As a refresher, Google ranks sites by their “authority.” An attempt to fake authority by overt SEO tactics usually ends badly. Especially as Google gets smarter at detecting efforts to circumvent its algorithm. Sometimes getting the site banned from Google. (This is why accepting the promises of freelance SEO consultants can be an expensive gamble!) We take a more conservative approach that sometimes takes longer to get noticed, but is less susceptible to dramatic fluctuations.
The fact is, if you’ve only recently acquired a practice website, the Google jury may still be out, relegating your site to the web equivalent of Siberia. This is frustrating for you and us!
So that Google can best protect its reputation for delivering superior results, it is very cautious about adding a newcomer to page one. But it will. Maybe only for a day or two. Maybe when you’re not looking. But it tends to give newbies a shot at the big time. What happens next is critical.
When they put you on page one, they study the behavior of searchers who visit your site. Do visitors quickly leave (called a “bounce”) or do they stay around, exploring several pages and making themselves at home?
If visitors, by their behavior, seem to be getting what they were looking for, the Google gods smile and you have passed a major hurdle toward achieving your online authority.
This is why the content on your website is so important, especially the home page. And it means an engaging doctor biography. Lots of pictures. Sharing your practice philosophy. In other words, content that “connects” with prospective new patients. This new emphasis on content has prompted us to totally rethink the way we collect and publish content for our clients. Be watching for the announcement of a new way to produce great, original content coming soon!