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SEO Assesment

Do they have a marketing package?

  • Some people will not realize that they need a marketing package to show up for searches. This is an upgrade opportunity! Pitch Gold, Listings Pro, and even SM. Gold and LP are the most effective when it comes to SEO, but SM can also help.

How long have they been optimized for?

  • 3-6 months is the period when they should get some first page results for specific keywords, and start to see more general keywords progress. This applies to clients starting from 0 (no SEO equity).
  • 6 months – 1 year is when the results should be up towards the front page for all of their major keywords. If they are not showing on the search results, they may need to make changes to their site. (See Improving SEO above)
  • This timeframe will vary based on where they are located, but this is good general guideline.
  • If they aren’t ranking, do the search
    • They may have ranked on the first few pages right away
    • Otherwise they’re going to search every day and they’re not going to see instant results
  • Example: Client started with us in March.
    • Wanted to know in April why they weren’t ranking
    • Do the search and double check .
    • Even if they are on the 3rd page, they have started the process.
    • GIVE GOOD NEWS - 3rd page is better than nothing. SEO is a long-term investment strategy.
    • If they aren’t on the first couple of pages, then give them the time frame to expect improvement.
    • It can only get better from there
  • When speaking to clients about a search
    • Always ask if they’re logged into a Google account
      • Results can change based on if they’re logged in
      • Google keeps track of what websites you click on and you tend to see yourself ranking better if you are logged in and keep going to a website
      • Have them logout so everyone is on the same page
    • Ask how they’re searching
        • Chicago Chiropractor
        • Chicago IL Chiro
        • Chiropractor in Chicago
        • Chiropractic Chicago IL
      • We can change the meta tags so we can match up with what term they want to be found for

What locations are they trying to be found for?

  • If it is a city that you’ve heard of, it is likely that it is highly competitive. General terms in large cities require time to start moving up. If you do a who.is on a site that is showing up on the first page in a large city, it is likely that the domain is about 5 years old.
  • “Your site needs to take hold in the search engines. Many of the top ranking sites have been active for many years. Once your site has gained credibility in the search engines, you can have your site compete with the others by driving as much traffic as possible to you site”
  • Let them know that it does take time to rank for large cities, but it is not impossible to get rankings. You can then discuss some of the marketing tips for how to drive more traffic to the site. Local directories can really help with this.
  • If someone wants to show up quickly for a large location, recommend that they use more specific keywords. Chiropractic Massage has a better chance of appearing on the first page than Chiropractor
  • Do they have keywords/were they submitted?
  • Make sure we have keywords for them and they were submitted properly. Spelling keywords correctly is also important when inputting the keywords. It is also helpful to add the state code after the keywords (Downers Grove, IL). This is important for the more popular cities or cities that are in more than one state (Springfield, IL and Springfield, MO) If they are doing a search for Dentist in Springfield IL and we do not have IL in the tags/keywords, the results will not be as strong.

Do they have a Google map listing?

  • With the new Google ranking system, the map is the key. If they are not ranking well check to see if they have a map listing (attached to the Google+ business listing), and if the domain name is on the map.
  • We do not claim Google+ map listings unless they have the LP package. We will not troubleshoot Google+ claiming, because that will set unrealistic expectations.
  • Getting reviews on their listing is also beneficial when it comes to ranking on the search engines. The more active their page is, the higher it tends to be when searching for them on the search engines.

Do they have a responsive design? Does their design help with SEO?

  • No direct influence. Indirect only when it comes to the LOOK of the website
  • Google favors responsive designs (new editor) over non-responsive designs (old editor)
  • Search Engines do not read images or design (if you can’t highlight the text, it doesn’t count for SEO).
  • An indirect benefit of design is “Time Spent on Site”
    • Time spent on a website can affect SEO – if a patient sees a site that doesn’t look good or has a bad design, they may not spend much time on the website


SEO Questions & Strategies for Clients

How are you looking for yourself?

    • The search term they are using can have an effect on how they see themselves ranked. The terms “Springfield Chiropractor” and “Chiropractor in Springfield” will generate similar results, but will not always be the same. Check the Bright Local report.
    • The search engine also matters. Yahoo! and Bing tend to have very similar results, but Google will usually differ from them a bit. Make sure you are both using the same search engine.
    • Do the search with them. There are times when people will overlook their site, or they have done the same search so many times that it saves an old version of the search. You can change your location on Google to match their location, so you can see similar results. If you are still not seeing what they are seeing, you can do a screen share, or have the client email us a screenshot.


What terms are most important to you?

  • The order of the keywords matter. The keywords that are towards the front of the title tag and description are the strong keywords. Google will cut the title tag off at 66 characters and the META description at 165. Determining what keywords are most important to them can help us format their tags.


Are you telling current patients to go to the site?

  • The only way to get to the top of the rankings and maintain that spot is by generating traffic to the site. Look for promotions or coupons on the homepage and suggest calls to action.


Are you incorporating backlinks and social media?

  • One of the things the search engines look at is back links, other sites that are linking to your website. They can do this with social media pages, chiropractic/dental associations, directories, etc.
    • Does Social Media like Facebook and Twitter really help improve SEO rankings?
      • Yes--If you do it properly it does.
      • Have the website link on the SM - can drive traffic to your website (backlinking).
  • Do videos help SEO? Should our doctors be adding videos to the site to help with SEO?
    • 2 reasons for a video - create a call to action, yield people to stay on your website
    • If the video has a call to action, that can definitely help
    • Used more for user interaction - user friendly
    • SEO - Only an Indirect Benefit.
      • Only helps if the video is on YouTube and the description had the NAP (name, address, phone number) and the link to your website
  • Do Blogs make an actual difference to SEO? Are they needed? They seem like more trouble than they're worth.
    • All serve as a backlink to the website
    • The more 3rd party sites that aren’t your website that backlink to the website, the better
    • Needs to be quality links though
    • The backlinks need to have some substance (SM and Blogs accomplish this)


Are you updating the website at a consistent rate?

  • An active web presence is one of the most critical areas of SEO. A website that does not get updated frequently enough will plummet in rankings. The longer a website goes without a trackable update, the more likely the client is to lose SEO rankings. Thankfully, the bar is very low. We recommend making an update to the website (general maintenance, update bios, text, etc.) every 3 months at least. This is only 4 updates per year. A trackable update is something visible on the back end of the website (TEXT, nothing visual). It’s all about content. If Google/Bing/Yahoo see that the website is not updated, then they assume that your content is out of date or irrelevant and rankings will suffer.
  • What is a good rule of thumb we can use?
    • 500 characters
    • Good amount of content and where you want to be - ideal
    • Keyword rich content
  • What is considered keyword stuffing? How do you know when enough is enough?
    • Writing a lot of KW and copy and pasting them all over the website
      • 2-4% per page
    • Making the text the same color as the background
    • Can’t visually see it, but you can see it on the back end of the website
      • Website can get blacklisted if this happens
    • Let them know this isn’t a good idea to add a lot of KW to the website

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Office Hours

All times in CST

Monday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed