Digital marketing is always shifting, and some tactics that may have worked in 2017 won’t be as useful in 2018. Here is a look at some digital marketing techniques that aren’t effective (or can even be harmful) and should be discontinued as soon as possible.
Call Tracking
What is it?
“Fake” phone numbers that forward to your primary number. These are placed around the web so that you can track where people are finding you online.
Why it’s bad:
Search engines rely on your phone number as a key way to determine how your data is connected. Tracking numbers increase the chance of duplicate listings and can confuse search engines. Further, once incorrect data is released, it is posted to additional directories – which compounds the issue and makes it more difficult to remove “fake” numbers. The listed phone number for your dental practice will be incorrect in potentially hundreds of places around the web if you ever decide to leave the company that set up your tracking number.
Do this instead:
Take advantage of Google Analytics to track your traffic online. Google My Business shows the number of calls and clicks for driving directions that your listing receives. Yelp and Facebook also provide insights to show if someone called you from their app. By using these analytical tools, you can keep your listings clean, your information accurate, and still track which platforms work best for generating calls to your dental practice. Plus, your SEO strategy won’t suffer and you can continue to get better placement on local search result pages.
Off-Site Landing Pages
What is it?
A page set up by your local search company that functions as mini-website. It often includes all of your practice information as well as an appointment request feature, but it doesn’t push potential patients towards your primary website.
Why it’s bad:
Your website should be the hub of all your online listings, and every listing should operate as a way to send people to your website. Mini-websites dilute the influence of your primary website, and draw traffic away from your actual website. Google often does not see these websites as directly connected to your practice, and the diminishing flow of traffic and external page can hurt your SEO strategy. This will result in you losing valuable placement on search engines, and can prevent you from earning a first page placement.
Do this instead:
Always use your website address as the main location to send patients online. All directory listings should ultimately lead visitors to your primary website. When creating a promotional page or landing page, be sure that it is attached to your main site so that you can keep all of that valuable traffic on-site.
Multiple Local Search Managers
What is it?
Hiring multiple SEO or local search companies to help with your local listings, OR working on your listings yourself while your local search company also works on them. This results in “too many hands in the cookie jar,” and can have dire consequences on your SEO strategy and search engine placement.
Why it’s bad:
Too many changes at one time can create search engine confusion. Your local search expert may have a strategy that takes time or specific steps to achieve, while you may be taking action that conflicts with their strategy. You could wind up working against yourself, and hurting your search engine placement on multiple search engines.
Do this instead:
Avoid allowing too many people to have access to your local search listings., and keep access to a maximum of two people – you and your local search expert – in most situations. This way, you can each be on the same page, and work towards the same goal without interfering with the other’s work.
Partner with the Dental Marketing Pros
Smile Savvy is the premier search engine optimization company for pediatric dentists. Call us if you would like to work with professional website builders, place higher in local searches, and connect with more patients in the area that you serve. Our strategies will help you get to the top of local search pages, and dominate your practice’s competition.
