YOU WANT TO BE THE “ CREAM OF THE CROP ” ….. RISE TO THE TOP AND GET YOUR WEBSITE NOTICED !
directory , dmoz . Keep in mind these non-profits can take their time listing you on this directory , so be patient with anyone you select to do this .
Be sure to give your website a sitemap . Many people neglect to do this and this is what provides search engines a file of your site ’ s contents . You can also use xml-sitemaps . com to generate a sitemap for your needs ; just don ’ t forget to submit your sitemap to the search engines mentioned above .
Appearance of your website is important once your patient or customer arrives there . Just as I would choose a cute shoe over an ugly one , I ’ ll always choose an eye appealing website rich with good photography over those using cartoons or no photos .
When choosing a physical place for your business , the mantra has always been “ location , location , location .” Now , when making yourself prominent on the web it becomes “ content , content , content !” If you ’ re a shoe store in Florida and have a retail shoe store and a pedorthic facility , you must think about what the consumer will type as a few keywords into their search engine . They ’ re more likely to type in ‘ shoes ’ rather than ‘ pedorthist ,’ and possibly the brand name for the shoes they ’ re researching . Your web page content needs to have these included .
Did you know keywords are hidden in the code of your website when it ’ s built ? Make sure that you provide a list to your web designer of any key words a consumer , referral source or patient may reference to find you . Google has a keyword tool you can use for assistance in this process .
Appearance of your website is important once your patient or customer arrives there . Just as I would choose a cute shoe over an ugly one , I ’ ll always choose an eye appealing website rich with good photography over those using cartoons or no photos . Remember , a picture can say a thousand words so back up your words with photos . Make sure your photos are carefully labeled before loading them to your website . How you name your photos can also help your website to be located over others through search engines .
Links from other websites to your website can boost your rankings . Get involved with other colleagues you may work with , partner with or participate in discussion forums with and put up your website link for others to access . Don ’ t ask your best friend to link to your site and vise versa . Search engines know this tactic and will cancel the linking . Make sure you ’ re legitimately linking – link responsibly .
Did you know keywords are hidden in the code of your website when it ’ s built ? Make sure that you provide a list to your web designer of any key words a consumer , referral source or patient may reference to find you . Google has a keyword tool you can use for assistance in this process .
Lastly , be sure that the heading you use on your website is visible to search engines by making them relevant . If you ’ re specializing in working with athletes , arthritis , open wound care , etc ., make that known in your header .
If you already have a website and are kicking yourself , don ’ t worry , it ’ s never too late to optimize your web presence . Check in with your web designer and ask if your site is search engine optimized and if not , you now know what to do . There ’ s never a guarantee that advertising in any realm will increase your business but if your customers and patients don ’ t know you ’ re out there , you ’ ll definitely decreased your chances for business gains and growth . Good luck and happy surfing ! ■
Kristi Hayes , C . Ped . is a second-generation Board Certified Pedorthist , who has utilized her unique skill set in multiple practices settings on the West Coast for more than 18 years . As a pedorthic business consultant she travels across the country to improve practice management in all aspects for small - medium size businesses . Her specialties include marketing , strategic planning and training personnel . She has served the Pedorthic Footcare Association membership as a board of directors member and committee chair since 2006 and is currently the president .
20 Pedorthic Footcare Association www . pedorthics . org