How Duplicate Website Content Can Hurt Your Practice
As an Internet Marketing Consultant, I often encounter practice websites with editorial content that is “borrowed” or is a duplicate of other websites. This can occur for a number of reasons:
- The website owner purchased a template-based website, and never bothered to customize the copy.
- The website owner copied content from another site, not realizing the dangers.
- A designer copied content from another website and did not rewrite it for the client.
- Other more complicated reasons I don’t want to bore you with…
Why is duplicate content a bad thing for your website?
Should search engines like Google discover duplicate copy (your fault or no), this is a bad thing. Google associates duplicate copy with “plagiarism” and can significantly downgrade your rank for important keyword phrases should their spiders discover it. One of my current dental clients was baffled that her website was not ranking in the search engines, until I brought it to her attention that most of her content was from a template and contained copy that was literally present on 800 or so other sites! Once she hired my company, we rewrote the copy, and her traffic increased significantly.
How can you tell if your website contains duplicate copy?
One simple way is to copy and paste small chunks of text from your website pages into the Google search bar. If you see search results for other websites with the same or similar content (it will be highlighted in “bold), you will know you have a problem. Web-based services such as CopyScape can detect duplicate copy. However, CopyScape only works well with a paid subscription. I highly recommend it. (Read on to get a free CopyScape scan.)
What can you do when you discover duplicate copy on your website?
The best thing is, immediately rewrite any duplicate copy that you discover, or hire an experienced writer (like myself) to edit the offending material until the CopyScape score improves.
If you own a website that you are certain contains original material, and then discover other websites that copied from your site, you have the right to go after them. However, this might only result in a protracted argument with a colleague, and waste your precious time. I would advise contacting that website owner, but also, bite the bullet and rewrite your pages, thus avoiding the headaches. The primary goal should be to have “clean copy” the next time Google spiders your site, not to wage war.
In any event, it is a very good idea to watch out for duplicate copy, and then do something about it quickly, to avoid unnecessary loss of traffic, and loss of business. Write to us if you suspect there is duplicate copy on your site.
Pay-Per-Click Helpers Save You Time
One of the problems with Pay-Per-Click advertising is, it’s time consuming! As anyone using Google Adwords knows, searching for keywords, deciding what to bid for each keyword, optimizing your site to match the keywords, and writing headlines and copy is a real time buster. May I suggest a couple of solutions to help reduce your stress.
Google Adwords Express
One solution is to use Google Adwords Express. This is a great service that basically makes the PPC purchasing decisions for you. So, you write the ad, you tell them how much you want to spend per month, and they do the rest using their secret algorithms.
As a web marketing consultant, I gave up a long time ago doing PPC for clients — my focus is SEO, Social Media and Video. However, I will manage an Adwords Express campaign as part of my services — the time savings have been terrific. If you can, use a professional SEO person to manage these ads or consult with you, otherwise you may end up with ho-hum results.
ReachLocal.com
Another workable method is to use an outside service to manage your PPC campaigns. A good one is ReachLocal.
The company will manage everything for you, and they have Marketing Consultants locally to get you set up. To help you track results, ReachLocal runs all links to your site through their own server using a “reverse proxy” method that supposedly does not impact your web statistics or SEO ranking. They even stick a different telephone contact number on the heading of your website to track and monitor telephone calls. Some of my clients use ReachLocal with excellent results, but I would do my homework before signing on the dotted line.
Is PPC right for your web marketing campaign and image?
This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the services available for PPC advertising, but Adwords Express and ReachLocal are a good starting point. Many professionals prefer to invest their money in organic SEO, Local SEO and Social Media Marketing because PPC has a somewhat “sleazy” reputation — many people do not trust PPC ads, especially in the professional market.
My own opinion is, it can work, especially when you have a new domain name that may not rank for months or years (yes, Google looks at the age of your domain as part of its search algorithm).
Please contact me to discuss more thoroughly. Happy pay-per-clicking!
Can Large Website Firms Achieve Your Business Goals?
Back in November, at the prodding of my own dentist who was aware that I am a Web marketing consultant, I attended the Greater New York Dental Meeting. As a Web Marketing Consultant in NYC that works with a lot of dentists, the one thing I took away from the show was the preponderance of website companies competing for the attention of dental practitioners. What I learned subsequently, however, is that bigger does not necessarily mean better when it comes to achieving success for clients.
For those of you who are as yet unfamiliar with the the Dental Website Marketing playing field, the big website companies market themselves as complete website solutions. They design your website, fill it with content and use Search Engine Optimization techniques to get you noticed. Their pricing varies greatly. Some charge as little as $35 a month, others in the thousands per month.
At the Dental Show, I roamed the long aisles and was able to meet dozens of dentists without the use of an actual booth of my own, though I was jealous of the big companies’ fancy displays and attractive personnel. My mouth watered as I observed hot prospects leaning on shiny counter tops, seduced by slick sales pitches and attractive women.
Website Companies – Post-Meeting Analysis
After the show, I decided to analyze the work of these companies, most of them based out of California. I queried dozens of practitioners about them, and did a thorough analysis on my own. Here are my conclusions:
Basically, the larger companies do a great job of getting their clients up and running quickly. If you want quick, pick one of these big companies – but here’s the catch. I have also heard from dentists that many of these companies produce a finished website, but then do not allow clients to make editorial or design changes to the site on their own – they must first call an account manager who will take down the request and bring that to the appropriate department. I have also heard that these requests can go largely ignored! One dentist from a large practice in downtown Manhattan complained that her vendor, a large company in California, has repeatedly ignored her requests for even simple word changes.
As any web marketing expert will tell you, keeping a website up to date and constantly changing is not only a “nice” thing to do, it is a requirement for high ranking in Google. Many practitioners view their websites as a static portrait of their practice and do not seem to mind the fact that they have virtually no control. In my view, being unable to keep your site content fresh and accurate is a lost opportunity.
By contrast, a competent local Web marketing consultant will constantly monitor, edit and add to your content to get you ranked higher, and the practitioner must have input in this process. In the end, the right solution for you depends on your needs. Shop and compare!
Why Your Dental Practice Needs A Website
It is now at the point where every dental practice should have a professionally designed website and a solid Web Marketing strategy aided by professional Web Marketers. Why?
Dentistry is inherently a “generic” service, delivered with the same types of facilities and methods employed by thousands of other practitioners. The market for dental services can get very competitive, even in a less populated area. Differentiating yourself from the competition is key.
Each individual practice is very unique, offering a variety of features and benefits including…
- Types of elective treatments and specialization
- Human character of practitioner and staff
- Age and technological advantage of equipment
- Educational background of practitioners
- Years in business
- Office location
- Insurances accepted
- Payment plans
All of these aspects need to be clarified for prospective patients on a website. Today thousands of consumers actively shop for dental and medical services on the Web. It is common for people who have been referred a dentist by a friend or colleague to look up that practitioner on the Web before making a decision.
To remain competitive, it is urgent to maintain and promote a website that communicates the experience level, human character, service level and professionalism of the practitioner.
Beyond just offering a website, it is important that dental practitioners not lose out on the opportunity to promote themselves on the Web. Actively marketing themselves and their website using Search Engine Optimization, Local SEO and other web marketing techniques are needed to gradually build a strong web presence.
If time and knowledge is limited, it is advisable to check with a qualified web marketing consultant to help make it all happen. The sooner you begin the process, the sooner you will reap the rewards!
On-Line Forms Keep Patients Happier
One of the greatest inconveniences for new patients is the unavoidable cache of forms that must be filled out on a first visit to your office. As is the tradition, new patients are treated to the equivalent of a small mid-term exam as they sit in your waiting room. Invariably, a vital piece of information required by one of the forms was left at home, causing pangs of guilt and general frustration (“If only I had known! Why didn’t somebody tell me?”).
All of this inconvenience could have been avoided simply utilizing your web site, and a casual reminder from your receptionist. Instead of waiting to have your patients fill out the needed forms upon arrival to your office, why not ask them to access the forms online and fill them out prior to arrival?
Indeed, your web site can be used as a convenient repository for any and all patient forms. At the option of the patient, forms can either be downloaded directly off your web site, or emailed prior to the appointment. Patients will no doubt appreciate the convenience of printing and leisurely filling out the forms at home, where they have access to necessary information.
Over time, you can work to improve your form protocols — you can even create forms that can be filled out and submitted online, without having to print them – a great way to save energy and resources!
Here are some simple steps to make it happen:
- Gather clean copies of all patient forms you customarily distribute to patients.
- Scan copies and convert to .pdf files.
- Create a folder on your web server to house the form files.
- Create a menu item and exclusive section for the forms.
- Train your receptionist to remind patients about the online forms – that they can save time in the waiting room on their next visit by filling them out ahead of time. Offer to access them off your web site or have them emailed directly.
- Go all out! Send postcards reminding patients about the new online forms.
Follow these simple steps and watch patient satisfaction (and commensurate referrals) skyrocket!
Talking Pods: Start Your Own Podcast and Make the Human Connection
More and more, podcasting is helping businesses like yours establish a human connection – with clients, patients, suppliers and the public at large. Find out how podcasting can help your practice. Click to Play!
SEO and SEM: A Beginner’s Guide
As any seasoned website manager will tell you, building your website is only half the battle. The other half is making sure people know it exists. That is where SEO and SEM come into play.
Many people use the terms SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) without really knowing the difference, and there is a difference. If you are a total layman on these subjects, here is a rudimentary explanation for both. We hope it helps.
SEO – Getting You Higher (in rank, that is)
When you visit Google, Yahoo!, MSN or other search engine portal. You type in your keywords, press “Search” and hope you will find the websites that satisfy your needs. Typically, a list of sites will appear on your screen – but take note: the order in which those search results appeared was no accident.
Turns out search engines like Google decide which results to show you based on certain criteria – the exact model is proprietary – sort of like the formula for Coke. However, there are general factor that we do know are important. These parameters include:
- Keywords found in the content of your website
- Metatags listed in the code of your web pages
- Links FROM your website TO other relevant websites
- Links TO your website FROM other relevant websites
Search Engine Optimization is the art of improving your search engine ranking for relevant keywords. For example, when someone searches on “dental services, New York”, and you happen to have a website with a lot of content covering dental services in New York, you obviously want your web site to come up as close to the top of the results as possible in the regular “organic” results on search engines such as Google and Yahoo!. If they do not come up on top, the likelihood of being discovered by the user is exponentially diminished.
SEO is very valuable, but requires continuous upkeep – whether it is you that does the work in your spare time, a coworker you can assign to the job, or an outside vendor who can do the work for you, do not skip the step of optimizing your site, or you could be leaving money on the table. After all, it is far easier and cheaper to have people find your site for free, than for you to have to pay for advertising to bring people to your site.
Search Engine Marketing – The Quicker Picker Upper
Unfortunately, SEO requires a lot of time, not only to do the work, but also a lot of time to wait for your work to take effect – indeed, the results are not always certain, and could take months.
Search Engine Marketing is another, quicker way to get your site noticed. SEM is also known as “paid search” – basically, you pay to have your small ad placed in the search results which come up for certain relevant keywords.
On any results page in Google or other search engine, you may have noticed that there are three main section – first, there are the organic search results; second, the paid advertisements that sometime appear above the organic results; third, to the side of, there are also paid advertisements. The paid advertisments are usually separated in a tinted or lined box. It is often difficult to tell them from the organic results.
Just how did those paid ads get there? Search Engines like Google offer SEM accounts to advertisers. Using a convenient SEM portal, account holders are able to develop “ad campaigns” that they can track and revise at will. Advertisers effectively bid on keywords they believe will be most effective in attracting their customers. They also are able to write and submit mini-ads for which they can then purchase and attach to those keywords. Based on the ads they write and the keywords they purchase, ads appear in the appropriate results pages. If the web visitor notices and clicks on that ad, the advertiser is charged whatever amount he bid for that word, say, twenty-five cents per click.
Like SEO, SEM requires some training to do it right. Invest a little time in learning how, or hire a professional.
So in summary, Search Engine Optimization is the practice of trying to maximize the rank of a particular website, that is, to help ensure that the website appears at the top of the list for particular keyword searches.
Search Engine Marketing is the practice of developing keyword-based ad campaigns for one or more of the popular search engines. We’ll discuss all of this further in future articles of “Pro Web Tips.”
Show Off Your “Green” Side On Your Web Site
If your practice is going green, why not let your clients and prospects know about it!
People appreciate businesses that make an effort to minimize their impact on the environment. All things being equal, they may choose your business over those which do not hold themselves to environmentally friendlier standards.
Web Building Strategies You Can Use
Your web site is the perfect vehicle to show off your green side:
- Create a sidebar item on your front page to list your green business practices
- Develop web pages that discuss the green efforts of which you are most proud
- Create a web page with links to informational sites promoting green office best practices
- If your office conforms to certain green standards as set forth by a particular group, wear their logo or seal proudly
- Make sure your web host is green (our web servers are)
Don’t waste the positive P.R. spin created by your efforts to go green. Develop strategies to get the word out and it will come back to you in spades – with more clients, greater revenue and a better reputation.