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Search Engine Optimization SEO A Crash
Course for Professionals and Small to Mid Size Businesses |
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By:
Sandra Bekhor |
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The promotional opportunity a website presents to a
professional practice is virtually unprecedented. In striking
contrast to other marketing vehicles, a website can achieve
results that would previously have been cost prohibitive for a
professional practice. A well optimized website can:
- Reach your specific targeted audience. A well optimized
website can potentially be found by every one of your
prospective clients or patients that uses the Internet, a
group estimated to be 68% of the general population in
Canada.
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- Communicate the very essence of your practice through
the delivery of a visual and dynamic experience comparable
to that of television.
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- Be found by many different types of searches in addition
to category or name as is the case with the yellow pages and
other print directories.
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- Market your practice an infinite number of times as
opposed to investing anew in the mailing and printing of
brochures and /or advertising for each and every subsequent
campaign.
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These benefits all presume, however, that your website has
effectively implemented a search engine optimization strategy. |
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There are two keys to search engine optimization, keywords and
back links: |
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- Keywords: Keywords are words or phrases that you
expect your prospective clients or patients will use when
conducting an online search for your services. The selection
and employment of keywords is the foundation of your search
engine optimization strategy.
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- Identifying the right keywords for your website is the
first challenge. Optimizing your website for the wrong
keywords will result in it being found by the wrong group of
people.
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- The second challenge is to use these keywords in website
content including copy writing and HTML code for website
addresses, meta tags and page as well as picture titles.
Although the exact algorithms of the search engines is
unknown, the general consensus is that overuse of keywords
is not recommended. Text should ultimately be written to
communicate effectively with your prospective clients or
patients. Additionally, search engines consider keyword
stuffing to be unethical and it will result in permanent
de-listing of your website without warning.
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- Back links: Search engines rank your website
according to the number of high quality inbound links, a
factor which in combination with the use of keywords
determines how high your website appears on search engine
results.
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- There are many different types of opportunities to
generate links to your website including associations,
directories, blogs, press releases and press coverage.
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- The quality of a back link is identified by the ranking
and relevance of the website linking to you as well as the
keywords employed in the actual hyperlink.
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Search engine optimization is a fluid process. The position of
your website is a relative one which depends on your
competitive set, a factor that is changing everyday. In order
to be able to control the constancy of the results of your
search engine optimization, I suggest that you regularly
conduct searches for your priority keywords so that you can
monitor the position of your website within the various search
results. You may also wish to review statistics for your
website in order to proactively monitor any declines in
visitor traffic or changes in search terms that found their
way to your website. These statistics may be clues as to
pending changes to the status of your website with search
engines and may be cause for ramping up your search engine
optimization strategy. |
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Bekhor Management is a full service
business and
marketing consulting firm in Toronto, Ontario focused on
building better business for professional practices. Our
Internet marketing services include
website design, development and search engine optimization.
Sandra Bekhor speaks, teaches and writes about practice
development for various professional associations. We invite
you to visit the
marketing, strategic planning and website design resources
on our website or call us at 416-969-9600 for an initial
consultation without fee or obligation. |
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