Jonathan's Web Marketing Blog
4.05.2007
Layers of Information
People visiting your website usually have a question about one of your services. They are hungry for information. The trouble is that some people are hungrier than others. So, how do you avoid "over feeding" one person while also avoiding "starving" the other person? The answer is to layer the information. Use multiple pages of information that will allow the visitor to dig as deep as they want to.
So, if you're a plastic surgeon that wants to market to potential breast augmentation patients online, you should address all aspects of breast augmentation by structuring your information in layers:
You don't have to add all of these pages at one time, and in fact, adding them
gradually with show the search engines that your website is growing all the time. Good pages to start with are the top level general page, an FAQ (frequently asked questions) page, and a before and after gallery page.
It's important to note that since the search engines choose which pages will show up on the search engines, we have to be careful to present the information in such a way that navigating to the other pages is easy, and that the visitor can easily understand what to do if they get dropped into a page that is a third level, and they just want top level information. Don't make the visitor think. It has to be easy to navigate around your site.
The added bonus to layered, deep content is that it gives your search engine optimization specialist multiple pages of content to work with, thereby making your search engine placement more successful.
I used plastic surgeons as an example in this post, but this concept applies to any type of website.
So, if you're a plastic surgeon that wants to market to potential breast augmentation patients online, you should address all aspects of breast augmentation by structuring your information in layers:
Top level: Breast Augmentation - general, "at a glance", information that links to sub pages below:
Second Level - Breast Augmentation Options
---Third Level - Breast implant shapes and textures
---Third Level - Incision options and implant placement
---Third Level - The risks of breast augmentation
---Third Level - "Is breast augmentation right for me? Am I a candidate?"
You don't have to add all of these pages at one time, and in fact, adding them
gradually with show the search engines that your website is growing all the time. Good pages to start with are the top level general page, an FAQ (frequently asked questions) page, and a before and after gallery page.It's important to note that since the search engines choose which pages will show up on the search engines, we have to be careful to present the information in such a way that navigating to the other pages is easy, and that the visitor can easily understand what to do if they get dropped into a page that is a third level, and they just want top level information. Don't make the visitor think. It has to be easy to navigate around your site.
The added bonus to layered, deep content is that it gives your search engine optimization specialist multiple pages of content to work with, thereby making your search engine placement more successful.
I used plastic surgeons as an example in this post, but this concept applies to any type of website.
Labels: Content, Content Freshness, For Attorneys, For Dentists, For Ophthalmologists, For Plastic Surgeons, Optimization, Visitor Conversion
posted by Jonathan Fashbaugh
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4.03.2007
Can Your Website Support SEO For Your Keywords?
Most people understand that search engine optimization has something to do with keywords, but few people understand the importance of a website's content and structure when embarking on a search engine marketing campaign.
Your website must have the content to support search engine optimization. Because the search engines are interested in serving up only the most relevant web pages for any given search, a single page of content that lists out your services is not going to present itself as an information resource. Each service that you offer should be presented with a minimum of one page of quality content. Services or practice areas that you consider to be more important than others in your practice should have several pages.
Having these pages of content allows the optimizer working on your site to focus the search engine optimization on one or two terms per page instead of optimizing each page for all of the keywords that you would like to target.
Your website must have the content to support search engine optimization. Because the search engines are interested in serving up only the most relevant web pages for any given search, a single page of content that lists out your services is not going to present itself as an information resource. Each service that you offer should be presented with a minimum of one page of quality content. Services or practice areas that you consider to be more important than others in your practice should have several pages.
Having these pages of content allows the optimizer working on your site to focus the search engine optimization on one or two terms per page instead of optimizing each page for all of the keywords that you would like to target.
Labels: Content, Optimization
posted by Jonathan Fashbaugh
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1.30.2007
Website On A Mission: Supply Useful Content
Content is arguably the most important part of your website. All the classy website design work in the world won't bring you a single patient if the site doesn't have an informational backbone.
Many doctors and web marketing lawyers are attracted to the stereotypical "high-end" website that has motion-graphics and music, all contained in a nice, neat little window. The problem is that both human visitors and search engines have problems with these sites.
Humans are frustrated by these designs because they have to wait through an animation and decipher navigation elements that are sometimes cryptically simple (think "Artistic Creations" in lieu of "Our Services"), only to find that the only information available is a list of services with little or no information about the services themselves.
Humans use the web because they are in search of information. Sure they want to find someone who provides the service that you have to offer, but before they make the decision to contact you, they want to have their preliminary questions answered. If your site doesn't do that, they'll click back to the Google results and find a site that does have the answers. Guess who they'll contact when they're ready to move forward? The practice whose website answered their questions.
Search engines have problems with these "greeting card" or "online brochure" websites because first, they are harder to spider because they are usually constructed with Flash animation technology, which isn't very search engine-friendly. Search engines like Google also tend to discount these sites because it is painfully obvious that either the information that they offer is either scant or painfully hard to access by design. The search engines want to supply their users with information that is high in quality and easily accessible.
When crafting the content for your website be thorough above all. There's no need to be obnoxiously verbose, but do be detailed. If you don't care to have elongated pages, you can simplify the look by creating your content in layers of detail, offering overview pages that click to additional pages of depth on each of the topics in your site. Just be careful not to needlessly complicate your website's navigation.
Each topic that you mention on your website should have at least one full page devoted to it. For more important areas of your site, add as many pages as you can in a logically organized manner, and continue to add content to those areas on a regular basis.
Your site should be so useful that it actually helps you educate prospects for your practice. You can send links to people interested in your services. When your site is easily the most informative in your geographic market, it will be a more logical choice as the search engines evaluate all of the candidates.
Many doctors and web marketing lawyers are attracted to the stereotypical "high-end" website that has motion-graphics and music, all contained in a nice, neat little window. The problem is that both human visitors and search engines have problems with these sites.
Humans are frustrated by these designs because they have to wait through an animation and decipher navigation elements that are sometimes cryptically simple (think "Artistic Creations" in lieu of "Our Services"), only to find that the only information available is a list of services with little or no information about the services themselves.
Humans use the web because they are in search of information. Sure they want to find someone who provides the service that you have to offer, but before they make the decision to contact you, they want to have their preliminary questions answered. If your site doesn't do that, they'll click back to the Google results and find a site that does have the answers. Guess who they'll contact when they're ready to move forward? The practice whose website answered their questions.
Search engines have problems with these "greeting card" or "online brochure" websites because first, they are harder to spider because they are usually constructed with Flash animation technology, which isn't very search engine-friendly. Search engines like Google also tend to discount these sites because it is painfully obvious that either the information that they offer is either scant or painfully hard to access by design. The search engines want to supply their users with information that is high in quality and easily accessible.
When crafting the content for your website be thorough above all. There's no need to be obnoxiously verbose, but do be detailed. If you don't care to have elongated pages, you can simplify the look by creating your content in layers of detail, offering overview pages that click to additional pages of depth on each of the topics in your site. Just be careful not to needlessly complicate your website's navigation.
Each topic that you mention on your website should have at least one full page devoted to it. For more important areas of your site, add as many pages as you can in a logically organized manner, and continue to add content to those areas on a regular basis.
Your site should be so useful that it actually helps you educate prospects for your practice. You can send links to people interested in your services. When your site is easily the most informative in your geographic market, it will be a more logical choice as the search engines evaluate all of the candidates.
Labels: Content, For Attorneys, For Dentists
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
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