spread the word about your dental practice. Seeing engaged followers, likes on your post, and shares of what you post builds a positive image of your dental practice.
Social media also allows for stronger industry relationships and cross-promotional opportunities. If you specialize in pediatric dentistry, you might share information or a post made by a local orthodontist. Building those relationships and sharing referrals can help grow both businesses.
Trying to use all social media platforms takes too much effort and often isn’t effective. Choose social media platforms that match your target audience best to maximize your time. Master one or two platforms to avoid spreading yourself too thin.
4. Ignoring Local Search Potential
Your online presence is only effective if people can find you. Search engine optimization helps people find you through searches. SEO incorporates complex factors, including keyword usage, formatting, and quality of your content.
As a service provider, you want to attract local traffic. Massive web traffic doesn’t help grow your business if visitors aren’t local and won’t use your dental services.
Including local keywords and clearly incorporating contact information into your website helps Google figure out where you’re located. This allows you to show up when people search for local dentists.
5. Failing to Adapt Your Strategies
Dental marketing strategies change frequently. If you stick with the same dental and orthodontic marketing strategies, you’ll get left behind.
Incorporating several different marketing strategies helps broaden your appeal. Content marketing, such as blog with helpful dental information, can draw in more web traffic. Email marketing lets you communicate directly to current patients and prospects.
You don’t have to use every possible strategy, but being open to new options can make your marketing more effective. Working with a marketing company that specializes in helping dental practices can help you stay on top of the latest marketing techniques.
6. Not Managing Your Online Reputation
Word of mouth is changing from telling your neighbor about your experiences to blasting your opinions all over the internet. One unhappy patient can drag your dental practice’s online reputation through the mud. But online reviews also help SEO, which makes your dental practice easier to find.
Your online reputation can affect a potential patient’s decision on using your practice. Statistics show that 90% of people go online to look for reviews on businesses. Online reviews hold as much credibility as personal recommendations for 84% of consumers.
One or two negative reviews may not hurt your reputation too much, but be aware of repeated complaints and negative feedback. Monitoring your online reputation can alert you to issues you need to address in your practice.
Increasing the number of positive reviews you have can help overshadow one or two rogue negative reviewers. Providing the best customer service increases the chances of positive reviews. Don’t be afraid to ask satisfied patients to leave positive reviews for your practice.
If you decide to address negative reviews, keep in mind HIPAA regulations and patient privacy. You can’t reveal any personal information or anything related to the care received. You can post a general response acknowledging the situation, but word it carefully and avoid an emotional response or an escalated argument with the unhappy reviewer.
7. Ignoring Data
Trying all the latest trends in dental marketing doesn’t help your business if you don’t analyze its effectiveness. Not every strategy works the same for every dental practice. Simply using various strategies doesn’t mean you’re implementing them effectively.
Google Analytics helps you see your web traffic to see if your marketing campaigns are working. Looking at the sources of traffic and which pages on your site visitors use can help you focus on the most effective practices and improve those that aren’t as effective.
Effective Dental Marketing
Effective marketing makes your practice more visible with potential clients. When done well, it establishes you as a local expert in the dental field.
But simple marketing mistakes can turn away potential clients or make your practice difficult for prospects to find. Since your area of expertise is dentistry, you may not even realize you’re making common mistakes.
Improve your Digital Marketing Strategy Today
Strong dental marketing keeps your practice competitive and helps you attract new patients. Plan a well-rounded marketing strategy to reach prospects via different avenues. If you’re ready to improve your dental marketing, explore our services for more details of what we offer.
Drive Leads with Paid Search
Digital advertising, such as PPC, can be an excellent way to help your business stand out in a crowded marketplace. Contact us today to discuss how PPC can help small businesses like yours!
Jan 19, 2022 | Search Engine Optimization
The Best SEO for Medical Spas
SEO can provide your med spa with a steady stream of customers. SEO strategies put you in front of customers who are actively looking for your services.
Medical spas can also use paid advertising and social media. However, an SEO strategy adds the icing to the cake.
SEO marketing puts medical spas in front of search engine users. People may find your med spa by searching on Google. They may look for nearby medical spas and see yours.
Many medical spas optimize their websites and content to rank higher. Google only has a few spots on their first page. How can your medical spa rank above the others?
We work with several medical spas and can help yours rise above the competition. We’ll share some SEO marketing best practices to boost your medical spa’s visibility.
Make Your Website User-Friendly
Google continuously works to optimize the user experience. Low-performing websites get removed from the first page.
A user-friendly website gets you on Google’s good side. User-friendly websites contain clear navigation and calls to action.
Load time influences your website’s user-friendliness. Users will not wait for a website to load for 10 seconds. People want quick access to web pages.
You can use a website loading speed test to see your current status. Strive for a load time under five seconds.
Shorter load times don’t only help with search engines. They also increase retention. People will spend more time on your site.
Search engines also look at your website’s mobile experience. Some medical spas only focus on the desktop version of their sites.
A friendly desktop setup will get derailed by a poorly designed mobile site. Many people use their smartphones to browse the web. Search engines don’t want to show poorly optimized pages on mobile devices.
Produce Content with the Right Keywords
Creating content helps you rank on search engines. People can type phrases and find your blog posts.
Blog posts also help promote your services. You can invite readers to schedule an appointment at the end of your blog posts.
You can also explain why patients should get specific procedures. Answering common questions will make customers feel more confident about your services.
Your content can also clear up objections. Business owners should determine common pain points and objections. Addressing these concerns in your content will warm up prospects.
Content boosts sales and visibility. However, you must use the right keywords for your content. Failing to conduct keyword research will significantly limit your content’s reach.
You can use a resource like SEMrush to conduct your research. This tool provides vital data about keyword volume, competition, trends, and CPC numbers.
Free SEO tools such as Yoast, Google Trends, and UberSuggest also help with research.
Once you find keywords, start incorporating them into your content. Sprinkle the keywords into your content while avoiding keyword stuffing.
You can create articles around individual keywords. Writing more blog posts lets you spread your efforts instead of relying on a single piece.
The Google algorithm isn’t as smart as business owners think. An algorithm won’t know what your blog post or page covers.
You must inform the algorithm about your blog post’s topic. Meta titles and descriptions achieve this goal.
Search engines will look at your meta titles and descriptions for guidance. These features tell Google what your site covers.
You can use a meta title and description for each blog post. If you do not provide a custom meta title, Google will look at your title header.
Without a custom description, Google will review your blog post’s first 155-160 characters. These initial characters may not include the keyword. Your initial 155-160 characters may not draw potential visitors.
Custom meta titles and descriptions do a better job of drawing visitors to your site.
Build Backlinks to Outrank Other Medical Spas
Google heavily weighs backlinks when ranking websites. When another website links to yours, it’s a backlink. These links indicate trust and authority.
Over a decade ago, companies would buy backlinks in bulk. However, Google shut down this strategy and penalized companies with spammy backlinks.
This practice kept out bad actors. However, many people misinterpreted this event as the death of backlinks.
Backlinks remain a vital way to gain traction, but only if you get them naturally. Writing guest posts is a common strategy to get backlinks. You can write for other sites and include a link to your med spa in the byline.
Capitalize on Local SEO
Most medical spas don’t want international traffic. They can only provide services on-site. These medical spas need a local SEO strategy to get new customers.
Your med spa must have a Google My Business account. This account lets your company rank for local search terms.
You should mention all of your locations on your website. This information will help prospects find the best location to receive your services. You may even want to create a page on your website for each location.
Get Professional Help for Your SEO
Medical spas around the world compete for a few spots on Google’s first page. Med spas in your area compete to get a share of the local market.
Enhancing your website’s SEO will increase your reach and lead to new customers. However, SEO can get complicated. Even if you know what you’re doing, it takes time to implement and see results.
Small businesses use our SEO services to reach customers and expand revenue. Get in touch with us today to see how we can improve your SEO results.
Nov 29, 2021 | Dental Marketing, Google, Web Design
Did you know that 94% of the first impressions of your website are design-related?
A poorly designed website can lead to a negative user experience in which the user clicks off your page. Not only might they go to your competitors, but these potential customers now have a negative impression of your company.
So no matter how good your content is, you need to focus just as much on the elements of web design so your site is easy to use and is pleasing to the eye.
To help you, we’ve compiled the top 6 elements that every well-designed website should include. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know to create a website your customers will love.
1. Bold colors and images
Your color palette is a vital component of making sure your business materials are cohesive and on-brand.
Think about what primary and secondary colors you’d like to use on your website. Then, think about whether they represent your brand. You can use the principles of color psychology to help you.
You can also use what’s called a hero image on your main page. A hero image is located at the top of your main page and acts as an oversized banner.
The hero image should be high resolution, add value, and reflect your company’s unique selling point (USP). The hero image can also be a short video.
Since all of the images of your website should reflect your brand, it’s a good idea to take your own photos instead of relying on stock images.
2. Clean and Eye-catching Typography
While you may love that new elegant, handwritten font you found, this type of font isn’t the best option for use on your entire website.
Think about the title/logo fonts of social media sites like Instagram and Twitter. Not only is their font easy to read, but you’d recognize it as their brand even without the logo.
Good web design uses fonts that are easy to read, catch your viewer’s eye, and also help establish your brand identity.
Some best practices when choosing your font are:
- Black or gray typography
- Text larger than 16 pixels
- Enough space between the lines
- Fonts that are standard for the web
If you want to add a handwritten font to add a more personalized and friendly touch to your site, use it sparingly. Make sure it fits with your brand story and use it in places like captions or when emphasizing certain words.
3. Search Bar
You might think that a search bar isn’t necessary if your menus are well-organized, but it’s a vital part of good web design.
While a potential customer may not need the search bar if they have no problems finding your contact information, they might need it when looking for a specific product, blog post, or any older information.
You also want to reduce the number of clicks that users need to make to get the information they’re looking for. This reduces the chances that they’ll click off your website and go to a competitor’s website instead.
The best design for a search bar is that it’s easy to use and find on the page without interfering with your content. You can add a magnifying glass icon to make the search bar even easier to find.
4. Mobile-Friendly
Over 2 billion people use their smartphones to access the Internet, and this number is only expected to grow.
So if your website looks bad on mobile, is difficult to navigate, or doesn’t load at all, you can expect that your viewers will click off the page and go to your competitors instead.
Since creating a mobile-friendly website is very difficult if you’re not a web developer, you’ll want to get a web design SEO agency to help you.
Don’t forget to test site speed both on mobile and desktop, as a slow website will only make users click off the page and be unlikely to return.
5. Powerful Calls to Action
If you don’t have a call to action, you’re missing out on sales and making it difficult for website visitors to contact you.
A call to action (CTA) is text that prompts your website viewer, customer or lead to take action. A few examples of common CTAs include:
- Buy now!
- Subscribe to our newsletter for 15% off
- Learn more
- Contact us
To create the right CTA for your website, first determine the purpose of your site. Then, create an easy-to-see action button that would make sense for your website.
For example, if you’re an e-commerce store, include a button for customers to sign up to your email list. If you’re a local mechanic, an essential CTA is a “contact me now” button.
6. Simple and Intuitive Navigation
Your website visitors shouldn’t have to click all around to find what they’re looking for, nor should they be confused when using your website.
One way to make your website navigation simple is to use minimal navigation menus. You also want to use a drop-down menu at the top of your website to reduce visual clutter.
The must-haves for navigation include:
- Showing users where they are on your site
- A “home” button
- Directions or prompts, if needed
The best good website design examples are ones that let the user find what they are looking for without help.
If you’re not sure how usable your website is, think about conducting a usability test to see how users are navigating your website in real-time.
Include These Vital Elements of Web Design
Effective and clear web design not only makes it easy for users to navigate your site but builds trust by creating a positive impression of your brand.
Whether you have a website already or are looking to build one, include these important elements of web design to create a beautiful site that users will love.
Still have questions? Harris & Ward can help. Our skilled team of digital creatives specializes in seamless web design that facilitates growth for your brand and business.
Ready to create an eye-catching and easy-to-navigate website? Contact us today to get started.
