The Value of Quality Links
Hello, we’re Rosemont Media. How do you do? When you introduce yourself to someone in a professional setting, you generally offer to shake hands. A link, in many ways, is similar to a handshake. This marketing technique connects visitors with additional information. Some links are engaging and encourage people to hang around and discover more. Other links are less appealing and can put people off. Google examines the quality of your links to determine if your handshake style is welcoming or unpleasant. Based on its assessment, Google will position your website so that user interactions can occur often and easily or, conversely, tuck it away where others won’t be subjected to the site’s poor web etiquette. At Rosemont Media, we can help your dental practice present the firm, friendly, and inviting handshake that Google, as well as current and prospective patients, responds to best.
Let’s begin with a quick overview of how a link contributes to your website’s well-being. Links can help to determine where your practice website will end up listed on search result pages. Internal links are one side of the coin; external links are the other. All links have what is colloquially referred to as “link juice.” A link that points (flows) to your website, whether from within your site’s pages or from another site entirely, is a vote recommending your domain. The greater the link juice of that vote, the more power it has to affect your rank. A high-quality external link, such as one from a relevant educational institution or esteemed dental organization, is considered juicy and can give your website a significant boost of prestige. Low-quality links from irrelevant sources are considered toxic and should be removed, disavowed, or modified.
To help you further understand how links, good and bad, affect your website, we break down some of the broader concepts below. We also detail how RM can help you make a great impression the first time and every time a patient visits your site.
Link Removal
Once upon a time, Google rewarded nearly every type of link. Today, the aggressive, bone-crushing-handshake equivalent to a linking strategy receives a cool reception from the search engine giant. If your website links are coming from suspicious, irrelevant sources and paid “link farms,” you may see your website fall from the coveted front page and land somewhere deep in the search result pages—if it remains indexed at all. These intrusive marketing ploys are considered black hat tactics, and Google’s Penguin algorithm update is designed to hunt them down and penalize any site utilizing them. Penguin isn’t all fire and brimstone. The update, which serves as a Google index refresh, can also reward websites that have removed toxic links and other bad behavior. The result will often be improved PageRank.
Maybe another company handled all of your dental marketing needs, and they turned out to be unethical. That firm may have participated in keyword stuffing, “borrowed” content, or paid a “link farm” to help boost your site’s visibility, unaware (hopefully) of the potential negative effect. Now Google has slapped you with an algorithmic penalty or Google Manual Action, and your site is lost in the digital ether. Our team of experts can help. We can identify the toxic content and links, remove or disavow them, and work with Google to restore your site as quickly as possible. Once we’ve redeemed your site’s reputation, we can begin building organic, high-quality links the honest way. And you can become the proud owner of a practice website that entices the desired visitor, something you and Google both want.
Link Building
Too firm a handshake is inadvisable, but so is too weak. A limp-wristed interaction, one without confidence or ambition, could be interpreted as incompetency, disinterest, or doubt, none of which typically enhance one’s (page)rank. Refute this notion by building high-quality internal and external links. Dental content marketing offers one method of achieving substantial internal links. Our experienced writing team can populate your website with original, compelling material optimized with an effective linking strategy. It’s important to remember, finding a content shortcut is foolhardy; Google’s Panda algorithm will penalize offenders (keyword stuffing, duplicate content, etc.) with a manual action.
External links can communicate to Google that you have developed excellent Internet social skills and serve as a helpful resource.There are numerous angles from which to develop desirable external links, including business directories and citations (which we will discuss below). Many of these can significantly improve your site’s rank and reputation. Creating, optimizing, and syndicating press releases can also be highly effective. We utilize every ethical tool at our disposal, customizing our strategy to suit your practice’s needs and goals while operating within the guidelines of Google’s Terms of Service.
“Links help determine where your website will be located within the Google search results.”
Link Monitoring
As you now know, not all links are created equal. Unfortunately, your competitors can use this information to their advantage. For instance, they could pay a firm to launch an offensive against you, using negative ads to direct thousands of low-quality links to your website. Google could take notice and punish your site and lower your ranking. What you need is a focused link monitor; an agency devoted to ensuring the quality of your links—internal and external—to blocking the dirty deeds performed by unscrupulous adversaries, and to fixing issues that arise.
To preserve the quality of your handshake and keep it from slipping back into old habits, and to protect you from the malicious activities of others, RM’s experts will actively manage your website. We will track any changes in PageRank, content value, and link quality, as well as expeditiously identify and correct any toxic concerns.
Citation Management
Business citations, aggregator tools, and local directories provide an excellent opportunity for your practice to “shake hands” with thousands of current and potential patients. These applications list your most important information to help users find you in real life. Therefore, you’ll want to present your data in a consistent, professional manner. Our eagle-eyed team makes sure that your practice name, address, and phone number appear the same across all platforms. After all, if you announce your name is Dr. John Doe at (123) 456-7890 to one person and Dr. Jon Do at (098) 765-4321 to another, those individuals may have difficulty locating you later. With citation management from RM, you can remain friendly, informative, and respectable by providing your details in a universal manner.
While simple in theory, citation management can be a massive undertaking. Some dental practices are listed on 50 or more directories! Rosemont Media’s partnership with Yext — the leading provider of Digital Location Management software — allows us to easily monitor and manage your practice’s business citations. Using this unique tool, we will place you on the appropriate aggregator sites, ensure constancy in your information, and monitor for any typos or errors. Just leave the details in our qualified hands.
If you would like to hear more about links, contact us today. Our dental consultants can explain further how quality link building and monitoring can play a significant role in your practice website’s success.
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Rosemont Media offers complete package solutions that are tailored to your specific marketing goals. Visit our pricing page for more information or contact us today to receive a personalized quote.