April 2013

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To impress both Google and potential patients, show up everywhere

In 2013, one of your top Internet marketing goals should be to appear in multiple locations online. Why? Because Google now reviews other sites on the Internet to confirm and verify information about your practice and your services, and then uses this information to determine the rankings for its Google+ Local pages.

Directories and procedure-specific websites are two great ways to add to your diversified Internet presence.

Impress Google

Google wants to see multiple “citations” related to your business online. These informational elements about you and your practice (address, city, zip code, etc.) help Google confirm your status as a local business. The search giant has ample reason for seeking to verify this information: Google+ is being spammed by businesses trying to gain visibility in geographic areas where they are not located. Google views this as trying to “game its system,” and has therefore been devoting a lot of effort to eliminating this spam through the use of citations.

Impress Potential Patients

Consumers use their own version of “citations” to verify the legitimacy of businesses, including surgeons whose services they are considering. eMarketer has reported that consumers, i.e. your potential patients, are two-thirds more likely to convert if they see you multiple places online. And it makes sense — broad Internet visibility lends authenticity to your practice and verifies your practice website’s credibility. Consider your own Internet habits. If you see information about a restaurant on multiple websites, you will probably think more highly of that restaurant. Conversely, if the only information you can find is on the restaurant’s website, you start to wonder if the restaurant is any good.

Diversify

So how do you create broad visibility and add to your citations online? Start with a directory listing and build one or more procedure-specific website(s).

To choose the right directory for your practice, follow these steps:

  1. Search like a patient. Type in terms relating to cost and before and after galleries. These are the highest-converting terms.
  2. Read the content. Make sure it’s informative and credible. Good content generates credibility and should make it very easy to find your information.
  3. Analyze the directory. Check to see that contact information will be easy to find, and make sure the directory seems like a good fit for your practice.
  4. Avoid long-term contracts.

Click here for more information on what to look for in an Internet directory.

Another great way to gain more citations is through procedure-specific websites. Your procedure-specific website(s) should have unique content and focus on your skills relating to the procedure in question. There are three main benefits to procedure-specific websites:

  1. You present yourself as a specialist. A procedure-specific website makes it clear that doctors within your practice specialize in the procedure or treatment described on the site.
  2. Google rankings. This type of website also provides additional potential to rank on the first page of Google for search terms related to your name, the name of your practice, or the featured procedure.
  3. Linking opportunities. Your procedure-specific website can also be used to provide valuable links back to your main practice website.

Click here to learn more about procedure-specific websites, or contact Ceatus. We will be happy to provide you with more information!

Ask the experts

Q I have been told that Google has given warnings to sites with bad backlinks. How do I look at the backlinks?

A Google Webmaster Tools (GWT) must be installed on your website. You can use GWT to create a report of your backlinks.

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Events: Maximize Your Internet Strategy

Come by the Ceatus booth for a FREE website evalution!

ASCRS/ASOA Symposium and Congress

Moscone Center, San Francisco
April 20-23
Booth 906

The Annual ASCRS and ASOA Symposium and Congress provides attendees with unique access to the latest techniques and technologies in ophthalmic surgery. Ceatus CEO David Evans, and VP of Marketing Tamara Evans, will be giving two separate presentations on increasing your patient volume through Internet marketing. Don’t miss it!

“Your Website: Does it Convert? How Does it Rank?”
David Evans
April 20 • 3:30-4:30pm • Location: Yerba Buena 14-15

“Your Website, Social Media, and Traditional Marketing: Are They Working Together?”
Tamara Evans
April 21 • 8:00-9:00am • Location: Yerba Buena 14-15

American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Sheraton Chicago
May 8-11, 2013
Booth 218

Join Ceatus Media Group and All About Facial Rejuvenation in Booth 218 at the AAFPRS “Advances in Rhinoplasty” annual meeting in Chicago!

THE Aesthetic Show

The Mirage, Las Vegas
May 17-19
Booth 717

Ceatus Media Group will be attending this year’s THE Aesthetic Show™ in Las Vegas. This meeting brings the top physicians in the aesthetic industry showcasing new procedures, products and technologies.

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CEATUS Case Study of the Month

Dr. X

You’ve Been Warned

“Dr. X,” who has asked to remain anonymous, came to Ceatus with a problem. His website, into which he had invested 12 years and more than $100,000, dropped from the first page of Google to the second page for search terms important to his practice. By the time Ceatus contracted with the surgeon to take over his SEO, his site could not be found on the first 100 pages of Google’s search results. His website had received the so-called “Google Death Penalty.” In more eloquent terms, this means his site was completely de-indexed from Google.

Problem: It’s called Penguin and it is serious. Google is now targeting sites with “unnatural” links. Unnatural links are those that appear to be too systematic or repetitive; derive from sites unrelated to your specialty; or are very low quality. Dr. X had received a warning from Google about unnatural links, but the warning was ignored by his previous SEO company and never communicated to him. The SEO company had been purchasing unnatural links and got caught by Google.

Solution: Ceatus’ SEO staff immediately went to work evaluating the site’s links. They found more than 10,000 back links, many of them from low-quality websites unrelated to plastic surgery. Also, more than 600 links used exactly the same text, i.e., “laser skin resurfacing.” And there were other problems. For example, the Spa page had more than 1,000 links deriving from only six sites. These type of links are considered unnatural by Google. Ceatus began contacting the owners of the websites with the links to have the links removed.

Result: Over time, and after multiple requests, the links began to come off the sites. Ceatus then sent a “reinclusion request” to Google describing the efforts to purge unnatural links, and asked Google for website forgiveness. Several requests were made (after each round of link removal), and Google finally granted the request for reinclusion. Dr. X’s rankings have not returned to where they were, but the site is back in the index and gaining ground.


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Social Media Quiz

Tweet it, Like It, Follow it…Test your Social Media IQ.

1.   What percentage of time spent on the Internet is spent on social media sites?

A.   30%
B.   20%
C.   15%
D.   40%

2.   What is the most followed brand on Twitter?

A.   Apple
B.   YouTube
C.   Microsoft
D.   Google

3.   Which country posts the most out of all the countries on Facebook?

A.   Brazil
B.   USA
C.   Japan
D.   UK

4.   True or False: Justin Bieber has more followers on Twitter than Barack Obama.

5.   What percentage of social media users prefer to connect with brands on Facebook?

A.   50%
B.   30%
C.   80%
D.   70%

6.   True or False: LinkedIn has more active users than Twitter.

7.   What date and year was Facebook launched?

A.   January 2, 2003
B.   April 15, 2003
C.   February 4, 2004
D.   December 10, 2004

8.   How many tweets are sent a day on Twitter?

A.   45 billion
B.   350 billion
C.   200 million
D.   150 billion

9.   What was the first social media network?

A.   MySpace
B.   Geocities
C.   Facebook
D.   Six Degrees

10.   According to www.socialmediatoday.com, which social media network is the most addicting?

A.   Twitter
B.   Pinterest
C.   Facebook
D.   LinkedIn

Answer Key:

1.   A
2.   B
3.   A
4.   True
5.   C
6.   True, 41 million more
7.   C
8.   B
9.   B
10. C

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Read about our Case Study of the Month