Search Engine Success With SEO

What Is SEO?

SEO is “search engine optimization.” It is the way that websites are able to gain visibility to search engines, such as Google. It is NOT paid, and it is not tied to paid ads or having clients “pay” to place their information into other venues. It is organic, and it is the work that WE do behind the scenes that allows our clients to thrive and have their patients find them.

SEO is a HUGE building block for our clients’ visibility and success as a practice. Without SEO, our clients would not be found easily on the internet and would not get patients. It must be done correctly to work, and to be done correctly, several steps MUST be followed, every time, consistently for it to work.

It’s essential to know one thing… we DO NOT KNOW how Google decides to make some things important and some things redundant because Google is very quiet about what they do. We (VCG) follow the Yoast best practices to create market smart SEO on our client websites. Yoast is regarded as one of the most expert SEO companies in the world.

What Are The Best Practices To Follow For SEO?

The short answer is everything. Every part of a website MUST be optimized for SEO to work properly.

The long answer is…

We focus on “white-hat SEO.” This is the way to build a sustainable online presence. We do not use quick tricks, like writing crappy content for quick hits. Instead, we provide high-quality content and follow the rules to ensure that we are doing everything right, every time: no cutting corners, no skipping steps to make our jobs easier or faster.

Two Types Of SEO: On-Page And Off-Page

There are two types of SEO needed to rank well and be sustainable.

On-Page SEO:

- - Requires Great Content – Quality content lets the patient find the information they need quickly AND educates them on their needs. Keyword research tells us what words and phrases patients are using when searching for you.
  - Requires Backend Optimizing – The titles, image tags, meta descriptions, keywords, etc., that are set for each page of content on the website.
  - Requires Website Architecture – The website’s usability, including things like speed, safety and ease of use on a mobile device.

These Three Things Work Together For Excellent On-Page SEO

Keyword selection is the most significant part of making SEO work. Keywords change constantly, and what someone searched for in January will NOT be what they search for in May. Humans are constantly searching for new information, and because of that, we need to constantly update websites based on search practices and keywords to keep our clients competitive. Our digital team likes to remind clients that websites are living things, constantly evolving, and we are never finished with them.

Backend optimizing is where we take the content and make it work with Google to find the site. Using keywords and marketing smart phrases and content, we (as a team) put all the words together to make the pages show up on a search. This includes choosing the right keywords for every format (text, video, etc.) that we pick for our clients. It also includes ensuring that links are made between pages, blogs, external sources, internal sources, rich content sources, and everything we can think of to create a GREAT user experience for patients and clients.

Off-Page SEO:

- - These are the things that we cannot control as easily because they are much more subjective.
  - Includes how much trust people have when they visit a website. Do they trust the content? Are they getting a great user experience?
  - Includes the age of the website URL and brand identity. Newer businesses and newer websites WILL take a while to gain traction, and it’s our job to make sure they can do that) and includes a
  - Brand identity is crucial to ensuring that our clients are represented the right way, EVERY TIME, with everything we do.
  - Social Media presence supports websites by sharing information relevant to our clients and their patients.
  - When these things work together, over time, Off-Page SEO will grow and give our clients optimal results.

The Perfect SEO Storm

SEO works best when the following things happen:

Keyword-rich, honest, quality content that MATTERS to users
Great link building on pages that provide relevant information for users
Backend optimization that uses optimal titles, pictures, videos, meta descriptions, tags, etc. to provide a great user experience
Fast loading, easy to use and navigate websites that patients want to use
Monthly, or more frequent, blog posts that provide new, relevant information that contains keywords and is LINKED to more relevant information
An outstanding social media presence is established
Websites are kept current and relevant