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Medical Prescription for Healthcare SEO

Gray Web Technology + Design — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:33:30 GMT

SEO is vital for any industry with an online presence. Ensuring your online community can find your website can convert users to patients when content is clear, relevant, and easy to find. Too often medical doctors become concerned and frustrated when their medical practice does not come up during a standard Google search.

Dr. X to Healthcare Marketer: "I do 45% of the procedures in the city; I presented at the national conference last month; I took care of that NBA player when he was in town; I see patients 7 days a week! Why doesn't the name of my practice come up when I Google it? Don't THEY know who I am?"

Sound familiar? If you're a seasoned healthcare marketer, it is very likely that you've heard this complaint over and over again. Your doctors, especially those fueled by ego and even those with legitimate clinical successes, are mystified that their professional qualifications aren't enough to get them placed at the top of any search engine results. What may mystify them even further is that there isn't a magic RX that can be written to change their position. In fact, they may have a lengthy course of treatment ahead of them, and results may not be immediate. (sounds a little like a pharmaceutical ad on TV, huh?) Below are a few best practice solutions for this common complaint:

Add Content: Dr. X should invest the time to build content on his website about his area of specialty AND around keywords your patients will be searching for on line. Content should be continually updated and refreshed.
Add Inbound Links: Dr. X should consider adding inbound links of other credible websites such as the hospitals he/she practice at, the national organizations he/she is are part of, high profile news articles that pertain his/her area of practice.
Add a blog to the site. Blogs are a great way to keep content fresh and interesting. Dr. X should be prepared to interact with those who post comments and responses to the blog.
Add patient education materials to the web site. By subscribing to a third party health information tool, or partnering with a vendor, there are numerous ways to add videos, slide shows, and other interactive tools to engage the visitors to Dr. X's site. The more visitors he/she has, the higher the site's credibility will rank with search engines.
Review monthly analytics. By signing up for Google Analytics, Dr. X can learn a lot about how visitors to his/her site got there, how much time they are spending , and what areas of the site are the most frequented. Dr. X can gauge what areas of the site might need a little more "face time" with the doctor.
Participate and be active in social networks including Linkedin, Facebook, etc.

Key strategies in how you plan your online presence can return large yields if done correctly and patiently. There is no quick turn key strategy that will work overnight, but through interaction, engagement, and understanding where your brand can best be positioned, your metrics will see significant changes and new opportunities to expand your message will present themselves.

Photo Credit Paloma Gomez

Attribution Key Factor to Online Trust and Reliability

Gray Web Technology + Design — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:16:13 GMT

In years past blogging was simply looked at as a past time, something a person did to get their thoughts from their head and onto something that could record it. As more and more people began to seek out blogs for information and news, larger players started paying attention and incorporating them into their day today. Now there is no doubt that blogging has established itself in mainstream digital culture with both business and personal uses have found a way to coexist in the blogosphere.

When we write we stand to build credibility, reliability, and trust. Our readers are not to be trifled with because the backlash can be so severe that whole networks have shut down because of lack of interest due to bad press, or just uninteresting developments. It is important in today's written word to remain relevant, interesting, but also honest with your readers.

I want to pick out one specific topic that has come to mind, especially in light of what I've seen recently. The idea of attribution is vital for all of us as writers. It's understood that all of our ideas our not our own. We gain inspiration from other things we read, see, and hear. As such, such inspiration should be credited in some way shape or form in the context of what you writing about. Especially if you decide to use digital media to further express your point. Lack of attribution can seriously hurt your reputation as well as your readership.

Attribution as A Practice

Attribution is something that should come second nature to any content creator. Whether you're doing digital video, audio productions, or written word. In this case we will focus on blogging as our mainstay, but in relation to the other formats mentioned it is essentially the same. As we develop our blog and our following of readers, we develop a trusting relationship. We write, they respond, we respond back. This fragile relationship is like anything you might develop in the real world, only without the face to face. Your readers will come to your site because they value your ideas, and they find your content interesting and educational, if not fun.

It pays to give attribution to anything you include in your post because it shows not only that you're honest, but that you're well read. By incorporating ideas and concepts from others and expanding on them, it shows that you are savvy enough to know that there is a world outside your blog. Too often I read bloggers that I can tell do not venture out to read other blogs. They pour all their efforts into their own product but understand little of perspective when it comes to varying topics.

SEO Benefits

Another factor that is most overlooked by those writing is that attribution is linking out to other sites, and Google crawlers love that stuff. An added bonus is that if someone is watching particular keywords, they will be notified when you link out to them or mention them and they will most likely visit your site or read your article to see how they were referenced.

This is a unique and interesting way to drive traffic to your site or post all the while maintaining an honest approach to the photos, soundbytes, movies, and other content that you might be using that is not necessarily yours.

Photo Credit marciookabe

Hospitals: Let H1N1 Be Your Reason to Use Social Media

Gray Web Technology + Design — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:52:08 GMT

H1N1 is top of mind for most parents these days. It certainly is the top of the newscast each night. Many hospitals are making it the top of their social media strategy. Part marketing and part social service, messaging around H1N1 is vital to keep our communities informed and up to date on the latest news around this epidemic.

If you're a hospital marketer and you're not sure how to begin communicating with your community on H1N1, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Campaigns/H1N1/. There you will find some excellent tools to add your website such as buttons you add to your website to link to the CDC's site about Flu. You can also access widgets, YouTube videos and photos related to H1N1 and add these informational tools your own website. With minimal time on your end, you can provide your community with important and timely information.

Now is also a great time to develop a social media following through Twitter and Facebook. Set up pages for your hospital and keep tabs on the content the CDC is posting on their sites. Sign up to get CDC H1H1 tweets and then retweet them your followers, alert your community to vaccination events, and keep that hand washing message alive and well.

Photo Credit Sir Sabbhat

San Antonio Children's Museum Site Launched

Gray Web Technology + Design — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:49:48 GMT

Today we're pleased to announce the launch of the San Antonio Children's Museum's web site. http://www.sakids.org/

Anyone who visits this new website can count on staying for quite a while and adding a few more bookmarks to their browser. SAKids.org is jam-packed with activity and facility information, driving directions, volunteer and employment info, donation and membership sign-up tools, facility rental information, group tour and party reservation forms, and much more.

This website isn't just an online presence, it is a true online marketing tool and information resource for all visitors. Not only does the site link off to SACM's social media accounts, but we were able to integrate their Picasa album directly into the site.

Gray Web Technology + Design would love the opportunity to work with you to help rebuild your site, or build a social media campaign to help boost your brand's visibility. How can we provide a customized solution for your business? Complete our project inquiry form, or call us at 210-820-0566.

Company Blogs Reach High Popularity

Gray Web Technology + Design — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:43:16 GMT

Blogs are becoming a more popular way for businesses to inform and connect with their consumers. A chronological posting of conversational style entries, blogs are a great way to share ideas, connect with similarly minded audiences on the web, and enter into a dialogue with followers of your business, product or service.

The Sitefinity Blog publishing system streamlines the management of single or multiple user blogs appearing on your site. Its module is extremely easy to use and makes this simple social media marketing tool a must-have feature on your website. You can also use an RSS feed on your blog so that your followers can keep track of when your blog has been updated, and track the comments your readers are making.

Another key factor in establishing an RSS for your blog is to reach those on the run. Mobility is so important for those constantly on the go, and businesses savvy enough to reach these audiences will keep their brand in the forefront of everyone's mind. The idea you want to walk away with is to make yourself as accessible as possible.

Some blog statistics:

There's over 133 million blogs with over 900,000 blog posts created within a single 24-hour period. (Technorati)
346,000,000+ people globally read blogs (comScore)
59% of bloggers have been blogging for at least 2 years and have an established following (Technorati)

It's naive to think that your audience is not online. It's also naive to think that no one wants to connect with your company. Blogs have a strong humanizing component that allows your audience to connect with you more intimately. Having that direct contact with your customers gives you a captive audience for the messages you want to ensure they receive. Setting up calls to action is easier because your readership has opted in to find out what your brand is doing.

So when considering a company blog, be sure to ask yourself three major questions:

What is your goal?
Who is your audience?
What's your message?

After considering these questions you will have a better idea of the tone and direction of what you will create.

Photo Credit Laughing Squid

Law Firms Should Consider New Media

Gray Web Technology + Design — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:03:43 GMT

Lawyers, by nature, are adverse to risk. That's their job. So when we're talking with our prospective law firm clients about the importance of maintaining robust content on their website and the use of social media tools like a blog, it is understandable that they get a little nervous. We are, after all, asking them to "put it in writing," and share their thoughts, their opinions and their legal philosophies with what might seem like an unknown audience.

At GWT, our feeling is that a robust website that engages potential clients, along with the use of social media tools like a blog, can be more effective than the traditional marketing tactics law firms have relied on for decades. More powerful than an ad in the local business paper, web-based marketing tactics are not only affordable, they build relationships. Much like the relationship building at events where attorneys network with one another and share ideas and best practices, blogs can provide a similar platform. Similarly, instead of handing off a business card to a prospective client who might one day need your counsel, a website that speaks to the issues facing your clients today can immediately connect with someone who is actively searching for your expertise. These aren't unknown audiences. These are the people attorney's have targeted for years.

So while on the surface it may seem like a risky undertaking, we believe that attorneys can harness the power of social media and a dynamic website to build their business and their credibility.

The Importance of Listening Posts

Gray Web Technology + Design — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:18:24 GMT

I've done presentations for many groups on the topic of whether social media is a fad or a practical trend to follow. It's hard to assure the naysayers of social media that the concept is not a fad. Though there's enough evidence that social media marketing has been an instrumental strategy for numerous brands that have established a popular, more well known reputation thanks to the democratization of the conversation, still too many see it as a passing fancy.

Ultimately social media is simply a set of tools used strategically to help build positive customer service lines, increase visibility of a product or service, build a humanistic presence for any given company, and finally, it can serve as a window into just how well your company is perceived by large communities, perhaps more precise than a paid survey company could provide. In my eyes social media will soon be as common as print,TV , and radio advertising, but for now, because it's new, social media becomes an easy target to be labeled as a fad. Early adopters will be ahead of the curve when social media falls into the "norm" category, and will surely reap the benefits of moving into the space early on.

Why All Those Social Networks?

For those curious or outright negative about social media and the many networks that exist, it's easy to be confused and see little to no purpose in being a part of the online community. My answer to that is this: wouldn't it be beneficial to your company to have a presence in as many spots as possible just in case someone has a need and you're the company to fulfill it? It's a simple question, but social networks simply act as listening posts for your company. Having a presence onFacebook, Twitter, Ning Communities, LinkedIn , or any other social network that fits your needs is like having an interactive billboard for your company that someone can see and follow back to your website.

A presence on these networks is not to be treated with the billboard syndrome (set it and forget it), but rather, active engagement shows that you are a brand that cares to listen and interact with their audience. Sometimes this is enough to encourage someone to follow through with the established call to action. For most the call to action on any social network is to direct the individual to your website, and from that website the individual will decipher if they will commit to a purchase/inquiry.

The overall idea is that all roads lead back to your website, which acts like an anchor for all your social networks. Having multiple listening posts ensures that no matter where someone finds you, they see a humanistic picture of your company and eventually make it back to your site.

Why Else Should I Listen?

It's probably not wise to turn over the keys to your company to your audience, but understanding the power they can have to your benefit or detriment is key. An online community can turn on a brand in a heartbeat, but by being honest, transparent, and inclusive builds a personal investment of time on their behalf which tends to lend itself to loyalty and a deep vested interest in seeing you succeed. Building these strong communities is the ultimate goal to listening to your audience, listening to trends in your industry, and even listening to what your competition is doing.

Social media provides a strong link to new successes that would have otherwise been nearly impossible to achieve. If you've been on the fence about whether your brand can thrive in the space, take a long hard look at your goals and audience. Are they ready to engage at this level with you? Is there precedence of similar companies achieving success with their own efforts? Social media is more than the tools and networks available for you to use, it takes a purpose and a strategy to ensure that your efforts are worthwhile.

Photo Credit Fe IIya

Celebration Continues, Fiesta 2009 Website Awarded Bronze

Gray Web Technology + Design — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:46:40 GMT

With less than 200 days to go to Fiesta 2010, we're proud to still be celebrating Fiesta 2009 around our offices. On September 23rd, www.fiesta-sa.org received a Bronze Award for the Best Organizational Website at the 2009 International Festivals and Events Association/Hass & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award Ceremony.

This prestigious awards competition strives for the highest degree of excellence in festival and event promotions, and in doing so, has raised the standards and quality of media promotions industry-wide. Event promotions of nearly every type and size have the opportunity to be recognized, and entries are categorized into organizations with similar sized budgets.

The Fiesta San Antonio� Commission is among one of the more highly functional sites that we're proud to have built. Serving as a year-round resource for Fiesta-related activities, the site utilizes photo galleries, the Sitefinity news and calendar controls, a blog and a link to Facebook to encourage the community to keep up with the latest news and events. The site also features up-to-date event listing, ticket sales, a history of Fiesta and promotional space for sponsors of Fiesta.

Viva Fiesta!!!

Endowment Site for Friends of the Alamo Launched

Gray Web Technology + Design — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:36:08 GMT

We're honored to have created the new web site for The Friends of the Alamo.

This site is meant to raise awareness of the organization's efforts to create a permanent endowment for the Alamo complex in San Antonio, Texas. The Friends of the Alamo have become a non-stop public relations machine with their Facebook profile, YouTube presence and now, a new web site blog that will help them get their message out to the masses around the world.

FriendsOfTheAlamo.org is built on Sitefinity 3.5 and takes full advantage of a popular built-in control called the List Control. The List Control allows you to organize your content in easy-to-edit blocks of content. There are several ways to display lists on your site including as an expanded list, collapsed and expandable list, and as a list of links that will generate their own pages with a link back. The example below shows how the Friends of the Alamo has used the List Control to generate new pages of content for their Focus / Objectives page.