As much as 80% of the algorithm used by a search engine to rank a web site is dependant upon links to your web site from other web sites - this should be central to any website marketing strategy.
You also must have quality links to make the search engine take notice of your site. No quality links means you will never get a high ranking - it's as simple as that.
How Linking Points are calculated
The following determine how many "points" your web site scores for a particular search phrase, and therefore how high your site ranks in the search engine results pages:
? Total number of links pointing to your site
? Quality of the sites linking to your site
? Text used in the link to your site (anchor text)
The remaining 20% of the search engines algorithm takes into account the search engine friendliness of the site, site freshness, site content, etc.
Linking and Your Competition
If sufficient web sites link to your site with the correct anchor text, then your site will get top rankings. The more competition there is for a particular search phrase, then the more high quality links you'll require.
For the highest competition search phrases, your site will also need SEO, as some of your competitors will have called in a search engine optimization consultant to help them with their web marketing strategy.
Some of the top ranking web sites will also be using advanced techniques such as .XML feeds to reach, and stay at the top of the search engine results pages.
All the above needs to taken into account before developing your web marketing strategy.
Linking Strategies that don't Work
Reciprocal link exchanges are basically dead - the search engines know what's going on - web site owners are linking to each other to boost their search engine rankings.
To combat this the search engines are now heavily discounting the value of a link from a web site, if the site receiving the link, links back - i.e. a reciprocal link.
Also you only want links that come from web sites that are associated with your industry - i.e. they have a valid reason to link to your site.
For example, if you are selling holidays, a link from a travel insurance company would be a quality link - one that is from a company selling pet food would not!
A Link is a Vote for your Site's Content
A link is like a vote for your content, and the search engines assume the more quality links you have, the more valid the content of your site is.
Therefore, your web marketing strategy should be:
1. One-way incoming links, i.e. a site links to you, but you don't provide a link back to their site.
2. Links from sites that have a valid reason to link to you.
The Simplest Way to Get Quality Links
The simplest and most effective way to get quality links on the Internet is to submit articles on topics related to your business or services, to article download sites - with your article containing a live anchor text link back to your site.
There are plenty of article download sites to submit to, and they place your information in front of millions of potential customers.
Other web site owners also look through the download site's archives - looking for good content for their own websites. They will then host your article on their own site - provided your articles professionally written. This causes your articles to spread out virally across the Internet, creating more links and traffic.
Linking in this manner creates quality links and "hot" leads - readers are already receptive to your offer because of the quality of the information provided by your article.
Dental web marketing is often seen as an unnecessary area of advertising for many oral care professionals. This couldn't be farther from the truth. With the drop in the economy, rise in gas prices, and skyrocketing inflation, dental offices are seeing fewer and fewer patients. With the constant loss of people leaving practices due to death, moving, and switching care providers combined with no online presence, practices are bleeding at both ends.
Dental web marketing allows dental experts the opportunity to attract those that are seeking treatment by opening themselves to a target rich environment. The three following myths are the common reasons why many dentists fail to expand their practice to its fullest potential.
Dental Web Marketing Attracts The Wrong People
A majority of the oral care professionals who fail to use dental web sites wisely often believe they only attract small kids and young adults. With daily lives becoming busier and the population getting older, baby boomers and the elderly are going online in staggering numbers. They are also finding their health care providers online because it is convenient. These two groups are also spending more on their oral health than other demographics. For dentists or oral surgeons who market their practices wisely, this translates into a large increase in profits.
Other oral care professionals feel that online marketing attracts too many people outside of their local area, making it a waste of their advertising budget. Just like with telephone ads and brochures, people outside of the area will see the ads, but the locals who find your practice will outnumber them significantly with the right marketing tactics. Marketing and web sites are designed to aim directly at the communities in the local area.
Dental Web Sites Are To Costly
Before the arrival of the World Wide Web, dentists spent billions on traditional advertising methods such as ads in malls and mailings advertising their practice in order to target their ideal market. Today, these methods simply don't work. Target audiences have turned to the Internet to find their dentists, doctors, and orthodontists. Dental care professionals that are increasing their advertising budget for paper advertisements are simply aren't getting the ROI needed make their practices a profitable venture. Dental web marketing is becoming one of the most important areas of marketing available to the oral care profession.
Dental web sites and online marketing are not as expensive as many oral care professionals believe. With the right choice, dentists can have a top of the line online site set up and maintained along with solid marketing strategies for a price close to what they may already be spending on traditional advertising. To put things into perspective, if Internet marketing only attracts 30 new patients, that practice can easily make $50 000. These kinds of profits can increase greatly, depending on how many new referrals these new clients bring in. The ROI of online advertising and marketing can quickly exceed that of traditional marketing.
Current Patients Don't Benefit From Online Marketing
Failing to communicate with patients is one of the main reasons patients transfer to competing practices. Basic things such as emailing newsletters on a regular basis and updating dental web sites are an excellent way to communicate with current patients. Topics like monthly specials, information on new dental services being offered in the practice, or simply exploring a particular service such as teeth whitening can make a significant difference. A communication line is kept open and it makes patients aware of procedures or promotions they may not be aware of. Having newsletters coming into the inbox of a client makes it easy for them to forward information to others as a way of increasing referrals. Being online also makes it convenient for patients to book, postpone, and cancel appointments.
These three false views of online marketing can seriously hamper a successful practice from bringing in a steady stream of new patients. Dentists and oral care professionals who use dental web marketing and dental web sites wisely will quickly see their ROI significantly improve and have overflowing schedules.
Both Stephen Todd & Christine Okelly are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Stephen Todd has sinced written about articles on various topics from Currency Trading, Modelling and Green Tea. For more information on cost effective to increase your sales and bottom line profits, please visit our web site:. Stephen Todd's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.
Christine Okelly has sinced written about articles on various topics from Disease & illness, Finances and Accident Lawyers. Christine O'Kelly writes for Officite. With more than 3,100 satisfied customers, Officite is on the cutting edge of premier and are leaders in. Christine Okelly's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.