Even though many business owners could actually perform most of the tasks required to effectively market their websites, most of them don’t want to, and we don’t think they should.

There’s a lot to learn, and a lot to do, and it’s usually smarter for the business owner to focus on his business and let a website marketing expert focus on the website.  Sure, it will cost some money, but it saves time that is better-utilized in running your practice, which will make you more money than it costs.

If you have spent any time trying to figure it out for yourself you will know what we mean. Trying to teach yourself how to get the most from your website, like most things, takes a lot of time to research and understand and practice with.

Furthermore, the craziness of running a medical practice, with all the changes going on, probably means that you leave the web marketing to the end of the day—and then it’s easy to not do it at all.  Of course, the longer you delay getting your website up and running and honed so that it’s a strong “salesman” for you, the further behind your competitors you may fall.

In addition, one of the paradoxes of the Internet is that there are so many sites out there offering advice and guidance and “how to” articles on website marketing, which can be done in dozens of different ways, that it is easy to be overloaded with information, as a result of which frustration becomes the only thing you actually derive from your efforts to become your own marketing guru.

If you do want to tackle it yourself, here are Seven Steps you can take to optimize the effectiveness of your website:

One

On-page optimization – This hinges on optimizing both the content and the “code” within your website. When the right words are typed into the search bar by the person looking for the products or services you’re offering, then if you have those words (or some of them) in the right places in your website, Google and the other search engines are more likely to rank your site near the top of the search results.

But understanding the process of accomplishing effective “on-page” SEO is not something you can do overnight. There is a science and method to it and it takes a high level of knowledge about how people make their searches online to do this right.

One quick but important tip: yes, you should optimize, but DO NOT “write for the search engines.”  Write for your human, real-life visitors but just do it in the way that can also benefit your optimization when possible.

Two

Content – This is obviously another key aspect to consider when developing your website. A well-written “home page” giving your potential customers a quick and easy direct summary of what you are offering is important.  Doing it in an easy-to-read style that gets to the heart of the matter, is a guaranteed way to ensure you grab your visitor’s attention so she gets further into your site.  The longer she stays on your site, the further down the path towards a sale, an opt-in or an inquiry she’ll go.  (And, the better “signal” it is to the search engines that you have a good site.

Poorly-written content turns people off immediately. If they can’t understand what you are saying in words they can identify with they are not going to hang about for long…and certainly not long enough to make a phone call or schedule a consult.

Obviously, the key here is getting your content composed succinctly and with an easy-reading flow. Again, this might not be your area of expertise…but is for those who are skilled in this aspect of web development.

Three

Keywords – Another vital component of optimizing your web pages. Keywords are again a part of the “code” of your website that developers use to spark a response when customers are searching the net. These keywords are not simply the most common words associated with your service or product but combinations of them.

The topic of keywords is huge, complex, and ever-changing.  Here’s an area that cries out for professional help, especially on the Pay-Per-Click side (where even misspellings can be very effective!)  A lot of money can be spent and wasted very quickly if paid ads aren’t done properly.

Four

Photos and Images – A webpage full of nothing but words is another turn-off. A few appropriate images that reinforce your message are a very effective way to keep people reading and to get them hooked in to what you are offering.  (This is pretty well-understood in the cosmetic surgery business, but worth keeping in mind.

Five

Links – Links from other websites to yours are crucially important in convincing the search engines that your site is relevant and important to the searcher’s query.  There are several ways to generate such links, but it can require a lot of “socializing” on other people’s websites, joining in with forums and discussion boards, posting articles etc., to make your face known, so to speak.

It’s a cheap form of marketing cost-wise – but it can take an awful lot of virtual “leg work” so it can be very expensive in terms of time.  It’s another area where outsourcing, at least in part, can make sense.

Do it right.  Build real links with valuable comments and connections – don’t go out and put up “spam comments” or buy low-quality links or only do reciprocal links.  Google caught on to that stuff long ago…

Six

Headings – This is a subtle tool, but one well worth thinking about.  Making your headings relevant to your practice/service and properly placing the proper keywords in those headings can help quite a bit in letting the search engines know what your site is all about and in getting your site more highly ranked.

Seven

Sitemap – This is another important and sometimes overlooked segment of your website that needs working on to maximize SEO potential. A sitemap is basically a list of the contents on your site, which can be spotted by the search engines if designed correctly.

Again, some effort is required to get sitemaps properly optimized, which is another reason why there are experts in the field to provide this service for those who want help marketing their website.

So, there you have it, seven key elements that need focusing on and developing to get the most from your website.

After all, that is what a business website is – potentially your number one advertising and marketing resource.

To get the most out of it, you have to put the most into it.

Which is why we are here, because we know how difficult it can be to do it yourself…because we have been there and learned the hard way. But along the way we have also learned an awful lot which is why we can offer the expert advice and guidance you need to get more visitors coming to your website.

So please feel free to get in touch if you want some free impartial advice and/or a breakdown of what we can do for you to get your website marketed with guaranteed results.

Scott

P.S.  As always, speak up!  Let me know your feedback, other thoughts, better ways to say things, etc…