Why People Can’t Find Your Awesome New Website [and How to Fix It!]

You’re putting the finishing touches on your beautiful new website.

You invested in a team of website pros to help you create the ultimate online experience for your patients, and are thrilled with the results.

Your new site is impeccably designed with a modern look and feel. It has all the latest and greatest technology and marketing tools integrated. The copy and images have been hand-selected and meticulously polished to establish trust and draw in new patients.

You’re super proud of it and SO excited to share it with the world!

Launch day comes.

You’re sure that as soon as you go live, the analytics will show mind-blowing spikes in visitors and new business will come pouring in. You’re prepping your team for a deluge of calls and emails.

3… 2… 1…

YOU’RE LIVE!

And …

… *crickets*.

Huh?

You keep refreshing the website analytics. No luck. Even after a few days, traffic is just barely trickling in.

You’re confused.

Surely there’s been a mistake.

You have an awesome new website – so why can’t anyone find it? Why aren’t you on the first page of Google search results?

A site of this caliber deserves a top search spot!

Here’s the tough truth:

Having a great site is crucial to bringing in new business online – but it’s just the start of your online marketing journey.

If you’re feeling disheartened by this news, don’t worry!

With a shiny new website, you’re off to a great start and ready to begin ramping things up.

In this post, we’ll cover three key reasons why people can’t find your amazing new site and some website optimization tips on how to fix it.

1. Your site design or technology needs some help

We’ll get this one out of the way first because it’s absolutely critical.

Hiring a web designer is similar to hiring a contractor to build a house.

Just like there are many ways to construct a building, there are many ways to design and build a website, often with different degrees of quality.

In some cases, your site may look nice on the surface, but there could be fundamental problems with the foundation that are preventing it from ranking with search engines.

Your results may vary widely depending on the expertise, communication, and genuine care of the designers.

That’s why it’s so important to invest in a professional web design team you can trust, preferably with deep, holistic online marketing expertise.

Let’s assume you chose a reputable company and have a great website on your hands.

In that case, your website already checks these boxes:

• Solid search engine optimization (SEO): Your site is built with modern SEO principles and is well optimized.
• Fully responsive experience: Your website adapts appropriately to phones, desktops, and tablets.
• Speedy load times: Each page loads quickly in less than a few seconds without frustrating your visitors.
• Compelling page content: The images and words on your site feel personal (not cold or cookie-cutter), establish trust, and clearly articulate your services in patient-focused language.
• Easy to navigate: Visitors can quickly and intuitively browse your site and find the information they need, without getting confused or frustrated.
• Latest security standards: Your site has an SSL certificate installed. You’ll know because the URL address starts with “https” (as opposed to “http”), and the browser displays a lock symbol.

So far, so good?

Congrats. You’re working on solid ground.

Even with all these boxes checked, why else might people not be finding your site?

2. You haven’t given it enough time

In the wild west early days of the internet, you could brute-force your site to the top of Google by stuffing it with spammy keywords and artificially buying backlinks.

Nowadays, search engine algorithms are much more sophisticated.

While solid SEO practices can speed the process along and help your site gain traction, these things can still take time.

SEO does not work like a light switch the day you launch. Be skeptical of anyone who promises to put you at the top of Google overnight.

The good news is that an investment in a well-designed website and strategic SEO pays off heavily over time.

As people begin to find your site and spend time on it, Google will take notice.

Over the weeks, months, and years, Google will recognize your site’s authority and organically boost your results.

So if you don’t see tons of traffic right away, be patient!

Trust the process and focus on the things you can control today.

That brings us to our next reason why your site isn’t ranking.

3. You aren’t producing consistent content

There’s a reason “content is king” is the mantra of many online marketers.

Consistently creating and sharing high-quality, engaging content is hands-down the #1 way to drive traffic to your beautiful new website.

What do we mean by content?

Good question!

Content marketing is a modern marketing strategy that engages audiences via valuable, relevant, timely, and consistent information intended to help users solve their problems.

This modern approach to marketing is in clear contrast to “old school,” antiquated tactics that focused on interruption and pushing their products and services on people directly – think cheesy television commercials, unwanted junk mail, and spammy online ads.

As consumers have become more sophisticated, pivoting to a content marketing approach is key to keeping new leads flowing in.

Content can take many forms, including:

• Video
• Blog posts
• Social media posts
• eBooks
• Case studies
• Frequently asked questions
• How-to articles
• Testimonials
• And many, many more!

Content is a critical element of driving new visitors to your website for several reasons.

Here are the key points to understand:

• Establish authority with Google: Great content positions your dental practice as an authority in your industry and helps you get picked up by search engines.
• Gain trust with your website visitors: Helpful, engaging content builds trust with your website visitors before they ever even set foot in your office, making it more likely they’ll become a new patient.

With a consistent stream of content in the works, let’s dive into the final reason your site traffic might be less than stellar.

4. You aren’t leveraging social media

When it comes to driving organic traffic to your site, content and social media are a match made in heaven.

While most content lives on your website, social media is where many people will initially find it.

For example, you write an educational blog post describing the process of getting dental implants, answering common questions from past patients.

After posting the blog on your website, you share it on all your social media feeds.

Through the incredible power of social media algorithms, someone browsing through their feed happens across your post. They’re missing a tooth and have already been considering their options. Your timely article is just what they needed.

They click the link and BOOM – you have a new website visitor, who likely never would have found you by directly searching in Google.

These links create a positive feedback cycle. More visitors leads to more credibility and higher rankings, which in turn leads to even MORE visitors (and more business!).

A great website is just the beginning

Here’s the bottom line:

To stay competitive in the dental industry, you need to have an awesome website. No excuses.

But a great website alone will not put you at the top of Google on from day one.

A strategic SEO strategy that leverages content marketing and social media will get you the highest return on investment, ensuring that potential patients can actually find your gorgeous new website.

But hold up – you’re a busy dental practice. You’re juggling enough already. You don’t have the time or resources to create content regularly, stay active on all the social media platforms, AND manage your website.

We get it. That’s where we can help!

Roadside Dental Marketing can help you with all your online marketing needs, whether it’s a new website or a custom content strategy. With over 20 years in business, we’re a team you can trust.

Schedule a time on Angela’s calendar to chat about your needs or request a free website quote today!