Search Engine Optimization has changed radically in the past three years. Google’s Panda update, which has rolled out in stages beginning in 2011, and their Penguin update, which began in 2012, have made most prior SEO tactics obsolete. While on one hand we miss the days when we could, if we worked hard enough, get top rankings for anyone, we have rather enjoyed the challenge of adapting to the new landscape. Let’s mention just a few of the things we have done since then to address Panda and Penguin.
One of the first things we did was change our blogging system. We increased the blogging intensity for higher level websites. We began to pay attention more to the quality of each blog post and developed a system of strategic blogging, keyed to the marketing plan of each client and designed to boost certain search terms.
In late 2012 we opened our Social Media Department, so that clients who wanted could take advantage of the social media signals Google has been factoring into its rankings. And then we opened a Maps SEO department, which is geared toward helping those clients who want to get into the little seven-packs that Google began displaying for certain searches.
In May of 2014, we opened a videos department and you can see in this newsletter that we are now offering to clients a video subscription service so that you can regularly add fully optimized videos to your website to enhance SEO and website conversions.
Another search factor we have been addressing recently is site load time, which recently became a ranking factor. In order to shave milliseconds off that load time, we began a couple of months ago transferring your websites to a new dedicated server which has the fastest load times currently available. That’s a laborious transition, and it is now complete for about 20% of your websites. If a member of our technical team calls asking for login information for your domain name, this is the reason—we need to change the pointers to that new high-powered server so we can move your site.
Our latest step is that we have just added a new full-time position, Director of Search. David Hall has been the SEO guru in the company, with the technical team and content writers who have all helped gather data and implement our SEO strategies. But with a growing number of clients and the growing sophistication of search algorithms, we felt it was time to open a new department to focus on search.
We have hired Jaren Martineau for this position, and he will be starting October 2. Jaren has worked for a local Internet provider and has an extensive technical background. He also has experience promoting several online businesses with both paid and organic search. But, as with all of our hires, he was hired after rigorous testing mostly on the basis of his intelligence, mental qualities, adaptability, and work ethic. SEO is changing so rapidly that there is little value in looking at anyone’s resume to determine their qualifications. There is no degree, course of study, or experience that can tell you that someone would be good at this—it goes beyond acquired knowledge. What it requires is a strong aptitude for technical learning coupled with a strategic mindset and the mental agility to be able to stay abreast of fundamental changes that continue to roll out. Jaren has all of that.
Jaren will be your new contact person for any questions about your website rankings or traffic.
Ever since the acquisition of YouTube, Google has placed more value on video content. You may have recognized this yourself as you see videos showing up in regular Google search results and you see them embedded in high-ranking websites. On our own homepage we have a whiteboard video presented front and center! Video acts as a supplement to traditional web content which has proven to increase patient engagement and conversions with the added benefit of helping your site rank higher.
Video evokes more reaction than traditional content. This should come as no surprise, videos are visceral. They engage more than one sense at a time and create an emotional response to what is being viewed. These emotional responses leave a lasting impression on potential patients and result in higher conversion rates.
Videos can be utilized in several ways. They can act as creative blog posts, add to your YouTube channel, or be rich content for your website.
Announcing the Creative Video
Here at Infinity Dental Web we are expanding our video offerings. We have been producing animated whiteboard videos and Google Hangouts. We are now adding the Creative Video to our selection. Creative Video uses moving text and graphics and a variety of other elements to create a very dynamic presentation. Watch the video below for an example. The best part about all of these these videos is that they are yours, because each is 100% tailored for your practice.
For those clients who would like to be aggressive in their use of videos, we are offering a new subscription service. For a monthly fee, we will produce videos for you at a reduced fee. We will make suggestions of topics to cover, based on what is working in your marketing plan. All you need to do is approve each video as it is produced. You can focus on taking care of your patients and we’ll take care of the rest.
Dentist Highlight
Dr. Marilyn Calvo has a true passion for dentistry. Her passion is confirmed by the many patients who love her, the countless hours she spends increasing her knowledge and refining her artistic skills in aesthetic, restorative, and implant dentistry, and the time she gives volunteering her services with philanthropic organizations.
Additionally, Dr. Calvo serves as a member of the governing board of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. She dedicates her time helping to set and enforce the AACD accreditation standards for dentists and laboratory technicians. She also supports the AACD charitable foundation, Give Back A Smile, by providing dental services to adults who have suffered from dental injuries incurred by domestic violence.
Dr. Calvo was also a clinical instructor at the Esthetic Professionals in Tarzana, CA for the past 13 years and is currently a visiting faculty member at the Spear Institute in Scottsdale, AZ (both post-graduate schools). As a visiting faculty member, Dr. Calvo has spent numerous hours attending courses at Spear in order to lead, facilitate and mentor post-graduate dentists. Teaching and mentoring fellow dentists to excel in dentistry is one of Dr. Calvo’s greatest passions.
Be sure to let us know in what ways you give back to your community and organizations so we can share this information on your website and your Facebook page.
Dr. Calvo was also a clinical instructor at the Esthetic Professionals in Tarzana, CA for the past 13 years and is currently a visiting faculty member at the Spear Institute in Scottsdale, AZ (both post-graduate schools). As a visiting faculty member, Dr. Calvo has spent numerous hours attending courses at Spear in order to lead, facilitate and mentor post-graduate dentists. Teaching and mentoring fellow dentists to excel in dentistry is one of Dr. Calvo’s greatest passions.