Enter Web 2.0.

I know what you are thinking…   “I am not even Web 1.0 yet, much less Web 2.0.”

Don’t worry, there is an extremely simple way to graduate your dental website into the Web 2.0 era and its name is Wordpress.

Web 2.0 implies that the content of your dental website is fresh, up to date and interactive.  Wordpress gives you all of these things and it is very easy to use (see the video below).

Wordpress spent its younger years perfecting the blogging platform.  The blog you are reading right now is built on the Wordpress platform.  In fact, most of the blogs you are reading are probably built on the Wordpress platform.  It became popular because of the following attributes:

-  It is FREE!

-  It is ridiculously easy to use

-  It is extremely friendly to search engines

-  It is open source and there are tens of thousands of people adding great applications to it every day.

Over the last couple of years Wordpress has become much more than a blogging platform.  It is an entire Content Management System that can be used to manipulate nearly every element of your website with a couple of clicks.

Don’t believe me??  Watch this short video showing you how easy it is to add content to your Wordpress site.

Web 2.0 Advantages of Using Wordpress

Control Your Own Design — Controlling the design elements on your website is just as simple as adding text content. Swap images in and out, add video, change the header image of your site all without knowing a lick of HTML or CSS.

Add Fresh Content — The search engines absolutely love websites that are adding fresh content to the web. If the search engine returns to your website time after time to find the same old stale content, it will not visit very often. The search engine will also start to think of your website as outdated and potentially full of misinformation. This is not the kind of search results Google and the others like to return for the searcher. Adding fresh content to your website using Wordpress is the most healthy action you can be taking for your website.

RSS — RSS stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication.’ RSS is built in to every Wordpress design and it allows you to send your content out to anyone that is subscribing to your RSS feed. It is Web 2.0 at its finest. RSS subscribers can get your content where they want it and when they want it.

For those that are wondering why anyone would want to have your content about the latest piece of dental equipment in your office beamed to them via RSS, you are missing the point. RSS is a way for your content to become portable. It builds links back to your website and alerts search engines and social media sites to the fact that you have a fresh and up to date website.

Plug-Ins —  A plug-in is an application that can be easily added to a Content Management System.  Wordpress has thousands of them.  Add scrolling images, a calendar, a contact form, and virtually anything else you can possibly think of.  If you need it, chances are that someone has already created it and it is available for free.

Check out all of the Wordpress Plugins here.

Below is a link to an example website that is using Wordpress as a Content Management System:

http://www.naplesgreenbuilders.com/

Virtually everything on this site can be manipulated as easily as the text that was shown in the video above.

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

The search engines do it by sending a search engine “spider” (automated program) to your website to “index” the content on your site. They then return and dump your content into their index to be categorized. Your job as a website owner and my job as an SEO is to make it as easy as possible for the search engine to index and categorize your site.

“AH HA! This page is about crowns!”
“AH HA! This page is about porcelain veneers!”

This video has some great examples of sites that are making it hard on Google and the others by not including enough content. If you want a real crisp and clear version of this video you can click here.

Check out your site in SEO Browser and ’see what the search engine sees.’

If you are seeing that you have no content for the search engines to index, you have an easy fix. Add some good, keyword rich HTML content to your site. Consider moving your site to a platform that makes it easy for you to add content to your site. Wordpress is the most SEO friendly and user friendly system available and it is FREE! Wordpress will give you the ability to add fresh content to your site with just a couple of clicks.

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

The tools creator is Andy Beal, a very well respected member of the online marketing community.

Here is what Andy Beal had to say about online marketing for dentists and doctors as well as comments about his new online reputation management tool – Trackur.

I’d encourage most medical professionals to start with a close look at their own web site design and messaging. Most doctor and dentist web sites tend to be little more than a brochure for their business; who they are, where they studied, what they specialize in, and, how to find their office. That’s great information, for existing patients, who just need to know the basic information, but does little to brand you as an expert in your field.

Make sure you web site has pages that talk about your happy clients (we all want to see a doctor that has many happy patients) and don’t underestimate the importance of a professional web design. Just as in real life, you only get one chance to make a first impression. A web site that looks professional, shows you care about your patients, and demonstrates your expertise. It will go a long way in improving that first impression.

Make sure your web site is optimized for Google and the other search engines. I’d recommend picking up a copy of “Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day” if you want detailed advice on how to do that. Or, you could pick up a copy of my book (Radically Transparent) and read the chapter on using Google to improve your online reputation. Either way, your goal is to ensure that your web site is optimized for the keywords people are actually entering into Google–such as “cosmetic dentist in Chicago”–and that you’re getting other web sites to link to your web site.

With that task completed, I would carefully consider which social media to engage. It’s tempting to start a blog or jump on Twitter (a hybrid of a social network and instant messenger) but I’d suggest some analysis first. In Radically Transparent we discuss the need to find your customers’ (or in this case, patients’) “centers of influence.” What web sites do they visit, when looking for a recommendation for a GP? What blogs or forums do they read when looking for reviews of dentists? For example, we find that most doctors should pay more attention to Health Grades than Facebook.

If you’re willing to set aside the time needed, adding a blog to your web site is a great way to increase your visibility online and improve your reputation. If you specialize in cardiology, then why not create a blog that discusses the latest advances in heart care or heart attack prevention? Perhaps post weekly tips on how to reduce your cholesterol or lower your blood pressure. Not only will these blog posts allow potential patients to see your expertise, but they will also likely show up in Google’s search results or attract the attention of other bloggers–who will send their readers to your web site.

3. What is Trackur?

Trackur is an affordable yet powerful tool for monitoring the internet for any mention of your name, company, and overall reputation. It scours millions of web pages every day and if it discovers a blog or review that mentions your name, it alerts you–allowing you to decide whether to respond or not. Consider it a reputation insurance policy–while you tend to patients and clients, Trackur keeps a watchful eye on your internet reputation.

Google Alerts is very limited in its capabilities. For one thing, it only provides alerts for items found via one of Google’s channels–Trackur scans Google and dozens of additional web channels. In addition, Trackur offers an easy to use dashboard, smart filtering, and we even display the “influence” score of someone discussing your reputation–things that Google Alerts is not able to offer.

Check out Trackurs features versus those of Google Alerts:

5. What tips could you give those in the professional services industry when setting up there first Trackur account?

When you enter your first keyword search on Trackur–perhaps the name of your practice–Trackur will provide you with a snapshot of conversations that include your brand. With very small–or very new–practices there may be only a handful of results found by Trackur. Don’t be fooled into a false sense of security! Just because your reputation is not being discussed now, that doesn’t mean an unhappy client/patient isn’t getting ready to write a scathing blog post. So, be sure to “save” your search on Trackur so that our powerful technology can start monitoring the web every day for any new mention of your reputation.

Other great uses for Trackur include:

-Monitor industry news and announcements

-Keep a close eye on your competitors

-Watch for feedback on drug interactions/reactions

-Discover new blogs or forums you should be reading to improve your own knowledge

With Trackur we offer a free 14-day trial, so you can check it out and see for yourself just how valuable it is. If anyone has a question about Trackur, then I’d invite them to send us an email.

Check out the free video demonstration of this online reputation management tool at trackur.com.