Jonathan's Web Marketing Blog
9.22.2008
Is Your Website Staying In Shape?
I just got done playing a game of basketball with a few of the guys from Page 1 out in back of our building. If you know me, you'll know that this is a hell-freezing-over kind of event. Here's a pic of me with one of the guys, Matthew from our writing department. I'm the, shall we say, "jolly" guy on the right. Today's game we played to 11.
I want to die right now.
I'm just not in shape at all, and boy did I pay for it. Your practice pays for it too if your website isn't in good shape. If you don't pay regular attention to your site, your results will atrophy and your search engine listings will slump. Here are some tips for keeping your website in shape:
Regular tracking and reporting - You don't know what you don't know. Don't invest in web marketing if you don't plan on tracking your investment.
Add content - Search engines appreciate websites that are growing resources. Add a blog to your website and blog at least once a week (or have someone blog for you). Also, add at least one page of content to your website every month. A full page represents a substantial addition of content that your search engine optimization team can work with.
Promote your website - The search engines look at your website's reputation on the Internet in terms of links. The number of links going into your websites influences the amount of credibility that the search engines assign to your site. The more links the better. You likely don't have the time to do this yourself, but make sure that your practice (or your search engine marketing company) sends out regular press releases or informative articles to third party websites in exchange for a link going into your site.
We all know that exercise is hard work, but we also know that it pays dividends in health. Search engine marketing is also hard work, and the reality is that most of your competitors' websites are out of shape. If your practice puts in the hard work, you'll pull ahead of your competitors on the search engines.
The search engine optimization / exercising metaphor breaks down in one major way. I only wish that I could pay someone to exercise for me.
I want to die right now.
I'm just not in shape at all, and boy did I pay for it. Your practice pays for it too if your website isn't in good shape. If you don't pay regular attention to your site, your results will atrophy and your search engine listings will slump. Here are some tips for keeping your website in shape:
Regular tracking and reporting - You don't know what you don't know. Don't invest in web marketing if you don't plan on tracking your investment.
Add content - Search engines appreciate websites that are growing resources. Add a blog to your website and blog at least once a week (or have someone blog for you). Also, add at least one page of content to your website every month. A full page represents a substantial addition of content that your search engine optimization team can work with.
Promote your website - The search engines look at your website's reputation on the Internet in terms of links. The number of links going into your websites influences the amount of credibility that the search engines assign to your site. The more links the better. You likely don't have the time to do this yourself, but make sure that your practice (or your search engine marketing company) sends out regular press releases or informative articles to third party websites in exchange for a link going into your site.
We all know that exercise is hard work, but we also know that it pays dividends in health. Search engine marketing is also hard work, and the reality is that most of your competitors' websites are out of shape. If your practice puts in the hard work, you'll pull ahead of your competitors on the search engines.
The search engine optimization / exercising metaphor breaks down in one major way. I only wish that I could pay someone to exercise for me.
posted by Jonathan Fashbaugh
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9.18.2008
Internet Marketing Keywords
One of the first steps in embarking on a Internet marketing campaign is the creation of a keyword list. This is a list of the keywords and phrases that you will target for 1st-page listings on the search engines.
Establishing a definitive list will help you identify your goals and give you a direction to go in with your optimization. Your keyword list will also tell you whether or not your website will support search engine optimization for all of your terms. If you have a keyword on your list for which you have no content, then you'll need to add a page for that keyword in order to show up on the search engines for that term or phrase.
Developing your keyword list requires some thought and research. Start with your practice's priorities. What areas of your practice do you want to market on the search engines? Identify permutations of those keywords. For example, if you're a plastic surgeon, in addition to "breast augmentation", add "breast enlargement" and "breast implants" to your list.
Make sure that your Internet marketing company uses online keyword tools like Google's Keyword Selector tool to identify which keywords and phrases are used the most. Did you know that while most attorneys like to target "auto accident attorney" terms, "car accident lawyer" actually receives more than twice the search traffic. Doing this kind of research will make sure that you don't overload your list with keywords that receive little or no searches. An overloaded list will decrease your overall performance by weighing down your website's search engine optimization. Google won't be able to tell what your true priorities are, so you'll maybe show up for "car wreck lawyer" which is less competitive, but not for "car accident lawyer".
The terms on your keyword list should also be geographically specific. Don't optimize your website for just "Cosmetic Dentist". That's a huge battle that will require serious investment for which you won't see a good enough return. If you're a cosmetic dentist in Washington D.C., you don't want to try to get in front of the people in California who search for a broad phrase like "Cosmetic Dentist". Instead you want your keyword phrases to be geo-targeted, like "Washington D.C. Cosmetic Dentist". Every phrase on your list should be prefaced with the name of your city. A suffix-oriented list, i.e. "Cosmetic Dentist San Francisco", is also a valid strategy. Target only the most widely searched locale names. Don't bother targeting small suburb names because again you run the risk of showing up for the suburbs and not the greater metro name.
Your keyword list should be complete, but lean, covering the scope of your practice without a lot of fluff. A good keyword list will act as a strong foundation for your search engine marketing campaign. It's worth devoting some significant thought.
Establishing a definitive list will help you identify your goals and give you a direction to go in with your optimization. Your keyword list will also tell you whether or not your website will support search engine optimization for all of your terms. If you have a keyword on your list for which you have no content, then you'll need to add a page for that keyword in order to show up on the search engines for that term or phrase.
Developing your keyword list requires some thought and research. Start with your practice's priorities. What areas of your practice do you want to market on the search engines? Identify permutations of those keywords. For example, if you're a plastic surgeon, in addition to "breast augmentation", add "breast enlargement" and "breast implants" to your list.
Make sure that your Internet marketing company uses online keyword tools like Google's Keyword Selector tool to identify which keywords and phrases are used the most. Did you know that while most attorneys like to target "auto accident attorney" terms, "car accident lawyer" actually receives more than twice the search traffic. Doing this kind of research will make sure that you don't overload your list with keywords that receive little or no searches. An overloaded list will decrease your overall performance by weighing down your website's search engine optimization. Google won't be able to tell what your true priorities are, so you'll maybe show up for "car wreck lawyer" which is less competitive, but not for "car accident lawyer".
The terms on your keyword list should also be geographically specific. Don't optimize your website for just "Cosmetic Dentist". That's a huge battle that will require serious investment for which you won't see a good enough return. If you're a cosmetic dentist in Washington D.C., you don't want to try to get in front of the people in California who search for a broad phrase like "Cosmetic Dentist". Instead you want your keyword phrases to be geo-targeted, like "Washington D.C. Cosmetic Dentist". Every phrase on your list should be prefaced with the name of your city. A suffix-oriented list, i.e. "Cosmetic Dentist San Francisco", is also a valid strategy. Target only the most widely searched locale names. Don't bother targeting small suburb names because again you run the risk of showing up for the suburbs and not the greater metro name.
Your keyword list should be complete, but lean, covering the scope of your practice without a lot of fluff. A good keyword list will act as a strong foundation for your search engine marketing campaign. It's worth devoting some significant thought.
posted by Jonathan Fashbaugh
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Web Marketing Consultant:
Jonathan Fashbaugh
A cache of internet marketing insights from Jonathan Fashbaugh, a consultant at Page 1 Solutions. Check back frequently for great web marketing ideas for cosmetic dentists, personal injury lawyers, plastic surgeons, and ophthalmologists.
Favorite Internet Marketing Posts
- Closing The Book On The Yellow Pages
- "Law Office"
- Where Do Directories Fit In?
- The Too Busy Signal
- Clarifying the Importance of Links
- Multiple Websites As A Search Engine Marketing Strategy
- Layers of Information
- How to Shop for A Web Marketing Firm - Going Beyond Price
Previous Web Marketing Posts
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- Is Your Website A Work Of Online Art?
- Closing the Book on the Yellow Pages
- Web Marketing In The Presidential Race
- Video in Web Marketing
- Page 1 Creeps Out For Halloween 2008
- Pay-Per-Click Advertising In Web Marketing
- Is Your Website Staying In Shape?
- Internet Marketing Keywords
- Your New Marketing Person
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