Your Web Guy Lied To You!

The Google map (those red tags on page 1 for ”dentist in [city]”) already takes up a big chunk of page one and it’s getting bigger. So if you’re not on page one of the local search results, you’re not going to be found. It’s a lot of work to get on the front page of Google organically via your website and concentrating on organic search is not an adequate strategy.

It’s still important to do organic SEO (website optimization) because you still need to have a viable website as a tool to show who you are and your dental work. But you don’t want to just have one strategy and a be a “one trick Pony”! With the trend online going towards the local market, you’re going to want to shift things away from the website towards the maps local listings and making those as powerful as possible. With 90% of local searches on the Internet result in a sale the local map listings are the future of the patient attraction via the Internet. Not to mention 97% of consumers go online to research products and services in their local area (The Kelsey Group).

In fact, your website is probably one of the least important things when it comes to being located on the map. It is a very small percentage that affects the local map listing, while it’s most important to optimize the business listing inside the map. Take in to consideration that making an effective map listing is TOTALLY different skill set that your website optimization. But your web guy/gal is not going to tell you that…they want to keep you as a client. No fault of theirs they just don’t “get” local search, just be aware of that.

I’m not saying forget about your web presence, not at all!!! Your website is a different focus all together and it’s like having two different marketing plans…so the tip of the day is get up to speed using a pro’s guidance on Local Search and start taking advantage of this HUGE opportunity!

See you at the top!!

Graig