The Four C’s of Professional SEO for your Dental Practice Website – Part 4 – Conversions

Pop Quiz:

Which of the following is most important to the bottom line of your dental practice business?

A.  Higher rankings in Google

B.  More traffic on your website

C.  More links to your website.

D.  More patients in your appointment book

I won’t insult you by pointing out the obvious answer to the question.  However, I will point out that 80% of the dentistry practice websites that I have viewed do not address this problem appropriately.  Read on to find out how to graduate to the next level of internet marketing.

Why did I save this post as the finale of this series on the categories of professional SEO?  Because it is by far the most critical and the most often left neglected.  It is the bottom line.  It is what pays the bills.  It is “Conversions.”

A “Conversion” for the sake of this post is the act of converting a website visitor to a patient of your dental practice.  For an e-commerce store it would be the sale of a product and for a charity website it would be a donation to the cause.

It is the most neglected of the four C’s because it is often considered to be the last piece of the puzzle.

Quick Check-Up

Try this:

Navigate to your website and have a look with fresh eyes.  Do not scroll down the page or click on any of the links.  Can you identify without a doubt a clear Call To Action on your screen?  If you can identify the Call to Action this post may not be worth your time.  But if your website is like most that I have seen — read on.

The Call to Action

When we are searching the Internet for the solution to a problem (I have an achy tooth, I need to reach someone that can discuss the cost of Invisalign) we are wanting needing someone to smack us over the head with clear instructions describing how to ENGAGE with your business.

“Contact us Today for a Consultation”

“Get your Smile Analysis Today”

These communicate urgency.  They tell the prospect what to do.  They are clear Calls To Action.

The Offer

Give me a reason to ENGAGE with your business.  Consider the difference between the above and the below:

“Contact us Today for a FREE Initial Consultation”

“Get your complimentary Smile Analysis Today”

As a potential patient, I need to know why I should choose you over your competition and (again) I need to be hit over the head with the message.

Observe the difference between this:

Example of No Offer

Example of No Offer

And this:

Call to Action with Offer

Call to Action with Offer

The Vehicle

Give me as many clear methods of ENGAGEMENT as possible:

-  A phone number

-  A lead form

-  An email address

Make it Accessible

Make these methods of contact available on EVERY page of your website.  When I visit your website I may be ready to fill out a lead form, make a call or send an email immediately.  I also may be interested in reading about your staff, the atmosphere of your practice or finding more information about your location or the services you provide.

At any point while investigating your practice I may decide that you are the dentist for me.  It is at this point that you must have these methods of Conversion available.  Make it available on EVERY page.

By signing up for the free eNewsletter you will get access to the video “6 Proven Methods to Generate Dental Patients From Your Website.”  In this video I show two websites that are doing a phenomenal job at displaying Calls to Action and Conversion Methods.

As always let me know if you have questions by contacting me here or leaving a comment on this post.

February 10, 2009    Posted in: Converting Traffic to Patients, Four C's of SEO

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