The Google Sandbox Mystery

The Google sandbox theory states that new sites are given a sort of penalty after initially being created. The sandbox is often referred to as a filter placed by Google to make sure a site is what it says it is. For the early portion of the site’s existence, it will experience poor rankings for its most important keywords, no matter how much optimization work has been put into it. The length of time often associated with the sandbox is between 90 – 120 days. Google monitors the site during that time frame to observe if the site is genuinely what it claims to be or if it’s just spam.

The existence of the sandbox has never been verified by anyone at Google. No mention has been made of a filter that specifically penalizes new sites for being new. However, it is known that Google will look at the inception date and expiration of a domain name. They will also look at the date a particular page was added to a site. Patent excerpts show examples of how Google uses specific historical data of domain names to determine ranking:

“…a document’s inception date may be used to generate (or later) a score associated with that document”

and

“… the date when a domain expires in the future can be used as a factor in predicting the legitimacy of a domain…”

It is evidenced that Google will look at historical information about a site. They don’t, however, specifically say a site will be penalized because it is new. Google’s mission is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” This can’t be done if every website gets automatically ranked and positioned today, tomorrow, or even this month.

A lot of advice is thrown around about how to get around the sandbox. And although, initially, some of these loopholes or exploits might work, it can be a slippery slope and one should use caution in employing them. If the sandbox is an actual filter, or just the results of Google’s algorithms and how their site is setup, in the end, it is Google’s goal to show the best results for any particular search. If that’s Google’s goal, then pander to it.

When it comes to Google, if you produce a quality website, attention will be brought to it naturally. Trying to force results tempts the fates, and can result in an all out ban on your site – something much worse than a filter.

In the end, it comes down to patience, natural link building, site optimization and further development of the site by adding new and useful (read informative) pages. Google will pay attention. The hard work and patience will pay off because your site will be built upon a proven foundation and not on a house of cards.

Aaron Gerblich
Account Manager
Page1Solutions

SEO Misconceptions

Our newest search engine optimization specialist recently commented on what he learned from our staff and research materials that we gave him. Here is a little tidbit from someone who came to us with "previous SEO experience" -

As far as what I've learned so far, I'd say the biggest SEO misconception[s] I had before this week revolved around how Google regards links. I've gotten straightened out on the following ideas:

- reciprocal links are far less valuable than one-way links
- the older the link, the more weight it carries
- a few inbound links from authoritative sites are more valuable than dozens of links from less-important sites
- Google prefers to find pages on its own from outside links rather than from direct submission
- inbound link count should increase gradually so it appears natural to Google

Good advice for anybody who wants to get better search engine results on Google.

Dan Goldstein
Page 1 Solutions

5 Overlooked Ways to Promote Your Website

I find it interesting that out of the many ways in which dentists can promote their practices and services, many neglect to place their website address on the advertising they're already paying for. Sometimes, placing your website address on your paid advertising is simply overlooked. I'll go over five not-so-obvious ways to promote your practices’ website.

1. Always include your website address on business cards, stationery, brochures, direct mail and all other literature. This may seem like a no-brainer but it is often overlooked. Amazingly, many practices either forget to place their website address on their business cards or don't think it's important enough to include. Be sure that anytime you do include your website address to leave off the http:// and only include the www.domain.com portion. The only exception to this rule is in the case of press releases. Press releases may get picked up by an online publication and in that case, the http:// will make the address into a link that potential patients (and search engines) can follow.

2. Use your email and email newsletters to bring potential patients to your website. Make sure to include your website address in the signature portion of your emails right along with your name, company name, phone, etc. Always utilize your practice’s email instead of one of your free email accounts or ISP emails.

3. Publishing a weekly, monthly, or quarterly newsletter can be very time consuming but it's one of the best ways to stay in touch with your patients and potential patients. You can also use this newsletter as a way to develop trust, generate dental hygiene awareness, and build future business. Just remember to place your website address in every newsletter that you send or look into sending out electronic newsletters.

4. Incorporate your website address in all your traditional advertising. Be sure to add it on any displays, classified ads you purchase, newspapers, magazines and materials you dispute. Use ads as a way to capture the reader's attention and then refer them to the website address where they can continue to gain more information from your practice. Carefully look at small displays or classified ads in the back of magazines or trade journals and consider that these ads can be more targeted and less expensive then online advertising. It's also vital to make sure all media sources include a link to your website on all online versions.

5. Become an online dental marketing expert. Use your dental expertise to promote your website for free. Sign up for Yahoo or Google Answers and answer dental questions asked by online visitors. You can add your website address to your profile and gain additional internet exposure for free.

Here’s an extra tip…

Use viral marketing techniques. Viral marketing utilizes your website's visitors' and current clients' communication networks to spread your "word". Some examples of viral marketing can include online public relations, "send to friends" links, blogs, podcasting, and anything to create a "buzz".If you'd like to create more credibility and internet traffic for your website, don't overlook the obvious ways to promote your website address. The number of research-based internet users rise everyday. Use your website address in everything that will reach or be seen by potential clients.

Jessica Espinoza
Marketing Assistant
www.page1solutions.com

Responding to Leads

Occasionally, I will secret shop some of my clients- and by secret shop I mean I will send an inquiry through their contact form and see how they respond.

One of the biggest reasons I secret shop them is I want to make sure my clients aren’t losing out on valuable business because of the way they respond. Sometimes I will get complaints about lack of lead generation. The first thing I will do is secret shop them.

What I look for is:

1. How soon they respond to my inquiry
2. If they answer my question
3. If they provide additional information that I did not ask for,
but is helpful to know
4. If they link back to their website
5. If they provide their contact information in the email

Recently I secret shopped a client who was saying that he was not getting any conversions from his web leads. He said he gets leads, but none of them ever respond back after he contacts them. I secret shopped him, sending him some basic information on why I was contacting him. This was his response:

“Thank you for your inquiry. happy to discuss your specific dental question. However, we would need a phone number to contact you.”

WHAT!??! You need a phone number to contact me? I can’t even begin to tell you what is wrong with that.

Don’t lose prospective clients. If you are not answering your email leads, secret shop yourself and make sure whoever is answering them is doing a good job. Web marketing can be one of the most cost-effective ways to generate business. Make sure you are cashing in.

Noël Otten
Account Manager
Page 1 Solutions

Beware of Domain Renewal Scams

I wanted to warn you about yet another scam being sent out in an attempt to "pirate" your domain name. These companies are sometimes just trying to trick you into transferring your domain to their registrar so that they can make money off of your domain renewal, but other companies are less innocuous and actually take control of your domain name. The image below contains a notice that says, "We have to receive payment within 21 days, otherwise your domain registration will be deleted." Unfortunately, some of our clients have fallen prey to these scams and end up paying these companies only to have their domain transferred away from their control. If you receive a notice of renewal, expiration, cancellation regarding your domain name, please forward it to the person in charge of your internet marketing. They can advise you as to whether it's a bonafie renewal notice or a scam.

Jonathan Fashbaugh
Page 1 Solutions

Help, I'm Drowning in Spam

The problem of spam continues to be a pain in my clients' collective sides. While it's actually impossible to prevent you receiving spam altogether without accidentally blocking good emails, there are a few things that you can do to reduce the amount of spam that you receive.

1. Use contact forms on your website instead of displaying your email address. Spammers have computer programs that scour websites for the '@' symbol, harvesting large lists of email addresses to later bombard with spam. By hiding your email address behind a contact form, you can avoid this extremely common source of spam.

2. Add form validators to your contact forms. By adding some checks and balances to your contact forms, you can prevent lots of spam abuse. The level of protection is somewhat subjective because the more complex the checking is, the more likely you are to prevent legitimate emails from coming through, but a happy medium is usually the best option.

3. Avoid Info@ and other stereotypical email names. Almost every company has an “info@companyname.com " email address, and spammers know it. They tap into databases of website domain names and send emails out to all sorts of stock email addresses, a favorite of which is "info@". If you have an info@ email address, change your email address to something a little more unique, and you'll find you receive much less spam. Changing your email address can be a bit of a short-term pain, but it does offer a reprieve in unwanted email.

If you're a Page 1 Solutions client, our mail hosting also offers custom spam filtration controls. Call us if you'd like to discuss any possible solutions to your spam problems. We're always glad to help.

Jonathan Fashbaugh
Account Manager
Page 1 Solutions

The Benefits of Long Term SEO

Long-term search engine optimization basically means that your website will receive ongoing optimization on a regular basis. This is something that Page 1 Solutions strives to do.

We are constantly researching new keywords that generate results for our clients and will incorporate those keywords into our clients’ websites through updated content. In order to succeed, your website needs to be graphically up to date and most importantly, have frequently updated content. This helps the search engines to see that your website is always being updated and kept fresh, which encourages the search engines to come back to the site more frequently. This helps the website to obtain higher rankings.

Long term SEO also includes monthly site submissions, link building and doing ongoing analysis and maintenance of the website.

We provide reporting of our analysis to our clients so that they are always kept in the loop. We also provide continuous link building efforts. Our link building strategies include constant research into finding the most qualified and relevant links for your particular site, which can help to raise your ranking with all of the search engines.

With constant research of your website along with the competitors, we are able to find the best ways for your site to reach the top and remain there.

Alex Juel
SEO Specialist
Page 1 Solutions

Keeping the Visitors in Mind

Search Engine Optimization is usually focused on trying to figure what the Search Engines are looking for and how to catch up and get the better of the competitors websites.

It is equally important however to keep in mind that it is the visitors to the website who are the ultimate decision makers for the site’s popularity and are hence the single most important aspect of a website.

Visitors are those people who you attempt to attract to your site and they are the ones who will essentially make your website and hence your business successful. Hence, it is very important that the site be "user-friendly" and have the ability to attract a visitor to contact the practice or to commit to that full smile makeover.

Today’s search engines are changing the way they rank sites and are not only promoting natural web pages, with good content and natural links but are also looking into tracking a user's browsing pattern in order to rank search results. A site that is bookmarked and visited frequently will almost always rank higher. So make your dental website interesting and update it often to encourage prospective patients to bookmark it and come back frequently.

Ultimately, the focus comes back to emphasizing visitor optimization and content optimization, creating a unique experience for the visitor and holding their attention by providing information in a simple, attractive and fun way.

Debby D'silva

SEO Specialist

Page 1 Solutions

New Year Resolutions

Even though it is already March, there is still plenty of time to make your website your #1 referral source. It's not easy and will require time, attention and money, but if you make the investment, it will pay dividends. Here are a few things you can resolve to do that will pay off in 2007:

1. Add two new pages every month. Search engines are looking for fresh original content - and consumers are too. So help them out by adding new pages to your website every month. There are lots and lots of things to write about. Just think about all the questions you answer for your clients every day. We can help too. Page 1 writes lots of content for our dental website sites every day. Think ahead. Identify 12 topics for new content. We will write all twelve pages and you can review and edit them all at once. Once approved, we will add two pages a month like clockwork and the search engines will see your site as a growing resource about consumer oriented dental information.

2. Add a blog to your site. For the same reasons explained above, a blog can be a tremendous resource. It doesn't take long to make an entry. 15 minutes at most. Just think about what you did today or what what questions your patient asked you. If one patient asks a question, it is likely that many others have the same question. Just type up the question and your answer. If you write two or three blog postings a week, the search engines will start to take notice. You can make it easy on yourself by asking your marketing director or your office staff to write blog entries. The more the merrier. You just need to make that commitment.

3. Add a privacy policy to your website. This is a minor item, but it does help create an aura of legitimacy to your website.

4. Get more inbound links. Links are one of the major ways that search engines judge the credibility of your website. The more links you get from more credible sites, the better. Ask your colleagues at other non-competing practices to link to your website. Ask other medical professionals and dental labs to link to your site. Go to the websites of your college and dental school. Make sure your listing with the alumni association includes your website address - maybe link directly to your bio page. Ask for links back from charities or other community organizations that you contribute to or participate in. All these will help you, but you can still do more.

5. Buy links (carefully) from reputable websites where you can do so without indicating that you are buying them. We can help you with this.

6. We will help you with links from directories. There are lots of them.

7. Make sure your yellow page listings (online) all link back to your website.

8. Write articles and get them posted in the local newspaper. Most of them include an online edition. There are lots of websites that will accept a credible article from you. Make sure that you include a hyperlink back to your website.

9. Write a press release each time you take a continuing education class or receive an award. Celebrate your victories. Send it to your local publications. There are lots or places that will publish your press releases.

This only scratches the surface. There are lots more ideas where this came from. The point is RESOLVE to get busy to help promote your website in 2007.

Dan Goldstein
Page 1 Solutions