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:
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.
Are you struggling to draw new clients to your dental clinic, law firm, or small business? You’re not alone. In fact, about 65% of businesses struggle to draw in leads and web traffic.
With the right digital marketing services, you don’t have to struggle! Instead, you can give your business the boost it needs.
Not sure where to start? Keep this marketing services list handy. With these online business marketing strategies, you can set your business up for success.
You can generate more brand awareness, acquire more website traffic, and gain new leads. Then, you can improve your ROI and start growing your business.
Set your business up for growth and success! Get started by learning more about these marketing services for startups today.
1. Branding
Before you start using the rest of this marketing services list, it’s important to consider your brand. Your brand will set your business apart from others within your niche. Without a distinct brand, consumers might not recall your business.
In fact, it takes an average of six impressions before you build even a smidge of awareness. In order to build brand recognition, consistency over time is key.
You can create brand guidelines to ensure your brand remains consistent across all marketing channels.
In fact, consistency could increase revenues by up to 23%.
When developing your brand, take a moment to think about your target audience. What do they care about? Shared values account for about 64% of brand relationships.
Then, determine your:
Vision statement
Mission statement
Unique value proposition
Logo
Color palette
Font styles
Imagery styles
Voice
Tone
Personality
Keep your branding consistent as you explore the rest of these marketing services.
2. Web Design and Development
In some cases, your website is the first time consumers interact with your brand. It’s important to make a strong first impression. If your website is old and outdated, consumers might leave.
They’ll take their business elsewhere instead.
Consider hiring an experienced web design and development company. They can create an eye-catching, wow-worthy website that will draw consumers in. Your website will host the content you create as part of your lead generation strategy.
Work with a design agency that can create a mobile-optimized website for your business.
More people are exploring websites from their smaller phones and tablets. If your website isn’t optimized, you could lose business. Consumers might struggle to explore your site from their smaller screens.
They’ll remember their negative user experience and maybe even tell others.
3. Content Creation
Start creating engaging, informative content for your website. Content creation is an important step in your online business marketing strategy. You can create content to demonstrate your experience and expertise.
Informative, helpful content will help consumers recognize your value. You can show people you understand the problems they’re facing. Then, you can create content that offers them an easy solution.
You can create different forms of content, including blog posts, articles, eBooks, and infographics. Then, you can optimize your content for search engines to help more people find your business online.
4. Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) can help your website content appear higher on Google and Bing. A higher ranking will position you in front of more customers. When someone searches for your product or service, your website might appear.
About 70% of all experiences online start on a search engine like Google. SEO can help you boost brand awareness and generate more website traffic. Once you draw people to your website, you can use your content to convert them into leads.
Only 0.78% of Google users look beyond the first page of a search, though. Without SEO, you might not reach customers.
Consider working with an experienced SEO agency. They can help you create content with SEO in mind. Then, they can optimize your content based on the keywords consumers use in a search.
Google’s search algorithm changes constantly. If you’re not up-to-date with the latest trends, your ranking could drop. Finding an agency that offers digital marketing services can give your business an advantage.
You can rank ahead of the competition and draw in new leads.
5. Custom Photography and Videography
Consumers can now recognize stock photography on sight. Stock images could make your brand look ingenuine. Instead, work with an agency that can capture custom photography for your brand.
You can use your photos for social media, your website, and other branded materials.
Consider creating engaging videos as part of your content creation strategy, too. A content creator small business expert can help you create attention-grabbing videos for your website.
6. Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can also help you reach more consumers online. Consider creating text and visual ads. You can use ads to direct more people to your website.
These ads can appear on social media platforms, other websites, and search engine pages.
Once people click on your ad, they’ll appear on a landing page on your website. Then, you can convert those visitors into leads.
7. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is a great way to keep your customers engaged. Let them know about upcoming deals or events. You can also let them know about your latest accomplishments.
For example, a law firm can mention new additions to the team or accolades they received. A dentist’s office can share before and after photos of their patients.
As people start commenting on your posts, make sure to comment back.
Consider working with influencers in your industry, too. Influencers can help spread the word about your business. You can boost your brand’s visibility and draw in fresh leads.
Give Business a Boost: 7 Digital Marketing Services for Dental Clinics and SMEs
Don’t fall behind the competition this year. Instead, consider these seven digital marketing services. With these marketing services, you can wow your customers and draw in fresh leads.
Get ready to stand out from the crowd with these online business marketing tips today!
Need help developing your digital marketing strategy? We’re here to help.
Contact us today to discuss your web design, SEO strategy, and more!
There are around 31 million small businesses just in the US. That’s to say nothing about foreign businesses that operate in the same space, a common problem for e-commerce businesses and freelancers. In short, you can come up against a lot of competition depending on your industry.
That makes marketing an essential component in any small business plan. The challenge, of course, is how you can make your small business marketing succeed in the face of that competition. Keep reading for tips that can help you get your marketing in the right place.
Make a Plan
Marketing is one area where you can’t throw it together as you go. You need a marketing strategy that informs a marketing plan. That starts with defining your target market.
What kind of person or business represents your ideal customer? What characteristics define that person or business?
Let’s say you run a dental practice. Is your ideal customer a family or someone looking for cosmetic dentistry?
If you want family business, you structure your marketing plan around things like preventative care for kids and essential procedures. If you focus on cosmetic dentistry, your target market is likely adults with disposable income. For those customers, you focus your marketing on lifestyle and aesthetics.
Once you define your ideal customer, you build a plan around them and their needs or wants.
Set a Budget
Marketing can and will eat as much money as you throw at it, regardless of results. That means you must set a sustainable marketing budget before you begin.
Sustainable means different things to different businesses. For a cash-strapped business, that might mean a couple of hundred bucks a month. For a high-profit business, it can mean thousands of dollars.
Rather than think of your budget in numerical terms, think of it as a percentage of revenue. Assuming you can afford it, a good rule of thumb is around 7% of your revenue. If you can’t afford that, crunch the numbers until you find a number you can afford and work with that amount.
Now, let’s look at specific things you can do.
Professional Website
Your business operates in an Internet-connected world. That means you need a website as a focal point for your business marketing efforts. More than that, though, you need a professional-grade website.
Customers these days regularly interact with websites built by Fortune 500 companies that poured millions of dollars into their site development. Those websites inform customer expectations about look and performance in any given industry. While you can’t compete with the budgets of those companies, you can get a website built by professional website developers.
That means you end up with a site that performs well and meets customer expectations for your industry. It also means you get a website that natively offers any industry-specific features you need.
SEO
It’s difficult to separate search engine optimization from any small business marketing plan, as it’s a core part of digital marketing. SEO is a set of tactics that help your pages on your website rank better in search results. If your site’s pages don’t rank well, people looking for businesses online simply won’t find you.
The most familiar elements of SEO for most business owners are keywords and link building. In essence, keywords are specific terms that people use when searching for products or services. By incorporating keywords specific to your business, you improve your odds of ranking well.
If you focus on a local market, location-specific keywords can help you even more.
Link building takes on two main forms: internal and external. Internal linking focuses on creating a web of links on your site between related content, which tells search engines that your site focuses on a specific product or service. External linking focuses on connecting your site to high-quality resources, which demonstrates you understand your own industry.
Custom Images
Many businesses rely on stock images for their websites. This is a cost-effective tactic, but it’s not an ideal one. There are a finite number of stock images for any given industry, which means you run the risk of using the same images as a competitor.
Custom images help you overcome this problem by ensuring originality. As a bonus, people respond to images in a more meaningful way than they do solely to text on the screen.
Video
Video does the same thing for your that custom images do, but even more powerfully. They let you speak directly to your visitors, which can help solidify an emotional connection. People also recall information from videos better than information they get from skimming written content.
Video has another advantage. It’s an ideal way for you to reinforce your brand message.
You can do slice-of-life videos from inside your company or office or offer messages from the owner. Assuming your brand message is authentic, it’ll shine through in the videos. If people liked your brand messaging before, you’ll reinforce that emotional connection.
Social Media
Let us not forget the 800-pound gorilla that is social media. Very few businesses possess the staff, budget, or know-how to maintain a presence on every social media site. Yet, a small business social media presence is essential.
Dig down into the benefits and pitfalls of different social media platforms. Then pick a maximum of two platforms to focus on as a starting point. Look for sites that play to your business’s strengths.
If your business has lots of products, an image-focused site makes sense. If your business relies on personality and in-person services, lean more into sites that let you leverage those factors.
Small Business Marketing and Your Business
Small business marketing matters as much as big business marketing for the long-term survival of your business.
That means you need a plan that focuses on your ideal customers and a budget you can sustain. It also means leaning in to the reality of digital marketing.
You need a pro website with solid SEO. Your marketing should use custom images when possible, and video if your budget supports it. Your business also needs a focused presence on social media.
The statistic surprised us, too, but it’s undeniably true. If you want your business to be successful online, it’s essential that your page is on the first page of Google rankings.
But how can you make this happen? The answer lies in search engine optimization (SEO). Read on to learn the main types of SEO and how you can begin executing a comprehensive and effective optimization strategy!
On-Site SEO
Generally, there are two categories that an SEO strategy can fall under: on-site and off-site. On-page SEO is a term used to refer to manipulations that a site builder makes within their own website to make it more appealing to both consumers and crawlers. It’s the most direct way to get your page to rank and there’s no need to rely on external pages and off-site factors.
Conducting keyword research and finding high-volume keywords to put onto your site is arguably one of the most important aspects of on-site SEO. These keywords stand out to Google crawlers when they are inserted into descriptions, page information, and blog posts. Crawlers then believe that your page is relevant to the keywords that get the most searches in relation to your page and place you at the top of the search results for these terms.
However, this is not the only important aspect of on-page SEO. The relevance, semantics, and engagingness of the content that you include on your page are also critical. If site visitors aren’t engaged by your content, they’re likely to click away within 15 seconds of coming to your page. This looks fishy to search engine crawlers who then believe your page to be irrelevant and unreputable.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO refers to certain on-page SEO strategies that are concerned with making your page run more efficiently. Improving the technical aspects of your website is an important way to make it more appealing to search engine spiders. This includes things like improving site speed, making the page easier to crawl, and updating system content regularly.
One of the most important parts of technical SEO is manipulating the HTML of your website. Include keywords and short, searchable phrases in the descriptions, headers, and alt/meta tags on your page. Additionally, make sure your blog posts have clickable titles that will keep people on your page.
Using SE indexing and appropriate URLs is also important. Sites that have been appropriately indexed are easier for Google crawlers to understand and index within the wider internet. As a result, they will believe your site to be credible and well-maintained, which makes it rise in the rankings.
Off-Site SEO
Off-page SEO refers to manipulations that you do on parts of the internet that aren’t your website to drive traffic to your page. You don’t change anything on your webpage, but instead are trying to get people on other parts of the net to visit it. The main goal of this is to build your credibility with consumers and make crawlers also view your site as reliable.
Most people associate off-site SEO with link building, and with good reason- establishing appropriate backlinks is one of the most important ways to optimize your webpage. A backlink is a link that you incorporate within a blog post that takes the reader to another relevant, reputable website that they may be interested in. These links are related to the content and have an anchor text of between 2-5 words.
When search engine crawlers see backlinks on your site, they immediately associate you with the page that your content links to. If you pay for quality link-building services, you’ll only be associated with pages that have been proven reputable. This will lead to you being indexed higher on Google because you’ll be viewed as on par with these already high-ranking pages.
Comprehensive Off-Page Strategies
However, executing a comprehensive off-page SEO strategy requires much more than simple backlinks. You also need to have inbound links to your website on other areas of the internet. This will drive traffic to your site and get you higher traffic. It also will make your page appear reputable since it has been found relevant and cited more often than your competitors.
There are a few ways that you can get inbound links, the first one being guest posting. You can purchase guest post packages from SEO experts, which essentially is you paying for another reliable site to use you as a backlink.
However, this isn’t always necessary. You can also link to your own website on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. This is also a great way to make your social media pages more interesting to those who follow you. You can show relevant blog posts and services to people who are already interested in your business and they’ll follow the link to your page. It’s a win-win situation!
Building trust in your consumers is also a good off-page strategy. Positive reviews that mention you are categorized as good citations by crawlers, as are indirect mentions on other websites (including social media platforms). The more often your website name is shared, the more reputable you look.
Which SEO Marketing Techniques Are Right for You?
So, should you use on-site SEO for your business? Or would off-site SEO be better?
The answer to this is that you need both on-page and off-page SEO if you want to rank. Your competitors are using comprehensive strategies, and if you neglect one type of SEO, you’re sure to fall behind those who are investing in more well-rounded solutions. However, it’s also important that you ensure that you’re investing in white hat SEO rather than black hat alternatives.
White hat SEO refers to getting SEO content that has respect for your competitors and your industry as well as your client’s time. This means having relevant and engaging fresh content, natural keyword density, and links to and from relevant sources in your industry. This is in contrast to black hat SEO, which creates duplicate content, has keyword stuffing, and cloaks text and links that have been farmed from other sources.
Using black hat SEO could get you thrown to the bottom of Google rankings if you’re caught. Plus, duplicate content that’s been overstuffed to the brim with keywords just isn’t quality content.
So, to recap: you want white-hat SEO services that perform both on-site and off-site SEO.!
Get Started With Different Types of SEO
Now that you know the main types of SEO, it’s time to begin optimizing your website to its fullest potential.
Contact us with any lingering questions that you may have about SEO and how it can benefit your webpage. Our experts are happy to chat and come up with a comprehensive strategy to optimize your webpage, so we look forward to hearing from you soon!
Written by Lesley Goodaker, Digital Marketing Manager
Local SEO efforts directly correlate to your business’ reputation, rankings, and revenue. That’s why its vital to understand the purpose of local business listings and citations.
What is local search?
As the name might suggest, local SEO is intended to attract customers in concentrated areas such as a specific town or city. Greater search visibility for small businesses often means more foot traffic, more service opportunities, and ultimately, more revenue.
To this end, Local SEO is all about increasing search visibility for businesses that rely on face-to-face interactions with their customers. These can be brick-and-mortar businesses with physical office space, like a law or dental office, or businesses like electricians and construction companies that services specific geographic areas.
Much like traditional search optimization, local SEO is designed to improve your visibility on Google and other search engines. This is largely done by creating content using keywords that are relevant to searches your target audience is looking for.
Examples of a local search query include phrases such as “lawyers near me,” “dentist in Lexington,” and even, “best Lexington eye doctor.”
What is the role of business listings in local SEO?
Not that long ago, businesses had a plethora of options for publicizing their business locally through phone book listings, newspaper advertisements, mailers, and even telemarketing.
Unfortunately, as marketing has taken a turn towards digital channels, many of these mediums have become all but obsolete either due to cost alone or a general lack of disinterest on the part of consumers.
In this way, internet marketing has become as much of a necessity for the mom and pop shop down the street as it is for the likes of Starbucks and Aspen Dental.
With over 90% of consumers searching for local businesses online, local citations are quickly replacing traditional offline advertising. As a result, more businesses are turning to local business directories online for an accessible way to publish their business information.
Here are 3 important reasons your business should care about local directory listings.
1. Gain visibility.
Many online directories (including Google My Business) allow businesses to submit their information for publication for free. This is a cost-effective way to boost brand awareness and increase online visibility for brands that can’t or don’t want to turn to paid advertising.
That aside, published online listings offer businesses an automatic boost in search visibility. Though you won’t get to the first position result simply by submitting your business information, you will gain favor over businesses that have not submitted their own information for publication.
Building citations on sites like Google, Facebook, and within relevant online directories such as Angie’s List or Healthgrades ultimately gives your business more online visibility. This in turn helps your business to be found by the right people at the right time.
2. Control your brand.
A pleasant side effect of creating citations for your business is that you get more control over your brand. Submitting and/or claiming your online business listings allows you to determine how your business is displayed in the search results. Instead of merely pulling information about businesses from multiple sources (i.e. Facebook, websites, etc.), search engines will rely on the information presented in your verified listing.
3. Secure consumer trust.
It’s no secret that reviews are a vital part of your business’ reputation. Even so, digital reviews are increasingly referenced by consumers as a make or break factor in their buying decisions. This makes your business’ ability to receive and display reviews crucial to securing consumer trust.
Publishing/claiming your business listings on reputable review sites like Yelp or the Better Business Bureau makes it easy for existing customers to leave feedback and even easier for prospects to find this information. At the end of the day, word-of-mouth reviews will get out there so you may as well make the most of it!
Find a marketing agency to help with your local business listings.
The importance of local listings can’t be overstated.
Think about how often people, yourself included, search for businesses near them? Searching for local businesses online is becoming easier with each passing day, so the importance of having listings online is growing, as well.
If you own a local business, it is imperative that you are not only represented online but that your representation is accurate as well. This is growing even more important during the ongoing health crisis.
If you’re unsure where to begin, consider enlisting the help of a local marketing agency!
Navigating a Pandemic [4 Tips for Small Business Owners Impacted by COVID-19]
The coronavirus is causing financial difficulties for businesses across the U.S. And while everyone’s first priority during this pandemic should be to stay safe and healthy, maintaining your business’s health is equally as important.
We know that many small businesses (ourselves included) are facing more challenges than ever during the current COVID-19 pandemic. With customers shying away and team members working remotely, it’s time to think outside of the box.
So, how can small businesses survive the turbulent times ahead in 2020? There’s no easy answer; however, there are things you can do today to help navigate these challenging times.
The W.A.R.D Method
Work Remotely (when possible)
Your team may already be working remotely or you may be preparing for that possibility in the future. For some businesses, this may only mean a slight adjustment but, for others, this can drastically change your daily operations.
As more businesses have moved towards remote work, they are taking advantage of the growing number of digital tools popping up to help teams stay connected and productive. Consider the following recommendations for keeping your team connected during COVID-19:
Collaborate with your team using a shared document, a video meeting, or a team chat room. Note: If possible, avoid group texts as this can be overwhelming outside of business hours.
Ensure your team has access to important documents from anywhere by uploading them to a cloud-based service through a product like Google Drive or Dropbox.
In cases where remote work is not an option, take care to ensure you’re adhering to best practices to keep your team safe and sane during these uncertain times.
With new regulations emerging daily, customer behavior is changing faster than ever before. As a result, you may want to consider shifting your operations temporarily to fit your customers’ new behavior.
Start by considering what you have to offer your customers. Are there ways for you to offer those products or services in a different format? Take a look at just a few of the samples below.
If you’re in:
and typically offer:
Consider offering:
Education/Consulting
Instruction/consulting in-person
virtual sessions for clients.
Residential services
In-person meetings or estimates
Virtual estimates through photos, video chat, or facetime.
Restaurant
Dining In
Offer takeout or delivery.
Offer frozen meals that people can stuff in their freezer.
Offer recipes that clients can make at home.
(Non Essential) Health Services
In person
Go mobile and go to individuals homes.
Offer virtual consults over Facetime.
E-commerce
Online
Make sure people know what’s in stock, delivery times, and if it’s made in the USA promote that!
Rework Your Offerings (Temporarily)
If you can’t sell what you normally do, how can you use your resources to create a new, more relevant offer?
During this chaotic time, you may find yourself in a situation where simply adjusting your existing offerings won’t work. In that case, you just might be able to shift your entire lineup to something more relevant (and useful) to your target demo.
For example – many local distilleries, and even a Kentucky-based CBD company, have shifted their focus to producing hand sanitizer temporarily. This not only makes great use of otherwise wasted byproducts but also helps a ton of people!
The key then becomes acknowledging this change and broadcasting it to those who need to know.
Distribute Information
Regardless of the industry you’re in, COVID-19 will inevitably shift some facet of your business. This could mean a change in hours, a temporary closure, or, again, a change in the types of products or services you offer.
As a small business owner, the best thing you can do is distribute the information about these changes across as many platforms as possible. This includes updating your website and business listings on platforms like Google and Bing, as well as posting to all of your social media channels.
If you’re unsure where to even begin with your planning, consider taking advantage of the complimentary strategy sessions being offered by many agencies. This can be a great way to conserve resources while still being strategic about your business operations.
