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By Kristine Colker, Managing Editor n TODAY from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. in aisle 5000, room 3, Dr. David Evans will present “Perfect Your Online Presence” as part of the DTSC Sym- posia. In his session, he will discuss the various factors that influence Internet presence and how dental practices can attain “high Internet presence.” Evanstalkedtotodayaboutwhatto expect from his symposium. Dr. Evans, you are presenting a DTSC Symposia session called “Perfect Your Online Presence.” Would you give us a brief overview of your session? Word-of-mouth marketing was the most important thing for dentists five or 10 years ago. Now, it’s differ- ent. People go online to check you out. Patients associate wildly with Google rankings. They also have the perception where they associate quality with where you appear in the rankings.Itmightnotbeconnectedin reality, but it’s connected in people’s minds. Has Internet marketing replaced word-of-mouth (WOM) referral? No, in a successful practice, your WOM will always be a very impor- tant component of marketing for new patients. Now, however, many pro- spective patients will research on the Internet to support WOM referral. When a prospective patient is con- sidering dental work and receives a WOM about your practice, the next stop for the prospective patient is the Internet, where he or she will peruse your website to research your back- ground, look at your before-and-after photos and review your testimoni- als. Consumers also research other places where you appear online. A strong Internet presence, with a captivating website, will enhance the WOM referral and lock in the new patient. On the other side, a poor showing on the Internet can break a great reputation and the WOM refer- ral. Also there are some cases, such as when a prospective patient is new to the area (and with the mobile population, this number is growing), in which the patient does not have anyone to ask about a WOM refer- ral. In these cases, a strong Internet presence is the only way to get that new patient. In balance, strategies to boost the WOM referrals will con- tinue to be important, but expect Internet marketing to take a larger and larger role over the coming years. How can my practice’s website get ranked higher on Google? Keep in mind that Google ranks web- sites, not dentists. You can be the best cosmetic dentist in the world, but if your website is not search-engine friendly, then Google will not rank you on the first page in your market. Google uses about 200 different variables to rank websites. Convinc- ing Google to give you good rankings requires that your site is aligned with these 200 variables. These variables fall into two broad categories, on site and off site. In simplistic terms, the on-site variables relate to your content and the attributes on various pages of the website. The off-site variables relate to the links you have coming to your site and how many consumers share your site with others. The process for obtaining high rankings on Google and other search engines is called search engine opptimization, or SEO. How much time should I spend working on my website and SEO? I have a busy practice and can’t find the time. What will it cost to get help? You can save money on SEO and your website if you write all of your own content, build your website and per- form optimization. These activities could take 10 to 15 hours a week to do properly. An effective SEO company will charge a monthly fee, and then your time is spent in the clinic work- ing with patients, where you generate revenue for your practice. How do I choose the best website and SEO company for my practice? When choosing a website and SEO company, it is best to focus on com- panies with experience in dentistry, particularly high-end dentistry prac- tices. Review their website portfolio to determine if their designs fit the image of your practice. Most importantly from an SEO per- spective, review the rankings of the prospective company’s other clients to see how well the SEO has worked for them. The most efficient method is for one company to handle both the website and SEO, but this is not absolutely necessary. If you already have a website and/or designer you like, then hiring a company only for your SEO can work well. Also, many website designers do not understand or properly perform SEO, so it would not be unusual to hire a separate com- pany for SEO. Also, make sure you understand fully what you are buying when you purchase a website. Many dentists do not realize they do not own their web- sites, but instead they are essentially leasing the website design, content and hosting of the site. There are two easy questions to ask a potential website company to determine if the website you are buying will actually be owned by you. • Will I own the copyright to the website design and content? •IfIleaveyourservices,canItake the website to another company? If you receive a “no” to either of these questions, be careful. Many factors determine how well a website ranks on Google. But one big factor is its age. If you leave a vendor where you are leasing a site, then you lose the site and you have to start over from a longevity standpoint, a new website can take up to one year to rank on Google. I’ve hired an SEO company. How do I know if they are doing a good job? The bottom line of SEO is rankings, traffic and conversion. The top SEO companies will boost rankings for yourwebsiteandmodifyittoincrease conversion. If you are not receiving more leads from your website since hiring your SEO company, it is prob- ably not doing a good job. What are the most important components of a practice website? Keep in mind that when prospective patients visit your website, the ques- tion on their minds is “What is in it for me?” Your website has two to three seconds to capture the attention of prospective patients and convince them to stay there to learn how they can benefit from your practice. The key elements patients like to see are testimonials and before-and- after pictures. These help visitors better understand how treatment can help them. They also want to see that you have extension training and education. And finally, educational content about the procedures you offer will help visitors to understand the services they need/want, which makes them more likely to convert to a high-value patient once they visit your office for a consultation. Should I list my practice in a directory? Marketing research shows consum- ers are two-thirds more likely to convert if they see you in multiple placesonline.Whenvisitorsfindyour website online, and then also see you in a dentist directory, the likelihood of getting that patient to visit your practice increases dramatically. The best directories provide a place to post your before-and-after photos, news items, testimonials and your training and experience. Make sure the directory offers an email contact form for you specifically, a tracking phone number and a link to yourwebsite.Regularreportsfortraf- fic,emailleadsandphonecallsshould also be provided. If your directory listing can pro- vide two to five consultations a year and one high-end patient, then it is a worthwhile investment. Revenue for one patient pays for the listing, and then that patient serves as a WOM referral source for other potential new patients. Should I have a social media strategy for my practice? Socialmediaisbecomingmoreimpor- tant, but it may not be for everyone, as it requires dedicated staff time on a regular basis. Facebook should be the primary focus of any social media thrust. Twitter, Pinterest, Stumble- Upon, etc., are probably not a good allocation of resources at this time. To be effective, the Facebook strategy should engage with current patients with the focus being to get them to share with their friends and thus provide WOM referrals. Most practices use social media incorrectly. Constantly posting arti- cles about treatments offered at the practice or discounts on teeth whiten- ing is a big turn off for patients. They will stop visiting your Facebook page and discontinue your alerts. The proper strategy is to engage with patients using articles they would be interested in, such as infor- mation about back to school, a new staff member or local news. Do you and your staff participate in the “Tomorrow’s SMILES” program or did you do any volunteer work at the school? Also, consumers love contests and voicing their opinions. Let your Face- book users vote on which local candi- date or celebrity has the best smile or have a content to submit the quote of the month. speakers8 Greater New York Dental Meeting — Nov. 27, 2012 How to ‘Perfect Your Online Presence’ ▲ ▲ About the author David Evans, PhD, has been involved in Internet practice marketing since 1995. He has expertise in how consum- ers search for health-care information online, the optimum design and con- struction of practice websites, website search engine optimization (SEO) and the strategic development for Internet marketing. Evans is CEO of Ceatus Me- dia Group, which owns and manages the online directories for dentists and LASIK, plastic and bariatric surgeons. Evans received a bachelor of science from the United States Air Force Acad- emy, a master’s and MBA from Wright State University and PhD from Indiana University. EHe can be reached at dw- evans@ceatus.com. Dr. David Evans talks tips and tricks of the Internet