Dental Marketing Blog
Free dental marketing tips and strategies for dentists from internet dental marketing experts. Feel free to participate. All dental marketing related questions and comments are encouraged.
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Tips for Choosing a Dental Domain Name
February 2, 2010 by Erik Cunningham
The availability of dental domain names is rapidly decreasing as more and more dentists, dental marketing companies and domain name investors (aka cybersquatters) enter the competitive landscape.
I strongly recommend that you purchase a dental domain name as soon as possible, even if you don’t have immediate plans for a dental website. Why you ask? Because buying your desired domain sooner rather than later could mean the difference between a price tag of $15.00 and $1500.00.
So what factors should you consider when choosing one or more appropriate domain names for your dental practice? Your domain name(s) should be:
1) Patient Friendly
Pick a domain name that’s easy for your patients (and staff) to remember. Using the name of your dental practice is likely your best option. If it isn’t available, use the dentist’s name. If you’re still having trouble with availability, try variations of the dentist’s name with “dr” or “dds”.
Avoid purchasing dental domain names with dashes (”-”) in them. No one likes to say or remember “this-that-theotherthing”.
Buy a “.com”, not a “.net”, domain name. People are forgetful. If you tell a patient to visit your “.net” domain, they will likely type “.com” into their web browser which will either confuse them or, worse, lead them to your competitor’s website.
2) Search Engine Friendly
Consider purchasing a search engine friendly domain name in addition to the patient friendly domain I just described.
Search engine friendly domain names include both your city name and your dental specialty. A good example would be “rootcanalmiami.com” or “endodontistmiami.com”. Many search engine friendly dental domain names are already taken but it doesn’t hurt to look.
If you do find one, ask your dental web designer to make it your website’s primary domain name. Then use a “301 redirect” to point your patient friendly domain name to your search engine friendly domain. Don’t worry, your dental web designer should know what I’m talking about.
3) Available
The sooner you begin searching for a dental domain name the better your chances that the one(s) you want will still be available. Visit DentalDomainSearch.com and reserve your perfect dental domain name today!
Comments (0) — Dental Web Design — Tags: dental domain names, dental practice marketing, Dental Web Design, Dental Website Marketing, dentist domain names
Dental Website Templates Save Dentists Money
July 16, 2009 by Erik Cunningham
If you’re interested in setting up a website for your local dental practice but don’t want to spend a lot of money, dental website templates may be the solution for you.
Dental website templates include pre-designed web page layouts and all of the images and HTML code you’ll need to set up your own dental website for hundreds of dollars less than custom dental website design. And while your site design won’t be unique, the odds that another dentist in your local area will use the same template are very slim.
Keep in mind however, that the template itself won’t do all of the work for you. You’ll still need to purchase and set up your own domain name, web hosting service, and unique text for your new dental website that accurately describes your practice’s dental treatments, procedures, location, hours, etc. For this, many dental website template providers offer expert setup and template customization services to assist you.
To see if a pre-designed dental website solution is right for you, check out our unique collection of dental website templates. All of our templates are designed in-house by Dentist Marketers and come pre-optimized for search engines.
Set up the template yourself by purchasing a Standard Single Use License or let the experts at Dentist Marketers set everything up for you as part of our Advanced Plan for dental website design.
Comments (0) — Dental Web Design — Tags: dental templates, dental web templates, dental website design, dental website templates, dentist web templates, dentist website templates
Dental Staff Training Turns Patient Inquiries Into Appointments
June 25, 2009 by Erik Cunningham
Most dentists are aware of the amount of time, money and effort it takes to attract new patients to their dental practice. But did you know that over half of the patient leads that dentists generate from internet, radio or television ads are lost during patients’ initial phone consultation?
Online dental practice management training can show your dental staff how to answer tough questions from price shoppers about your financial policies, insurance coverage, and more, and turn dental patient inquiries into scheduled appointments.
Dental staff training can also increase your staff’s confidence and efficiency when it comes to handling collections from patients and insurance companies to help ensure that you’re receiving payments in a correct and timely manner.
Dental management courses and training topics include influential communication skills, telephone training, dental insurance, dental office management and more.
Visit WarschawLearningInstitute.com for more information and start turning your dental patient inquiries into dental patient appointments.
Comments (0) — Business Practices — Tags: dental appointment scheduling, dental appointment training, dental office management, dental office training, dental practice management, dental staff training, dental training program
Top 5 Reasons to Start Your Dental Website Design Project Today
April 14, 2009 by Erik Cunningham
Getting a professionally designed dentist website up and running is easier than you think.
Here are the top 5 reasons to stop procrastinating and start your dental website design project today:
1) Your desired dental domain name is up for grabs
New dental websites are published online every day and every one of those websites needs a dental related domain name. The longer you wait to begin your dental website design project, the less likely it is that the domain name you want will be available.
2) Search engines factor the age of your site into their results
Popular search engines like Google factor the age of your dental website into their ranking algorithms. If your local competition publishes their dental practice site before you do, you can never gain that advantage back.
3) You’ve got extra time on your hands
If you’re like many dentists, the current state of the economy has left some holes in your patient schedule. Take advantage of the extra time while you have it and work on a project, like dental website design, that lends to the long term success of your practice.
4) Dental web design prices are the lowest they’ve been in years
Because of the current dip in the economy, dental website design rates are the lowest they’ve been in years. If you’re looking for a great deal, now is the time to find one!
5) You can have it up and running in as little as 2 weeks
Dental website design companies like Dentist Marketers can have your website up in as little as 2 weeks. Wouldn’t it be great to stop “thinking” about your dental website and start “enjoying” its benefits?
Comments (0) — Dental Web Design — Tags: dental website design, dentist web design, dentist website design
Endodontist Marketing Success Story
April 9, 2009 by Erik Cunningham
We don’t normally like to toot our own horn – well we do, but we try to spare our readers the bulk of it – but I’m happy to report the recent search engine marketing success of one of our endodontist marketing clients, Laguna Endodontics.
LagunaEndodontics.com ranks in the top 4 on Google for all of the following targeted key phrases within the first week of publication!
“elk grove root canal”
“elk grove internal bleaching”
“elk grove endodontist”
“elk grove endodontics”
“elk grove endodontic dentist”
“laguna endodontist”
“laguna endodontics”
How did we do it? By designing Laguna Endodontic’s website with both patients and search engines in mind, and marketing the endodontist website on select internet yellow pages and online dental directory sites.
So where do we go from here? Up the rankings of course! We’ve achieved a great deal already through the use of sound endodontic marketing fundamentals. With our continued efforts, our goal is to put LagunaEndodontics.com in the top ranking position for all of our targeted search terms.
Comments (0) — Dental Website Marketing — Tags: dental marketing online, dental website design, endodontic marketing, endodontist marketing, online dentist marketing
Online Yellow Pages Offer Free Advertising for Dentists
March 20, 2009 by Erik Cunningham
Most popular online yellow pages sites offer free advertising for dentists and other local businesses.
And while a free advertisement in an internet yellow pages directory won’t send you as many referrals as a paid or upgraded yellow pages ad, the benefits a free listing offers are still well worth the time and effort it takes for you to set up.
Why? Because a free dental yellow pages ad can:
- Help patients who are looking for your dental practice by name, find your contact information quickly and easily.
- Generate referrals from patients who live very close to your practice.
- Help local search directories like Google Maps and Yahoo! Local confirm your business address for display in their local search results.
- Host reviews and recommendations for your practice from patients.
As you can see, submitting your dental practice information to free internet yellow pages directories can offer a wide range of dental marketing opportunities for your local practice – some, you’ve probably never even considered.
Now that you see what free dental ads can do for you, it’s time to start submitting! Here are a few popular yellow pages sites that offer free dental advertising opportunities to help get you started:
Comments (0) — Internet Yellow Pages Advertising — Tags: dental marketing online, dental practice marketing, local marketing, online reputation management
Dental Marketing Push or Pull?
February 27, 2009 by Erik Cunningham
In our last post, Dental Marketing Strategies, Back to Basics, we discussed the two basic types of dental marketing, “push” and “pull” and posed the question, “Which type of dental marketing strategy is right for your practice?”.
The answer to that question depends on the type of dentistry you practice and the current state of your local economy.
General Dentists
If you’re a general dentist, you can benefit from both push and pull marketing strategies because your services include preventative, elective and compulsory dental treatments. Push marketing techniques like direct mail marketing are great for promoting preventative and elective dental treatments like regular checkups and teeth cleanings.
Pull strategies like dental website marketing, search engine marketing and yellow pages advertising are good for promoting compulsory dental procedures like filling cavities because they help to ensure that your patients can find your practice easily when they’re looking for your services.
Dental Specialists
Push marketing strategies aren’t nearly as effective for dental specialists as they are for general dentists because the majority of treatments and procedures offered by dental specialists are compulsory and not elective. Patients aren’t likely to respond to a postcard in their mailbox that reads, “We had a great time with your last root canal. How about we do another just for fun?”
As a dental specialist, you should focus most, if not all, of your dental marketing budget on pull marketing strategies. Advertising your practice in online dental directories and in print and internet yellow pages directories will make your contact information readily available to patients seeking emergency dental health services and general dentists looking for candidates for patient referrals.
Economic Conditions
In addition to the type of dentistry you practice, the current state of your local economy should also affect your dental marketing decisions.
When times are tough, many patients in your community may decide to put off elective treatments like cleanings, checkups and cosmetic procedures until their finances improve. As a result, push marketing strategies in a rough economy are likely to fall upon deaf ears.
The best thing to do during tough economic times is to focus your dental marketing budget on pull strategies. That way you’ll attract patients actively looking for your services and not waste money targeting people who can’t afford it.
In Summary
- General dentists can benefit from both push and pull marketing strategies in a good economy
- Dental specialists should focus their budget on pull marketing strategies
- All dentists should utilize pull marketing strategies in a bad economy
Next week’s question: “Why didn’t you read the summary first?”.
Comments (0) — Marketing Strategies — Tags: dental marketing campaign, dental marketing strategies, dental practice marketing
Dental Marketing Strategies, Back to Basics
February 17, 2009 by Erik Cunningham
There are two basic types of dental marketing strategies you can employ to promote your local dental practice - “push” and “pull”. And while the most effective dental marketing campaigns often include a combination of the two, factors like the current state of your local economy and the type of dental treatments and procedures your practice offers should dictate how much of your marketing budget you devote to each one.
Push Dental Marketing
The term “push marketing” is used to describe dental marketing strategies that deliver unsolicited information about your dental practice to prospective or existing dental patients in your community. The most common types of push marketing in dentistry include direct mail, TV, newspaper and radio advertising and internet banner advertising.
In the past, some dentists have misinterpreted the strategy of push marketing in dentistry as “pushy”. These dentists haven’t considered however that push marketing performs a valuable service to both you and your patients by reminding them to schedule regular dental checkups and cleanings for improved long term oral health. Push marketing also brings information about your practice right to your patients’ doorsteps which saves them time and effort if a visit to the dentist is already on their to-do list.
Pull Dental Marketing
“Pull marketing” refers to dentist marketing techniques that make your dental practice information readily available to prospective dental patients actively looking for your services. Common pull marketing strategies for promoting dental practices include print and internet yellow pages advertising, website marketing, search engine marketing, pay-per-click advertising and dental directory advertising.
Pull marketing gives your dental practice an edge over your competitors and helps both you and your dental patients by simplifying the question, answer and appointment scheduling processes.
Some dentist marketing strategies qualify as both push and pull marketing. Word of mouth and dental office signage are good examples.
If a patient sees your dentistry office sign on their way home from work and it reminds them to schedule an appointment with you, then your sign serves as a push marketing strategy. If a dental patient has a toothache and decides to drive around the neighborhood looking for dentist and sees your office, then your sign serves as a pull strategy.
So which type of dental marketing strategy is right for your practice? Find your answer in next week’s blog post, Dental Marketing Push or Pull?.
Comments (1) — Marketing Strategies — Tags: dental marketing ideas, dental marketing strategies, dental office marketing, dental practice marketing
Free Dental Website Marketing Ideas
January 26, 2009 by Erik Cunningham
When you’re coming up with ideas for new and free ways to market your dental website, the first thing you should consider is building links.
But not just any links. The links you’re looking for are links that will lead prospective local dental patients directly to your website and ultimately, to your dental office door. These links come from high traffic sites like internet yellow pages and local search directories, and from highly relevant sites like local business directories, dentist directories and colleagues’ dental websites.
But how do you acquire these links?
Ask Your Dental Colleagues
If you’re an endodontist, periodontist, prosthetic dentist or other dental specialist, ask the general dentist who refers patients to your practice to link to your dental website from a prominent page on their site. They’re sending dental patients to you anyway. Why not speed up the process?
General dentists can do the same. Ask the dental specialists you trust and refer patients to, to link to your website from theirs.
Register Your Website With Local Business Directories
Local business directories, like Google Maps and Yahoo! Local, and online yellow pages sites, like Superpages.com and YELLOWPAGES.COM, will publish your local dental practice information and dental website URL for free.
Submit Your URL To Dental Directories
Online dental directories and other popular web directories will also link to your dental website for free. These sites include, Dentist Marketer’s very own dental directory, Dentistry Office’s dentist directory, and the Open Directory Project’s web directory.
Contact Your Membership Associations
National and state dental associations, the Better Business Bureau and your local Chamber of Commerce may also offer free links to your dental website. If you’re already a member, contact these organizations and make sure they have your dental website URL on record.
As you can see, there are a lot of free dental website marketing opportunities available to help you promote your dental practice online. Spending a couple hours each month building links to your dental website can go a long way towards attracting new visitors to your website and new dental patients to your practice.
Comments (0) — Dental Website Marketing — Tags: dental marketing online, dental marketing strategies, endodontist marketing, free dental marketing, periodontist marketing, prosthetic dentist marketing
Dental Web Design - Getting Over the Hump
January 13, 2009 by Erik Cunningham
As a dentist or dental office manager, you may be putting off dental website design because you don’t know where to start, who to trust, or what to ask when researching a dental web design company.
You may also feel that you don’t have the time, energy or funds required to work with a professional dental website design company.
The reality for most dentists however, is that the largest obstacle standing between them and a newly designed professional dental website is their mental committment to the task. I refer to this psychological barrier as, “the hump”.
“The hump” is created when we allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by fear or anticipation of a potentially difficult situation based upon our inexperience. We typically respond to the hump in one of three ways:
- We avoid the situation entirely
- We procrastinate
- We overcome it
The problem with responses 1 and 2 is that they perpetuate our state of anxiety. The great thing about the third option is that once we get over the hump we often find that the experience wasn’t nearly as difficult as we’d anticipated.
To help you get over the hump, let me share a few simple details about Dentist Marketers’ dental web design services.
- You can be as involved or uninvolved with the process as you’d like.
- We handle all of the details for you including writing all of your text.
- Our pricing is simple and straightforward with no hidden fees.
- We’ve been designing and marketing websites since 1999.
Learn more about our dental website design services or get over the hump now by completing our short online setup form.
Comments (0) — Dental Web Design — Tags: dental practice marketing, dental web design company, dentist website design, online dental marketing
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