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Naz Haque UK The holy grail for any organi- sation’s online marketing is to appear on Page 1 of Google search results. Imagine how many patients you would gain. How would you like to achieve this without spending thou- sands of pounds? This is pos- sible if you have time on your hands and reduce online com- petition through local listing. According to Google, there are over 40,000 search queries every second. This roughly amounts to 3.5 billion searches per day globally, with a signifi- cant portion of this (increasing all the time) being searches on mobile devices. Google is always tweaking and improving the search factors to deliver search results based on the user’s intent. Therefore, it is understandable that your website should be focused on patients and easy for Google to find and read. Even without a state-of-the-art website, it is pos- sibletoappearonPage1.Organic (natural non-paid) rankings are achieved by being relevant and having authority in the online world, and depend on online competition. On Page 1 of Google, aside from the organic listings, there are typically three to seven map listings. The most feasible way of achieving Page 1 rankings in your location is to register for a Google My Business listing first. If it has already created a listing, you will have to claim and verify this. Choose the tags relevant to the services your provide (dental practice) and ensure that your phone number (geographical number) is displayed, as well as your address and post code. Do also brand the page with your logos and personalise it with photographs of your team and practice (not necessary for rank- ings but highly advised). Finally, encourage your patients to leave you a five-star review on this page. This is a very important factor. Once you have your page set up and optimised, the next step is to establish your onlineauthority by inserting a link to your Google Business Place on your website. Ensure that your website has your contact details displayed. Then list your address details in local and large directories (try not to get carried away) and ask local businesses to cite your details online. Ensure that the details are always consistent and accurate,asinconsistentaddress or telephone number details will confuse Google. Citations are a key factor for ensuringGooglerecognisesyour presence in your location. It may be that local hotels, bed and breakfasts, or newspapers are recommending dentists in your town. Even if there is no link to your website, having your ad- dress will benefit your rankings. Google reviews can only be submitted by individuals with their own Google Account. I do not recommend allowing pa- tients to provide reviews using your practice Internet connec- tion, as Google may identify the location and think the reviews may not be authentic or inde- pendent.Onceyouhavereceived seven reviews, Google will place a number of stars next to your practice name on the map list- ings. The more five-star reviews you have, the higher your score will be. It has been documented that having five stars encourages a 23 per cent increase in click through to your website. That the time period of your business page has been verified and is visible is also a factor to its visibility. These simple steps will set you in the right direction to achieving Page 1 rankings. Re- member the results will be spe- cific to your location and based on the user’s search terms. Google is focused on the user, so if there are seven other practices nearer to the user’s post code they inevitably will be higher up on the results list. Consider organic or pay-per-click cam- paigns if you want to have a higher chance of success. There are no guarantees with Google, but you should always focus on building visibility where Google is looking, because your patients will be directed there. Therecipeforsuccessinanybusi- ness is focus on serving the client, and it seems the same rule ap- plies with your online marketing. Focus on the patient in using the platform is key to everything. DT (DTI/PhotoTwinDesign) Google: How to get on to Page 1 in 2015 Business DENTALTRIBUNE Asia Pacific Edition No. 1+2/201510 “Citations are a key factor for ensuring Google recognises your presence in your location.” Naz Haque, aka the Scientist, is Operations Ma - nager at Dental Focus. He has a background in mobile and net- work computing, and has experience supporting a wide range of blue-chip brands, fromAppletoXerox.Asanexpert in search engine optimisation, Naz is passionate about helping clients develop strategies to en- hance their brand and increase the return on investment from their dental practice websites. Contact Info AD DTAP0115_10_Naz 09.02.15 10:58 Seite 1 DTAP0115_10_Naz 09.02.1510:58 Seite 1