Google recently announced a significant change to their index that could mean big things for dentists. Mobile-friendly websites are no longer a feature; they are now a requirement. Responsive designs are paramount because mobile users, especially those looking for local businesses like a dental practice, have surpassed the number of desktop users.

Few things will make a mobile user back out of your website faster than a website that wasn’t designed to load on their device. Sites designed purely with 16- to 30-inch monitors in mind are a lot different in layout from something made for a smartphone.

A question we are frequently asked is, “How does Google decide how to rank our dental practice?” It’s a great question with a complex answer. While there are hundreds factors that impact ranking, only some of which you have control over, one of the most important is domain authority.

Domain authority is essentially a popularity contest, as it’s an indicator of the quality and trustworthiness of your site. If you’re unfamiliar with the topic, start by throwing in your homepage into this domain authority checker.

What’s the first step of an internet marketing campaign for a dentist? For most, it’s creating and optimizing your dental practice’s Google My Business page.

Google My Business (GMB) is the free online tool for telling search engines all about your dental practice. Think of it as Google’s personal phone book, providing your website, contact information, and reviews of your practice to patients and potential patients.

Many dentists approach their online marketing haphazardly, having no design to their strategy. Starting from the top level, what are the most important areas that are essential to have a plan in place? Take a look at the checklist below and see if you’re online marketing is headed the right direction.

You might not like it, but social media has changed the landscape forever. Even for a dental practice, social media has made a big impact in the way that other patients send referrals and engage with the practice.

For most of my life, “word-of-mouth” referrals have always been one of the most valuable tools for dental clients. They still are, but we must recognize that social media has displaced word-of-mouth marketing, and it is now one of the best ways to help patients hear about you and your practice.