Jonathan's Web Marketing Blog

I was privileged enough to talk with some terrific doctors and staff members at the LVI Regional meeting in Milwaukee today. Here are some photos!

Labels: For Dentists

I'm in Milwaukee at an LVI regional meeting today, and I'm having a great time. There is so much energy in the room, listening to the clinical instructors talk about how LVI changed their practices and their lives. See photos here.

Labels: For Dentists

When I get calls and emails from people in the southern part of New Jersey, the client and I are faced with a bit of a predicament. I would liken it to a planet's gravitational pull. People in South Jersey, especially Southwestern New Jersey, who are searching for professional services online, do not search for New Jersey terms.

There's a common-sense psychology to search engine marketing strategy that most people don't realize. Even if someone lives several miles outside of Philadelphia (or any major metropolitan area), even if they live across a nearby state line as in our South Jersey scenario, they will still tend to search using the broader term because they are narrowing their search, starting broad, and ending narrow. It's for this reason that statewide searches, while seemingly desirable, are not as important as the major metropolitan search (in this case Philadelphia for New Jersey even though Philadelphia isn't part of New Jersey).

Occasionally, the users will assume that they have to drive into the city in order to see the best doctor/lawyer, so they will do a search for something like "philadelphia cosmetic surgeon". When they find someone who is near them and whose website they connected with, they are likely to email that doctor.

In general, it doesn't hurt to optimize for a couple smaller locations along with the major metropolitan area (i.e. Trenton in addition to Philadelphia), but you don't want to try to optimize your entire website for every bedroom community out there. The search engines won't understand which phrase is most important, and they won't see that you intend to appeal to any specific location. Consequently, you'll likely only show up for the least competitive, least desirable searches.

Instead, you can pick up the lesser areas with an inexpensive pay-per-click campaign if you absolutely have to be there when that rare search comes about. You can also use a page or two of content that is focused on that area and optimize that page for that specific locale, but that's another blog entry.



So, whether you're in Philadephia or not, whether you're a plastic surgeon, a cosmetic dentist, a lasik surgeon, or an attorney, be sure to prioritize the locations that you will target with your website marketing starting with the major metropolitan area and expanding to smaller location names only as necessary.

Labels: For Attorneys, For Dentists, For Ophthalmologists, For Plastic Surgeons, Keywords, Optimization

If you have a website, then you've acknowledged the power of marketing to at least some degree. A huge part of marketing is making your practice stand out among the myriad other providers out there. So, why, after having spent time, energy, and maybe even having had Lady Luck herself prompt someone to call you, would you answer the phone in the same way that your competitors answer the phone!?

"Law office."

No kidding? Yes, I know that I called a law office, but who are you? Which office did I call? When the answer to the ring is, "Law office," it makes people uneasy. It feels as though we have to justify to you why we made you pick up the phone. This curt script has got to go.

Instead, have your receptionist use a caring demeanor to answer the phone. Potential clients/patients need your help. Yes, doctors make this mistake too. The receptionist should briefly acknowledge that the caller reached the right number by mentioning your firm's name, and then should go into caring mode. "How can I help you?" is worlds better than, "Law office."

You want the person answering your phones to be memorable, and the most memorable receptionists are personable receptionists. They are people, not telemarketers. Your receptionist should introduce her/himself and refer to the caller by his/her name. Here's a possible transcript of a great call:

Ring, ring!

"Hello, thank you for calling Fukui, Fashbaugh & Espinoza. My name is Jonathan. How can I help you today?"

-Hi, I was in a car accident, and I think I might need a lawyer.

"Okay, thanks for calling us. Your name, please?"

-Mark.

"Thanks, Mark. What's your last name?"

-Miller.

"Great. Mark, if you'll hold on for just a minute, I'm going to transfer you to Michelle, one of our paralegals. She's going to ask you some questions to see how we can help you. Would you please hold?"

-Sure.

"Thank you."

...etc.

This is a much more warm approach to intake. It's also important to note that you should use the same warmth in your email correspondence to prospective clients/patients. Please don't reply to an email inquiry with:

"Call my office to schedule a consultation."

They won't call. They probably received five other similar responses and were put off by each one. Send a more personal response. If you don't have the time or inclination to be more personal, then designate someone in your office as the online intake person. Include links back to your website so that the person remembers who you are and why they emailed you.

Your leads are a precious commodity. If you don't care for them, they will die on the vine and may even spread negative PR about your practice. Guard your investment with a little intake TLC.

Labels: For Attorneys, For Plastic Surgeons, Visitor Conversion

In the month of February, there were more than six thousand searches for "boston attorney" done on Yahoo.com alone - that doesn't include Google, and it doesn't include "boston lawyer". So there's obvious online demand, but did you know that if attorneys aren't careful, they can get in trouble for how they advertise online?

The rules vary by state and are usually set up by the local bar associations, but in some instances the local government controls the rules in the name of consumer protection.

In February, New York lawyer-advertising rules went into effect that mandate that a lawyer's website must be labeled as an advertisement, which many attorneys feel depreciates their websites' credibility.

The Massachusetts Bar Association has rules that state that while an "informational home page" need not be labeled as advertising, a home page that records the identity of the visitor must be labeled as such, and that a copy of the "advertisement" must be retained for two years.

Of course, some rules make perfect sense. The MBA states that, "[a] lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer's services." But then other rules are less clear.

Many states do not allow attorneys to use the words "expert" or "specialist". Many states also don't allow attorneys to make any claim that they provide better service than another attorney in the state. This makes web marketing somewhat difficult. It's in the nature of advertising to present yourself as the best.

The MBA is a more progressive organization in that it does allow an attorney to present him or herself as a "specialist" or "certified" in a particular area of the law.

The bottom line is that attorneys have to be extremely careful not to violate these rules, although the penalties for violations vary significantly from state to state. The disciplinary actions range from fines to disbarment, but there is usually a warning or citation given to the attorney so that he or she has a chance to remedy the situation.

Labels: For Attorneys, Rules - Ethics

A follow-up to yesterday's post - I realized that I left out another danger in working with companies that rent out web space: domain name ownership.

We occasionally have clients who come to us with a website, interested in doing search engine optimization, only to find out that not only do they not own the website, but they don't even own their domain name. It's fairly rare, but when it happens, it's very disappointing. Talk about a double-whammy!

This means that all of the money spent building equity in your domain name has been wasted if you leave the company that rented the site to you. Sometimes the company will offer to sell the domain to you for an exorbitant fee. Depending on how exorbitant it is, it might actually be worth it if you're showing up on some search engine listings.

Domain equity is not something that is easy to accrue, so it's terrible to have to buy a new domain name and start all over. Having said that, don't waste another month paying to promote someone else's domain name. You'll have to bite the bullet. Buy your own domain name. Buy your own website, and tell your colleagues about your mistake so that they don't fall prey to the same problem.

Labels: Domain Names, Online Equity, Optimization

Did you know that you can have a website, but not actually own it!? It's true, and this can bite you in the rear if you bought into a website without the understanding that you're actually leasing the site.

Leasing your site isn't always a bad thing, but in general, when you pay for a website, you should expect to own it. Leasing a design is okay if you just want to throw something up on the web that has your contact information on it. The trouble is, the search engines care very little about your contact information. They care about substance.

Substance takes work. If you pay someone to go through the work of developing new content for you, in my opinion, you should own that content. But this isn't always the case. Read the fine print. Depending upon the marketing firm, you may just be borrowing that content. Moreover, that content may be posted to hundreds of other websites on behalf of hundreds of other professionals like you. So what sets you apart? Is it your website's design?

Chances are, if you pay a monthly fee (aside from a straight-up hosting fee or a search engine optimization fee) for your website, you don't own the design either. You may have even paid a moderately steep "set-up" fee. Even in cases where you paid thousands of dollars up front, you may not own your website. Check your contract.

Not owning your website can mean that you are tied down to the company that originally sold you the site. This company is likely not proficient at search engine optimization, which means that in order for you to start getting great search engine results, you'll need to uproot yourself from the old company, leaving your old website behind, and spend the money to develop a custom website that you actually own, no strings attached. Custom websites cost more, but that's because you're not only paying the web marketing firm for their work, but also paying for the ownership of the end product.

From the search engines' point of view, custom websites are the main event - specifically the original content. If the search engines come to your site and find content that they've found nowhere else, then your site is viewed as an exclusive source of new information. You're not regurgitating someone else's information. You're an information resource. That will get you great search engine listings, and it will make your site more credible to human visitors too.

Labels: Content Freshness, For Dentists, Optimization, Web Design

We were fortunate enough to be able to exhibit at the Hinman Dental Meeting in Atlanta this year. We met a lot of great dentists and vendors. There was a lot of energy at this meeting. Here are some photos to give you a taste of Hinman 2007.

Labels: Conventions, For Dentists

Page 1 Solutions is such a unique company, and I honestly feel lucky to be part of it. We offer a service that is really the right way to go about web marketing. Any other method has some sort of drawback, a common drawback being that many other methods just don't work. Our limited exclusivity also means that our business relationships are closer-knit than what I believe other companies have with their clients. Our account managers take ownership over the success of their clients' websites. They are part of a well-oiled machine whose product is growth and prosperity. Having tooted our horn as I just have, I have to say that we're not for everyone.

I say that with a bit of a smirk, but it's the truth. Here are some reasons why you may not be a good fit as a Page 1 client:

1. You don't see the value of showing up on the search engines OR, in your market, there is not enough value to provide a large enough return on your investment with us.

This is something that we establish when we first start talking with someone about the possibility of working together. Does it make sense? If it's not going to be a mutually beneficial relationship, we won't take the client.

2. Web marketing with Page 1 isn't financially viable for you at this time.

We're not the cheapest company out there. We know that, and we're comfortable with that. If we were cheaper, we couldn't provide the same level of service that we pride ourselves on, and we'd lose clients. That's not something that we're willing to do. We work hard for our fees, and we offer great value in return.

3. You can't trust us to be the experts.

Sometimes people have been burned so many times by marketing companies that don't deliver on promises, that they have trouble taking our advice on what is in their best interests. We only suggest strategies that will be mutually beneficial. If a client can't believe that, then we can't work with that client.

4. Your company isn't within our areas of expertise.

We work with attorneys (primarily personal injury lawyers), plastic surgeons, cosmetic dentists, and ophthalmologists (primarily doctors focusing on refractive surgery). That's not in order of expertise. We're highly adept at working with all of those syndications. One of our biggest selling points is that we know your industry, that is if you're one of those four. If you're not, then we can't do our best for you, and we're only really interested in doing our best. If it's not our best, then it's not mutually beneficial.

If you've made it this far, and you're looking to improve your search engine results, I'm interested in speaking with you. Call me today at 1-800-916-3886, ext 210. If one of those areas raised any red flags, then we're probably not the right fit, but I'm certainly glad to talk with you about the possible problem to see if it's something that we can work past. In the end, we're not in the business of being everything to everyone. We're just looking for some long-term partners in success!

Labels: For Attorneys, For Dentists, Optimization, The Page 1 Team