Does Your Practice Need a Makeover

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Rich Hirschinger DDS MBA

It was recently announced that the famous Hollywood sign is getting a makeover. The work will take over two months and about 275 gallons of paint, and 110 gallons of primer. The sign was most recently painted in 2005 but they are stripping the sign down to bare metal in order to give it the best appearance possible.

Obviously, a lot of people look at the Hollywood sign every day. It is so big that it is hard to miss. The same can be said about your practice. Hopefully, a lot of people look at it every day. If you have a separate entrance than your patients, when was the last time you walked into the patient entrance? When was the last time you took a step back and looked at your practice though the eyes of a patient? Do your magazines need updating? Do you need a fresh coat of paint, or a change of furniture, or new artwork? There is no doubt that most people are very judgmental and your reception area is their first impression of your office.

I suggest that the office appearance is an occasional subject at the team office meetings. Listen to your team and don’t be afraid to spend some money on keeping your office updated from a patient’s perspective. Dentist’s are in the “appearance” business and having your office reflect the professionalism of your practice can pay dividends down the road.

The same can be said for your website. Websites need even more updating than a physical office. When was the last time you updated your website from both a graphic design perspective and from a content perspective? Have you looked at your website from a mobile device? Most websites are not created to display on a 4 inch wide screen; they were designed for a 17 inch or larger screen.

We have been creating mobile websites for the past year and are doing some really cool designs. Please visit our page about mobile websites for dentists and know that we can help  you with any digital dental makeover.

 

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301 Redirects – Permanently Moving From One Site or Page to a New One

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Rich Hirschinger DDS MBA

We are often asked how a site can be moved from one service to another without losing any search engine optimization that the old site had garnered. The answer is very simple. All that needs to be done is to set up a 301 redirect from the old site to the new site. However, that would just be useful for the home page. But what about all of the other pages of a site? Again, the answer is simple. All that needs to be done is to set up a 301 redirect from the old page name to the new page name. Here is an image that was captured today when I did a search for 301 redirects. Read the description, which is the text that follows the date:
Let me use four live examples of how we at DDS.com use 301 redirects.

  1. From one domain to another – We use a 301 redirect for www.DMD.com to www.DDS.com. Google will penalize anyone who has more than one website with the same content at the same physical address and phone number. They want everyone to play as fairly as possible and more than one website at the same physical address and with the same phone number is considered duplicate content. Since we own DMD.com and the content we would have on that site is the same as we have at DDS.com, we use a 301 redirect to automatically send anyone visiting DMD.com to DDS.com.
  2. From an old page name to a new page name – When you want to transfer from one website service to a different service, 301 redirects can be set up so that visitors who have bookmarked a page on the old site can be 301 redirected to the new page name. The same goes for search engines that have “indexed” a page so that it appears in a search engine result when someone searches for a term that appears on that page. For example, we have a page that explains “meta tags” for dentists that was ranked #1, and still is as of the date this blog was written, for the search term “dental meta tags,” as shown in the screenshot below. We changed our website service and did not want to lose the ranking but the page name structure of our site was changing.The old page name was www.DDS.com/meta_tags.htm and the new page name is www.DDS.com/dental-websites/Features/meta-tags/. It took about two minutes to log into our website editor, enter the old page name into our content management system for dentists, and click save as shown in the screenshot below. Anyone who had the old link saved or any search engine that had ranked the old page name can now access the new page name and all of the existing ranking is retained since, as far as the search engines are concerned, nothing has changed since the old link redirects to the new link.301 redirects for dental practices
  3. From a short page name to a longer page name – We like to use short page names as much as possible. Since a 301 redirect is built into our content management system for dental practices, we, as well as our dentists and their team members, can create a 301 redirect by typing and clicking. For example, we created a page about mobile websites for dentists and the page name is www.DDS.com/dental-websites/mobile-websites-for-dentists/. However, as you can see, that is very long. Therefore, after we created the page, we typed “/mobi/” into the proper place in our content management system as shown in the screenshot below, and that creates a 301 redirect from www.DDS.com/mobi to www.DDS.com/dental-websites/mobile-websites-for-dentists/. Yes, it is that easy.301 redirects for dentists
  4. Your website should work with or without the “www” but it should not work both ways. The way you control this is, yes, with a 301 redirect. But don’t just take my word for it, type google.com, yahoo.com and www.twitter.com into a browser window, and what you will see is shown below. Google and Yahoo, and most websites display the “www” version but Twitter displays without the www. It doesn’t matter which way it works. What is important is that it works with or without but not both ways.non www to www 301 redirects

If you want to learn more about 301 redirects, please visit these links and watch the video below, which are all courtesy of Google.

http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=93633 301 redirects explained.
http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=44231 www or non-www explained.

Here is video from Matt Cutts, who is the head of the webspam team at Google. What that means is that he is in charge of how Google determines what is, and what is not, fair play on how search engines index a site.

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QR Codes for Dentists and Dental Practices

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Rich Hirschinger DDS MBA

QR Codes for Dentists and Dental Practices

There has been a lot of discussion lately about dentists using QR codes for their dental practice, what QR codes are, and how they can be used by dentists in to market to existing patient and attract new patients for their dental practice. QR stands for Quick Response and it was developed by Denso-Wave, which is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, to track auto parts inventory. Denso-Wave maintains a trademark and patent on QR codes but they have not chosen to enforce the patent, and enable anyone to use it for free.

What is very important to keep in mind is that a QR code will mainly be utilized by someone with a smartphone such as an Android, a BlackBerry, and an iPhone. Why is this the important? Because a camera and a free app called a barcode reader, are needed to “read” the QR code. The barcode reader app on the smartphone will scan the code much like your items are scanned at the supermarket. QR code readers, however, are two dimensional versus the standard one dimensional codes found on food products. QR codes, therefore, can contain more information than one dimensional codes. But that is not the only reason to consider that a smartphone will be used to read the QR code. Because the person scanning the QR code is using a smartphone, the action you programed for the QR code will be taken on the smartphone. In other words, if you are sending the person to your home page or a specific page on your website, make sure that the page is viewable on a mobile phone. This usually requires a website that is optimized for viewing on a small screen such as the first generation iPhones and the slightly larger Android phones. DDS.com offers a mobile friendly website and after learning about QR codes on this page, please scan the QR code below to learn more about our mobile friendly websites.
What is also important is to know is if your QR code for your dental practice is being used by patients and prospective patients. This requires that the QR code traffic be tracked. We suggest using a combination of Google Analytics and bitly.com to create and track your QR code traffic. It is fairly easy and all you need to do is follow the steps below.

Lastly, you need to know what your QR code action is going to be. In other words, once the QR code is scanned, what do you want to happen. For example, you can create a QR code for any of the following actions:

  • Browse to any page on a website
  • Browse to Bing, Google, Mapquest maps
  • Browse to Foursquare
  • Browse to YouTube
  • Browse to Twitter
  • Bookmark a website
  • Create a vCalendar event
  • Create a vCard
  • Make a phone call
  • Send an SMS
  • Send an email

Once you know what action you want to occur, then follow these steps to get started.

First, visit http://support.google.com/googleanalytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=55578. Enter the long link for the destination or action that you want to generate a QR code for and that you want to track. Enter a Campaign Source, Campaign Medium and Campaign Name in the respective fields. Then, click “Generate URL.” All of these steps are shown in the image below:

Google Analytics for creating a unique url for dental practice using QR codes for dentistsAfter you generate the long url, select and copy it to your clipboard. You are now done with Google Analytics aspect of the process. Next, visit www.bitly.com. If you do not have an account, sign up for a free account. After you log in, click “Shorten Wlth” and select the short domain name you want to use. Paste the long url into the box and click Shorten.

We are fortunate that our domain name is very short so we created “s.dds.com” to use as a custom short url. You can select bit.ly, bitly.com, or j.mp. If you want to use a short professional domain name with either DDS.com or DMD.com in it, which is more professional than the other choices bitly offers, please contact us and we can program this for you. No client can have the same short custom url such as a.dds.com, b.dmd.com, etc., so if this interests you, do not hesitate to contact us.

The shortened url will appear in the box after your url is shortened, and on the page lower down. You can select and copy the shortened url from inside the box, or click Copy from lower down on the page as shown in the second image below.

Next, you need to create the QR code, which is incredibly simple. All you need to do is paste the shortened url in the address bar, type “.qr” after the shortened url and hit the enter or return key. The QR code will then appear on the page in front of you as an image. Right click and choose “Save image as…” to save the QR code image to your local drive. We strongly suggest you test the QR code for your dental practice before you give it to a printer, place it on your website or use in any other form for dental marketing.

If you need a QR code reader for your smartphone, here are links to the most popular free readers:

Android free barcode scanner
BlackBerry free barcode scanner
iPhone free barcode scanner

You are now all set. There is no limit to the number of QR codes you can create, and there is no limit to how creative you can be in their use. Here are some interesting examples of how other companies are using QR codes.

Heinz 57 Ketchup uses QR codes on bottles used in restaurants.

GoDaddy.com uses QR codes in their television commercials.

Dick’s Sporting Goods used one of the world’s largest flat screens at Cowboy Stadium to promote their new mobile friendly website.

A company is proposing to put giant QR codes on roofs of buildings so that Google will capture the images to display on Google maps. This is an artist rendering and I don’t know if any company has purchased the service…but it is an interesting way to market.

How are you using QR codes? Leave a comment below to share with other dentists any success stories you have.

Learn more about DDS.com mobile websites for dentists.
Learn more about QR codes for dental practices.

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Google is changing again.

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Rich Hirschinger DDS MBA

Change is a given and Google has made another change to their algorithm, which is a fancy way of saying, “formula.” A blog posted today by Google at http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/07/ongoing-evolution-of-place-pages.html explains the most recent change. The number of reviews shown in Google Places will now only reflect those reviews written by other Google users. The screenshot below shows an excellent example of the change. The left side of the image was captured six days ago and the right side of the image was captured today. Both times we did a search for “Dallas dentist.” The arrows show the number of reviews that appear for the same site. As you can see, the rankings have not changed but the number of reviews has changed, which, in some cases, has reflected on the number of stars for a given site.

Change. It is a given. Google proves it again.

Please click the image and then click it again to see it full size.

 

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Groupon, have we got a deal for you!

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Rich Hirschinger DDS MBA

If you weren’t aware, Groupon turned down an $6 billion buyout offer from Google a few months ago. Some thought it was smart of them to turn down Google’s offer and some thought they should have taken the money because the business model is fairly easy to replicate. Well, don’t look now Groupon but that big giant shadow in your rear view mirror is Facebook, which announced they are testing “Deals” in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, San Diego, and San Francisco. Facebook could charge less than Groupon to a much large user base so watch and see what happens. Here is a YouTube video with the details from Facebook, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJY6Y2ideB0&feature=player_embedded.

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I finally have a website. Now what?!

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Rich Hirschinger DDS MBA

I finally have a website. Now what?!

You are probably going to Google yourself, if you haven’t already, to see where you appear on the search engine results page, also known as SERP. Well, your website won’t be anywhere on the search engines if this is your very first website since it just went live and it takes time to be found on Google.

It can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc., to visit and index your website, and this process is out of our control. Indexing means Google puts key information from your website into its database so people can find it when they search for it.

Now that you know the above, I want you to think back to the first people to have a phone. It was only useful for calling other people who had a phone. If you were one of the first, well, you probably weren’t spending too much time on the phone.

Think back to the first people to have a fax. It was only useful for faxing other people who had a fax, which requires a phone line. If you were one of the first to have a fax, well, you probably weren’t spending too much time faxing.

Now think about your website. The goal of a great dental website is the same as both the phone and the fax with one major difference. The goal is to get your phone to ring. The major difference is the phone and fax are both analog, or at least most phones used to be analog, and the Internet is digital, and thank goodness for that.

So how does a good website get your phone to ring? It must be both “patient friendly,” and “Google friendly.”

When using the term, “Google friendly,” I’m referring to Google as a noun to refer to all search engines such as Bing, Yahoo, etc. I have a neighbor, who is a Google attorney, and he doesn’t like to hear Google being used as a noun but it is almost synonymous with search engines since it has such a dominant market share.

When using the term, “patient friendly,” I’m referring to the content on the website such as the text and images. The information should be targeted to the level of a high school education, and the content needs to have graphics and images since it is a fact that most people learn more by looking at pictures than by simply reading text.

My point in telling you that is that your website has to play to two audiences, the public and the search engines. There are ways to please both but it takes good content and good code.

Now that you have a website, you need to tell people. You need to tell your patients, you need to promote your website by having the domain name printed on every printed material that leaves your office such as your business cards, your letterhead, your statements, your hygiene reminder cards. You need to post your domain name to all the social media outlets that you use, or should be using, such as Facebook and Twitter.

After all, if you have a phone and no one knows your number, it’s not going to ring. If you have a website, let the world know!

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Leveraging the Web to Grow Your Dental Practice: What You Need to Know

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Virginia Nussey

Successful dental practices have accomplished a rare balance ─ the mastery of a vital science that reaches back to ancient times and the embrace of technological progress as tools advance the techniques of dentistry. However it is a thoroughly modern development that’s posed a challenge to dentists seeking a growing practice today. The Internet, for all the advantages it can provide when marketing a business, has added requirements to developing a business and attracting clients.

Your Website Works for You

Americans today turn to the Internet for any and every need. Info, research, shopping, entertainment, socializing and locating a professional service in the town where they live are all tasks done online. Traditionally, a dentist may have relied on the yellow pages and current patients’ word of mouth to bring new smiles through the door. While people are still looking for and asking friends about a good dentist in the area, it happens more and more online. And online, people turn to search engines when they’re looking to fill a need.

Search engines compile an index of the sites and data on the web and then try to point a searcher in the direction of the information they seek, based on the searcher’s query. One of the most effective tools a business has for being included among search results is a website. A website is a powerful means for communicating a business’s services, personality and unique value proposition. With the right choice of words, a website can position a business as preferable to the alternatives by demonstrating an understanding of the target audience’s needs and goals.

Where SEO Comes In

A website is practically a requirement of doing business today, and while that provides unprecedented marketing opportunities, the fact that nearly every business is now online means the market is saturated with competition. Having a website isn’t enough on it’s own. A website has to be considered among the best on its subject matter if a search engine is going to present it to a searcher.

A search engine uses a complex algorithm using hundreds of signals to measure a website’s relevance to a query. Using a variety of methods, search engine optimization, or SEO, improves the quality of these signals ─ at least, as many of them as can be controlled, but more on that later. In short, SEO is the practice of making a website relevant for a query in order to make it worthy of top search engine rankings.

What’s On-Page Optimization

A bulk of the signals SEO seeks to improve are located on the website itself, including text content, Meta tags and site structure. This is called on-page SEO, and it stands next to off-page SEO tactics like attaining links and citations from third-party sites. On-page SEO is a technical practice that requires an understanding of what searchers are typing as queries (keywords), the composition of the competitive field, and the means of implementing important keywords within high value signal areas of the site.

Some high value signals of a site that search engines weigh heavily in the ranking algortithm include page URL, Title tag, Meta data, and text content, especially the first 200 words or so. It’s in these site components that keywords act as a strong sign of relevance to both search engines and human readers alike. Limitations of what an SEO can optimize on-site puts a business at a disadvantage in the highly competitive space of search rankings. In an ideal situation, an SEO can optimize all page components known to affect a search engine’s measurement of a site’s value for a given query.

The Power of a Customizable CMS

Many websites use a content management system, or CMS, to store content, format the site and allow for site management. The more control that can be exerted over major site signals, the more effective an SEO campaign can be. However, few content management systems allow for the granular control required of SEO best practices. An SEO-friendly CMS that provides full customization of important on-page signals is an invaluable resource. That’s why DDS.com designs all sites with a fully-customizable, SEO-friendly CMS enabling the full potential of search engine optimization.

Through this one-of-a-kind CMS, a webmaster or SEO is able to optimize such vital ranking elements as the page URL structure and page Title and Meta tags. Even beyond that, the CMS can also provide SEO advice on keyword inclusion and SEO best practices within the page editor. It streamlines the process of site upkeep, quality content creation and SEO marketing in a simple interface that’s easy to use. A website, SEO and having the right tools to do the job are all powerful ways to reach an audience and grow or maintain a healthy business. When their capabilities are combined, the reach and potential can shine as bright as that new patient’s smile.

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Your Local Search Presence in Google Place Search

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Virginia Nussey

Google, the dominant search engine in the U.S., is constantly innovating its search technology. The search giant has also displayed an increasing dedication to local services and search. This means two things for businesses marketing online ─ opportunity and education. Through search, local businesses have many opportunities to reach new customers and gain visibility within their community, but first local businesses need to understand the options available and how to take advantage of them.

The local search space has evolved quickly, and in the last several months, the pace of change has accelerated. Here’s what you need to know to be present in Google’s local-focused search.

Google Place Pages and Place Search

At the end of September, Google introduced Place Pages for Google Maps. In a blog post announcement, the new feature was explained:

A Place Page is a web page for every place in the world, organizing all the world’s information for that place. And we really mean every place: there are Place Pages for businesses, points of interest, transit stations, landmarks, and cities all over the world. To find a Place Page, click on “more info” in your Google Maps search results or “more info” in the info bubble on the map.

A Place Page can be claimed by the business and customized with rich content including photos, hours of operation, coupons, types of products and services, YouTube videos and more. Each Place Page has its own URL that can be linked to, indexed by search engines, and may rank in organic Web search results.

In October, Google revamped its local search vertical with Place Search. Place Search presents location-based results with reviews, clusters of links to related review and local listing sites like Yelp, Insider Pages and Citysearch, and a map that floats down the page as a user scrolls. Place Pages also frequently show up in Place Search results.

Sometimes a query suggests local intent although it hasn’t been made explicit. For instance, a search for “dentist” suggests local intent because much of the time this query is performed when a searcher is looking for a dentist in her area despite not having included the location in her search. In these cases, Google displays results in what it calls Places Mode, some local results and a map mixed with general web results.

Where Competition Creeps In

With the release of Place Search and Place Pages, local results are more prominent in search results. Web savvy businesses that have optimized their Place Pages have an additional opportunity to be present in relevant searches. However, there are also some features of the new system that may benefit the competition, and thus require active attention.

Place Pages are a great way to present your business to potential clients, however your business isn’t the only one on the page. Related places displayed at the bottom of a Place Page are nearby, similar locations. In terms of business, this is the competition, listed right in your space. Similarly, ads are displayed along the right-hand side of the page. If your Place Page is ranking for your targeted keywords in Google’s general web or Place Search, a searcher who clicks on your Place Page is one click away from your competition.

Implications of Place Pages for SEO

The increasingly competitive environment of the Internet means it’s critical for businesses to be on top of their online presence and fully invested in all marketing opportunities. In Search Engine Land’s analysis of Place Search following its initial release, the effect on local SEO for Google was outlined:

[...] fully fleshed out Place Pages will assume much greater importance, as will being present and reviewed in the various sites featured in the “clustered” links. I’m sure someone will put together a pretty comprehensive list quickly but Yelp is one of the winners here, as are Citysearch, Insiderpages, Urbanspoon, TripAdvisor, Yahoo Local, Judysbook and others depending on the category.

Claim your Place Page and include all applicable rich content to improve its relevance and perceived quality. Use SEO best practices when managing your Place Page by including content that users will find useful or unique, such as photos and hours of operation. And maintain a presence in important review and local directory sites like those listed above. Google culls reviews from around the web when displaying reviews to searchers. The more positive citations and reviews your business has, the better its chances of performing well in search.

Building A Holistic Online Presence

Of course, a Place Page isn’t the only online presence your business may have. A business’s own website is a place to welcome visitors that best represents your professional personality and style. Without the intrusion of ads and competitor listings, your website lets you communicate to clients beyond the formatted guidelines set by Google. Get patients comfortable with a familiar but professional manner communicated through the site’s content and design. Optimize content with long-tail keywords that are less competitive and more relevant to your practice.

At DDS.com we have expanded our SEO services to include Place Pages optimization. This entails claiming your business’s page, creating an keyword-rich description, entering relevant information such as hours of operation, accepted insurance carriers, and uploading media content such as photos and videos. We also offer services that are increasingly important in the local space: review and social media monitoring. Reputation management is now required for any business operating today. Whether you’re listening to what people are saying online or not, your clients are talking. Reviews submitted to sites, such as Yelp and medical specific review sites like HealthGrades.com, are a prominent feature in Google’s Place Search and Place Pages. Effort must be taken to stay aware of reviews and comments posted online.

Things have changed enough that any product or service provider with a local practice should take a moment to learn what Google’s local search results look like today and what can be done to show up in these results when potential clients come looking. With an understanding of what’s entailed in local search engine placement and optimization, you may decide that a qualified specialist can help your dental practice take advantage of these opportunities to thrive online. DDS.com has been committed to building dentist websites and online marketing strategies since 2001. If you’d like to learn more, we’d like to know how we can help.

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It’s Not About Good Enough

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Rich Hirschinger DDS MBA

As a dentist, I can think of very few “good enough” procedures in dentistry that are acceptable. The only one that comes to mind is removable orthodontic aligners. In sport and in business, good enough is completely acceptable. A consistent 33% success rate over many years will guarantee a baseball player a place in the Hall of Fame. Microsoft is patching Windows XP over 9 years after it was first released. However, a crown that is 95% sealed is a failure. Can you image a patient accepting treatment that includes patching a crown on an annual basis? I can’t.

When I started DDS.com in July 2001, I wanted to provide dentists and their teams with a quality website that they could edit on demand  a cutting-edge concept at the time. We partnered with a large company but their technology quickly aged. I then decided to have a custom application written that incorporated all of the features our clients were asking for in their custom dental websites, and I wanted to use the same technology to create the DDS.com website. We have competition, like any business does, but I believe we are the only company that provides websites to dentists to use the same service we sell. This points to the confidence that comes from having the best available technology and expert abilities in dental website design.

As time marched on, we started to learn more and more about search engine optimization (SEO) and social media and their power for dentist marketing online. Tony Landingham, whom I met while attending the Executive MBA program at the USC Marshal School of Business, approached me and wanted to offer these online marketing services to our dental clients. I only wanted to offer SEO if we could deliver good, consistent results so Tony enrolled in classes taught by Bruce Clay. Bruce teaches SEO, he wrote an SEO for Dummies book, but more importantly he was, and is, almost always on page one of Google for the search term “search engine optimization,” a term so competitive that it has 54,600,000 results as of today.

Tony became a certified SEO analyst, which requires attending annual continuing education classes taught by Bruce and his team. It was during the 2009 update that Tony learned of a new content management system called Pixelsilk, which was created by Mark Knowles and his team of programmers in Bend, Oregon. Pixelsilk was programed with SEO as its foundation, and there is nothing like it on the market. Along with allowing for the creation of an editable custom dental website, it offers the ability to integrate a seamless blog that maintains the look and feel of the website, and generates incredibly clean code, which can contribute to good search engine rankings.

The last thing I wanted to do in a bad economy was make a change to a new content management system, which would cost a lot of money, and take a lot of time and energy. However, the more I saw of Pixelsilk the more it became clear that I could not ignore the potential it offered for dental website design and dentist marketing online. I flew up to Bend to meet Mark and his team in November 2009. I was so impressed with both his team and the technology that they created, and with the road map of features that they had planned, that I signed a deal with Pixelsilk in Spring 2010.

Shortly thereafter, I was introduced by Dr. Lorne Lavine, who is known as “The Digital Dentist,” to Dr. Louis Malcmacher. Dr. Malcmacher is an international lecturer who created the American Academy of Facial Esthetics, which teaches dentists how to provide Botox and Juvederm to their patients. He had his websites with a competitor of DDS.com but he wanted more features, better design options, an integrated blog, an integrated forum, and an integrated online store. He asked me if I could meet the goals of his wish list. I advised him if he had asked me a few months prior the answer would be “no” but that I had just signed a deal with a new programming team and the answer was now “yes.” My team and I already had a face-to-face meeting scheduled in Bend with Pixelsilk in June, so we scheduled a conference call with Dr. Malcmacher while we were there. Dr. Malcmacher was also impressed with Pixelsilk, and he decided to move all of his website needs over to DDS.com.

DDS.com is thrilled to now work with many dental industry leaders from consultants, to Warren Bobinski, to the Madow Brothers, to Dr. Duane Keller, the inventor of PerioProtect, and to Dr. Malcmacher. DDS.com combines Pixelsilk’s effective technology with comprehensive dentist marketing strategy to create editable custom dental websites that attract and engage visitors.

We are happy to provide dental website design services to people who have never had a website presence before but most of what we do are revamps of existing sites. Unfortunately, just like not all dentistry is done properly, not all websites are done properly. We don’t like to settle for good enough and we now offer a technology that is far superior to anything offered in the past and anything else available on the market today. It plays very nicely with all the social media sites, and contains plug-ins that work with most Internet-based services. No system is perfect, just as no crown is perfect, but Mark and his team have a road map of features they will be adding to Pixelsilk over the months and years ahead.

The bottom line is that any business has to change to survive and improve. It is possible to run a dental practice based on simple crown and bridge without any marketing, but I doubt that practice will continue to grow, and I doubt the dentist is challenged. I suggest you take a step back and see if you are doing what you need to do for the best long-term growth of your practice.

When I lecture to dentists about how the Internet works, I end my presentation with a saying I heard a few years ago: “If you are bored, take on new challenges. If you are anxious, take on more skills.” We love what we do, we love the people and dental teams we work with, and we look forward to posting interesting blogs on our new seamlessly integrated WordPress blog. After all, dentistry is not about good enough.

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