How Do I Get to the Top of Google?
Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Slow and steady wins the race. The same can be said for improving your medical or dental website’s search engine rankings. Achieving a top spot on Google and other leading search engines is obviously an excellent way to gain attention and boost business for your practice, but it cannot be done overnight.
Improving your rankings on search engines such as Google is a complicated process, and it requires continuous effort in order to maintain your position. Black hat tactics can get you a “quick and easy” fix, but you will end up hurting your business in the long run. Neglecting certain aspects of a well-rounded content marketing plan can have a negative impact, as well, so having experts you can trust to steer you away from common marketing myths is ideal.
Google ultimately wants great content for its users and will rank the best websites based on the scope and ease of navigating to relevant content. Though it’s hard work and needs to be consistent, making your site the best resource for the procedures you want to promote and becoming the authority on those topics can be a very fruitful return.
To reap this return, we recommend creating a website that caters to your viewer. Compared to black hat tactics, this strategy is a much safer and effective way to gain attention from search engines as well as prospective patients, helping you to climb the rankings over time. Visitors will also likely respond positively to a website that is both informative and easy-to-use:
Here are 5 effective ways to get to the top of Google:
1. Responsive Website
A responsive website can allow patients to access the information they need, no matter where they are or what type of Internet-ready device they are using. This includes smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers.
2. Relevant Content
Updating your website with relevant and consistent content entices patients to continue coming back, and it should help attract new visitors, as well. This can include weekly blog posts, periodic revision to existing content, page additions for new services or technologies, and more. Additionally, fresh content on your site also helps boost your rankings on search engines.
3. Google Algorithm Updates
Staying on top of the latest Google algorithm updates and ensuring your website is free of various actionable issues can also help prevent it from suddenly disappearing from Google rankings. This can obviously become a massive undertaking, but with the help of a knowledgeable and experienced SEO firm like Rosemont Media, you can rest assured that your site is in good hands.
4. Social Media
In addition to your website’s design and content, your social media presence can impact search engine rankings. This doesn’t mean you have to “go viral” in order to get a boost in the SERPs — producing high-quality, shareable content on your social media feeds is the real key to gaining visibility.
5. Competitive Analysis
If your medical or dental practice is located in a populous area of the country that can be considered a competitive marketplace for your particular specialty, your path to success may be a bit more difficult, though not impossible. In these cases, the more aggressive your SEO strategy, the more successful you can generally be in achieving and maintaining a top search engine ranking.
At Rosemont Media, our experienced team has the skill and expertise to help your practice build a reputation and ascend to the top rankings of Google and other leading search engines. Our staff also monitors changes in search engine trends to ensure your site follows the “rules” of SEO and avoids being penalized. To learn more about how a customized website from Rosemont Media can help you reach the top of Google, please contact us today.
Editor’s note: The original version of this post was published on October 7, 2014.