What is SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, considers how Internet search engines work and what people
may search for. Search engines employ automated processes, sometimes called "spiders" or "bots" to "crawl"
through the internet cataloging websites. These processes basically track two things: words and links.
Optimizing a website primarily involves working within those two areas.
Optimizing the words in a website, both code and plain text, is often called "organic" SEO or internal SEO.
It involves editing its text-based content and HTML code to both increase its relevance to specific
keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.
Optimizing the links pointing to a website is often called external SEO. It involves link submissions to
search engines, listings on other websites, article writing and submission, blogging, etc.
Our Approach
SEO is part circumstance and part science. External SEO is circumstance because of variables like how
unique a particular doctor or practice name may be, how well it matches their domain name, and how
many dentists are competing for attention in that location. Also factor in if they are known online in
other ways via groups, articles, etc. Organic SEO is a science in that having good page titles, descriptions
that match the desired search terms, and having a well organized site, is a proven practice with
predictable results.
Our Dental Websites come with internal SEO included for FREE. While we can advise you on how to
improve your external SEO yourself, if you want to hire it done we will refer you to a third party that
specializes in external SEO.
We have seen that many of our dental websites can indeed be on the first page of a particular search,
while others don't do as well. We do the same "science" for everyone, but the circumstances are less
under our control. It is interesting to note that Google advises businesses to stay away from SEO
companies who promote that they can guarantee top listings. Even Google, who makes most of the
rules, recognizes that there are factors out of anyone's control.
Our advice is to:
- Use a unique name. If your name is common (John Smith), then use your practice name.
- Choose a domain name that matches what you want to be known by. This is usually either your
name, your practice name, or a physical location (lasvegasdentist).
- Pick a specific location to identify with. A neighborhood is better than a city, a city is better
than a state, etc.
- Be visible online in groups or with articles that link back to your website.
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