Dentistry Newsletter: Own Your Destiny

Own Your Destiny

You can’t take with you what you don’t own…

Imagine the following scenario: You’re renting your home, and your landlord asks you to pay for new hardwood floors, cabinetry and kitchen appliances. Pretty absurd, right? Why would you ever invest in something you will never own?

Yet, every day, dentists sink money into websites and other Internet marketing components they don’t own the rights to. If you are one of them, now is the time to stop. Before you even think about making upgrades to your website, you need to make sure that you own the website itself and all its associated components, including graphics, content and images.

Here are some tips to get you started.

Check the Contract

Your name should be the only one listed at the bottom of the home page. If your website company’s name is listed, you might as well be a renter — in other words, you don’t own your own website.

Reassess Your Content

Unfortunately, far too many Web development companies use canned, duplicate content. You need to make sure yours isn’t one of them. Copy a line or two from your website, paste it into the search box on Google, and hit “Enter.” If the result is pages and pages of matching content, guess what? Your website has canned content. The good news is, there are programs designed to tell you if your site has canned content, such as Copyscape or Siteliner. (Note: If the list is long and you decide to move on, make sure you keep the URLs.)

Review Your URLs

URLs are like fine wine. You guessed it: They get better with age. Your older URLs are more palatable to Google’s taste than are new URLs. Make sure your website URLs end with .html, or with an English-language word followed by a slash (/). URLs such as www.dentistrywebsite.com/veneers/ are easily transferred, even if you don’t own your website.

URLs that end with a programming language text extension, like .cfm or .asp, may be difficult or impossible to transfer. And you may lose years of rankings on Google as a result. To determine if any of your URLs have these extensions, take a look at the text of each of your website’s URLs in the status bar above the browser.

Avoid Proprietary Blogging Platforms

Blogging can enhance the visibility and depth of your website, but doing so via a site that isn’t really yours can make it more difficult to move your blog posts to a new site if you decide to switch to another Web development company. Again, why continually add content to a blog you can’t take with you? Blogging on mainstream blogging platforms such as WordPress makes transferring easier. The problem is that many Web marketing firms require their clients to use their own proprietary blog platforms. Transferring from such platforms could require having one of your employees literally copy and paste every blog post, and it could be difficult to reproduce the URLs. This is why it is so important that your blog is published on a commercial blogging platform — and that you are the owner.

Ceatus clients always own their own websites, blogs and (original) content. Call us if you have any questions.

Case Study: North Pointe Dental

With Ceatus’ help, North Pointe Dental achieves practice growth of 30 to 50 new patients a month!

Background: North Pointe Dental is a multi-dentist practice in the Tampa, FL area. The practice offers a full range of services, from Invisalign to sleep apnea treatment, veneers and Botox.

Problem: The dentists and staff at North Pointe Dental wanted more new patients in the practice.

Solution: Ceatus did an analysis of their current marketing strategy and then provided a new website design, a listing in the Consumer Guide to Dentistry and search engine optimization for the website.

Results: Within months of completing the new website, rankings and traffic began to soar. The improved website design also increased conversion of prospective patients visiting the website. Previously, the practice averaged 30 new patients a month. By the end of the first quarter, this number had jumped to 50 new patients per month. By mid-April, the practice had already brought in 45 new patients in just two weeks.

“We’ve been very happy with the results we’ve gotten from Ceatus. The difference has been night and day! With Ceatus improving our rankings in Google and other search engines, we’ve been seeing many more new patients each month. After just three months of our new optimized site going live we’ve grown from averaging 30 new patients per month to averaging mid 50’s and growing! In fact, we’re already at 45 new patients for April and it’s only the 15th! We’re glad we chose Ceatus for our SEO and website design and are excited of what’s still to come!”

– Haydee Davidson, North Pointe Dental.

Ask the experts

Q: Should my marketing company address reviews as part of my online reputation management?

A: Yes, your Internet marketing company should include a reviews strategy as part of your overall strategy. The four reviews-related services that should be included are: a system to Monitor what others say about you on review sites, a way to Survey your patients to find out what they really think, a method to Solicit reviews on review sites like Google+ and Yelp and, lastly, a method to Expose your patients to your good reviews.

Events: Maximize Your Internet Strategy

Come by the Ceatus booth for a FREE website evaluation!

ESCRS

Barcelona, Spain
September 5-9
Booth C12

Ceatus Media Group will be at the upcoming ESCRS conference in Barcelona. Join Ceatus CEO David Evans, PhD, for “The Power of Internet Marketing,” which will cover content marketing, effective web design for premium eye care practices and how to get your site to rank well on Google. Hope to see you there!

The Power of Internet Marketing
Practice Management & Development Programme
Sunday, September 6
2:45pm – 3:30pm

ASMBS

Los Angeles, CA
November 2-7
Booth 328

Ceatus and Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery will be attending the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Obesity Week in Los Angeles. Come meet the Ceatus team at Booth 328!

AAO

Las Vegas, NV
November 14-17
Booth 1623

Meet the Ceatus team at Booth 1623 to learn how to maximize your Internet marketing ROI at AAO in Las Vegas!

Greater New York Dental Meeting

New York, NY
November 29- December 2
Booth 5123

See how you can give your Internet strategy a smile makeover by visiting Ceatus at booth 5123. We look forward to increasing your conversion rate and bringing new patients to your door!

You Did What? Off-the-Grid Adventures

Go in search of the Big Five in Africa, skydive off Mt. Everest (the highest point on earth), swim with great whites in the famous Isla de Guadalupe, Mexico, hike the Himalayas or literally “go off the grid” with an expedition through a desolate and icy North Pole. Start exploring!

1. Hike the Great Himalaya Trail

Nepal

This recently inaugurated trail is made up of a network of existing paths traversing Nepal. It will eventually form part of a 4,500-km (2,800-mile) “super trail” linking Bhutan and Pakistan. The existing 1,700km Nepal section divides into smaller routes passing in sight of eight of the world’s 8,000-meter (26,247ft-plus) peaks and through some of the world’s most remote villages. The trail crosses mountain passes up to 6,000 meters in altitude while climbing a total of 150,000 meters.

When to Go:
Mid-February to July.

Go with:
World Expeditions

Price Tag:
The fully escorted 152-day trek with World Expeditions costs $28,990. Prices include airport transfers, expert mountain guides, site entry fees, porters, trekking permits, equipment and all meals and internal flights.

2. Swim with Great White Sharks

Isla de Guadalupe, Mexico

There’s no place quite like Mexico’s Guadalupe Island. Where else can you dive with great whites in crystal-clear water that allows you to see sharks approaching from a distance? With sparse vegetation and curtains of fog that roll off it, this cragged, volcanic outcropping some 160 miles off the west coast of Baja is the perfect backdrop to great white encounters.

When to Go:
August through October is peak season for seeing great whites off Guadalupe.

Go with:
Great White Adventures

Price Tag:
Total price including 3 days of cage diving, taxes, all food and alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages, and round-trip transfers from San Diego to Ensenada is US$3,219 (excluding gear, national park fee and Mexican visa).

3. Safari at Kruger National Park

South Africa

A game drive in search of the so-called Big Five — lions, leopards, Cape buffalo, elephants, and rhinos — is only the start to this South African six-night safari. The trip fee also includes internal flights, park fees and all-inclusive three-night accommodations at Ulusaba Rock Lodge, followed by the Royal Malewane (also three nights).

When to Go:
Game-viewing is best in the dry season (May to September), when animals can be seen coming to drink at water holes. Expect cool mornings and warm days.

Go with:
Perfect Africa

Price Tag:
Perfect Africa’s customized vacations vary in price, ranging from US$3,000 to US$7,000

4. Skydive Mt. Everest

Nepal

On October 4, 2008, Wendy Smith and Omar Alhegelan leapt out of a Pilatus Porter PC6 to become the first people to skydive in front of Mt. Everest. Over the next couple of days, a total of 50 solos and 19 tandem descents were made. With further success in both 2009 and 2010, this adventure to beat all others was here to stay. The Everest 2011 Skydive Expedition includes a trek from Kathmandu to the world’s highest drop zone.

When to Go:
October

Go with:
Everest Skydive

Price Tag:
Solo Skydivers: $25,000 (One Jump over Syangboche and 1 Jump over Ama Dablam Base Camp)
Tandem Skydivers: $35,000 (1 Tandem over Syangboche and Observation Visit to Ama Dablam Base Camp)

5. Arctic Icebreaker Expedition

Canadian High Arctic and Greenland

Crunch through packed ice and take helicopter flights and zodiac trips for a thrilling view of the expansive Arctic Ocean. Get up close and personal with polar bears, penguins and walruses while riding in a nuclear-powered ice-breaker ship.

When to Go:
Aug. 22- Sept. 8

Go with:
Quark Expeditions

Price Tag:
18 days from US$26,395