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Raising your profile on the internet can seem a somewhat daunting task if you are inexperienced. Steve Barnes, CEO of the leading online search specialists, Infoserve, guides you through the potential minefield of online marketing

March 2009 - As featured in Dental Practice Magazine

Finding a dentist in the internet haystack

As more and more people turn to the internet to find local businesses and services, it’s certainly worth looking to see where your business would feature if someone was trying to find you under your practice’s name or as a general search for a dentist in the area.

There is enormous growth in online local search as people move away from traditional paper directories so, if you’re not easily found, the chances are the competitor around the corner will be and you could be losing out.

For those who get confused by all the internet jargon, increasing your online presence may seem a hopeless task. The trick is to understand how people search before thinking of the best ways to get noticed online.

How people search for your business

A staggering 86% of people search for local services, such as a dentist, in a certain town or city. This means a potential customer looking for “teeth whitening” in “Taunton” presents a priceless opportunity for a dentist if they’ve tailored their marketing to this service and locality.

Unlike conventional advertising which pumps out messages hoping people will eventually buy, you can be certain that if someone is searching for a particular product or service supplied by you they are either interested in finding out more or want to buy it there and then.

Armed with an understanding of how people search, the next step is to consider how best to promote yourself. Below are four key approaches which take full advantage of the dramatic growth of online local search.

Getting noticed online

1. How does your business rate on online directories?

With paper directories and phonebooks becoming a thing of the past, potential customers are turning to online directories. The best results can be found by registering on different types of directories – those that are locally focused as well as industry specific ones.

Local directories, such as www.city-visitor.com, list businesses in a certain geographical area. They have the added advantage of being found on the first pages of search engines.

More industry specific directories focus on a certain type of business, such as www.getmeadentist.co.uk. Offering more of a guide to the industry, they can include details of particular treatments and enable customers to drill down on their specific requirements – be it veneers, teeth whitening or emergency dental treatment.

It’s also surprising how many businesses fail to take advantage of free directory listings, so it’s worth shopping around and seeing what may work best for you and your local area.

2. Why is it so important to have a website?

A website is one of the most cost effective forms of advertising and can really set you apart from the competition. From opening times to directions, specialist treatments to emergency advice and in-house facilities, you can publicise everything your practice has to offer.

It also means that you are never actually closed - anybody can find out what they need to know 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can set up your own website – there are lots of online guides - but there are plenty of companies like us who can build, and help improve, your website for you from as little as a few hundred pounds for the whole thing, including design and copywriting.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

In a nutshell, Search Engine Optimization means modifying the content of your website to feature relevant, specific search terms. When someone then searches for a particular term, the internet is scanned for relevant content and your website will be indexed in the search engine results.

Although it’s a simplistic view, the more tailored the content of your website to specific search terms, the higher you naturally rank in the search engine results, meaning it’s a good long-term strategy for increasing your online presence.

Once you have the basic SEO measures in place, there are many other tricks of the trade to boost your position but it’s worth remembering that with SEO, there are no quick fixes and appearing in the top results in a Google or Yahoo! search takes time and patience, and will be a never ending task.

Learning to describe your business using the words that potential customers are likely to use is a good starting point, so if you wanted the highest possible search engine position when customers looked for “Root canal Treatment” in “Romsey”, you would need to tailor your website to these key words.

4. Search Engine Advertising and Pay Per Click campaigns

Search Engine Advertising enables you to appear next to results when someone searches for specific search terms. One of the most well-known types is “Pay Per Click” (PPC) advertising, where you only pay when a visitor clicks on your ad and is directed to your website.

PPC can produce instant results that can be measured, making it one of the most popular choices around and a well-controlled campaign can see an excellent return on investment. Costs vary depending on the popularity of the specific search terms but you have tight control of your budget, ensuring you only spend what you can afford.

Again, you can run these campaigns yourself, or, as most businesses do, get a Google Authorised AdWords Reseller such as ourselves to do all the work for you. They can design and run your campaign, updating and modifying your search terms on a regular basis to ensure you get value from every click.

Worth considering?

Most likely, you may not have even considered an online marketing plan, but with more potential patients looking for dental treatment going on line to search for and compare, the competition is wide open.

The industry is swamped with companies who offer to run your online marketing campaigns for you, including ourselves, so it really is worth getting some advice on how best to increase your online presence. The bottom line is that structured online marketing can really help raise your practice’s profile. More importantly, it can help improve your performance - and crucially - your profit.

If you need any further help or advice our team of experts are on hand at Infoserve to answer your questions on freefone 0800 089 0869.

Case study:

The All Smiles Private Dental Practice in Bromley has been providing first class dental treatments in the Bromley area for more than 50 years and over that time it has built an excellent reputation for its expertise and customer care on a wide range of treatments.

Two and a half years ago, Dr Ashish Deved bought the practice and the modern approach of Dr Deved and his dental team not only introduced new techniques but it also changed the practice’s approach to marketing. Instead of using traditional methods of advertising, the budget is almost exclusively devoted to online local search.

The switch came as soon as Dr Deved bought the practice when he was approached by Infoserve and was persuaded that the internet would provide a much more cost effective way of marketing the practice and generating enquiries.

Today, the All Smiles Private Dental Practice has a major presence on leading search engines such as Google, www.city-visitor.com and www.getmeadentist.co.uk, as a result of its Priority Listings and Sponsored Links, is one of the first to be seen when potential clients type in ‘dentists in Bromley’.

In addition, Dr Deved and his team work closely with Infoserve to ensure the practice’s website is optimised so that it also appears on the front page of Google when people are looking for dentists in the area.

According to Dr Deved, there are a number of benefits he has identified since he made the move to the Internet.

“The obvious one is that it is highly relevant. After all people would not be looking for dental practice in our area online unless they wanted to use one. Newspaper advertising on the other hand can be a lottery because someone has to be looking for dentist that day in order for it to be relevant. If they want one a week or so later they may not remember your advertisement.

“People searching online can also find out so much more about your company, as they can click straight through to your website. Once at your site it will inform them of everything they need to now about your experience and specialisms, as well as your contact details.

“However, to ensure you maintain a high visibility online presence it is essential you keep working on it. Creating a website is one thing but making sure people visit it is essential.

“As all my enquiries and new clients come from the Internet it really is money well spent.

Download a copy of the original Dental Practice Magazine Article in PDF format.

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