Do it yourself SEO

Many LASIK surgeons are interested getting their websites to show up on the top of Google and Yahoo for important search phrases. Only a few will succeed. The question is, should you do it yourself or hire a search engine optimization expert who specializes in LASIK website marketing. Here are a few things to consider when evaluating that question:

• Time vs. Expertise. Search engine optimization is an extremely time intensive process. If you have the time to learn the tricks of the trade and implement them - or if you have someone on your staff with the time for this endeavor and the commitment to succeed - you will probably outperform most of your competitors including many who hire professional search engine optimization firms. SEO is not rocket science, but it does take time.

• First, you need the time to learn the basics of optimizing your website.

• Second, you need to determine your target search phrases.

• Third, you need to implement and incorporate your search engine optimization techniques on your website.

• Fourth, you need to register with the search engines and directories.

• Finally, you need to consistently work on your link popularity over an extended period of time. And, it's not over yet. You still have to track your results and tweak the optimization as well as add content to your website on a regular basis. Now, if you have enough time to devote to this process and the commitment to succeed, you will surely do well. But be honest with yourself about how much time you can devote.

• Time vs. Cost. Search engine optimization firms like Page 1 Solutions charge a lot of money for their expertise and resources. If you do it yourself, you will save these out of pocket costs. You have to consider, though, whether the time you spend optimizing your website would generate more money if you devoted it to working your cases.

• The question is one of opportunity cost. It is a lot easier to evaluate if you charge a fixed fee like $200 per hour. Then you can make the determination pretty easily. Ultimately, you must decide if your time is better spent working your practice and procedures or working on your website.

If you do decide to do your own website optimization and you have the passion and dedication, you will probably do very well. If you are not happy with the results or figure out that you don't have the time to devote, you can always call a professional search engine optimization firm.

Dan Goldstein
Page 1 Solutions

Search Engine Registration for Ophthalmologists

So you've got your LASIK website up and you want to get it registered on the search engines. There are literally thousands of search engines and directories where you can submit your site. A successful search engine optimization program will get you listed in as many of these as possible. However, if you are a do-it-yourself kind of person, here are a few of the big ones:

The Open Directory - It takes a while, but it is worth it. Don't use self promotional language describing your site in your submission.

The Yahoo Directory - In addition to the Yahoo! search engine, Yahoo also has a directory. The cost is $300 per year, but it is well worth it.

Google - some people say that you should not submit to Google. Let the Googlebot find your site. If your site is listed as a link on other sites that Google spiders, this strategy will work, but you can also submit to Google directly and avoid the wait.

Yahoo - Also covers FAST And AltaVista.

MSN - The last of the big three.

There are many more places to submit your site, but this is a starting point. You should also check for any websites that list local businesses in your area.

Good luck with it!

Dan Goldstein
Page 1 Solutions

Pay Per Click Search Engines

Many ophthalmologists are now familiar with the two major pay per click options - Google AdWords and Yahoo Search Marketing. There are others, but these are the two most important ones. If your practice is using (or considering using Pay Per Click - PPC), you should start here. The way that I look at PPC is that it is great for a limited time focused on a specific campaign such as the recent Bausch and Lomb recalls - particularly when there is a lot of news on the subject. With YSM or AdWords, you can pretty much ensure that your site gets a lot of play and a lot of traffic - as long as you are willing to pay.

With Pay Per Click, you pay every time somebody clicks on the sponsored listing for your site. If they see your site, but don't click, you don't pay. Typically, the ads run above and to the right of the search results.

YSM is used on Yahoo and MSN as well as a number of other medium sized search engines. AdWords is used on Google and AOL and other search engines as well. They each control slightly less than 50% of the market.

With YSM you can control where you are positioned in the sponsored results- first, second, third, fourth, etc. It is all based on how much you are willing to pay. If you want to be number one for a particular search phrase, you either need to have software that constantly monitors your position/ranking or you need to manually update your bid. You can set caps on how much you want to bid per click, per day, per month, etc. You can also just prepay a fixed budget and when it runs out, you stop showing up until you put more money in.

With AdWords, it is more complicated - everything with Google is more complicated. With AdWords, your ranking depends not just on how much you want to pay, but on how frequently people click on your listings/ads and how long they stay on your site. Theoretically, you could be willing to pay more than your competitor, but he could get the top spot because people click on his ad more frequently and stay on his site longer. (Yes, Google tracks this.) This means, you have to have a very compelling ad and a strong site to keep people on it. Google also shows your ad on an irregular basis if you do not have a large enough overall budget to ensure that you can pay for all the click throughs. One major advantage of AdWords, however, is that you can be live with AdWords within minutes (they have an editorial review after you go live and may turn off or pause your campaign at that time) while YSM does a review before you go live which may take a day or two.

PPC is a great tool if you know how to use it, but don't ignore the natural listings. That is how you win the marathon. Both PPC and natural listings require lots of work and time and attention.

Dan Goldstein
Page 1 Solutions