By JONATHAN FINE
Big changes are afoot on your computer; Google something today and you’ll see that those paid ads in the top right hand column are all gone. What you get now is just like on your mobile, with pay per click (PPC) ads incorporated into the top and the bottom of organic search rankings. To be honest it’s a bit confusing the first time you see it and it’s going to disrupt traffic to your site.
Appearing half way up PPC rankings used to be fine, but now there’s a good chance you’ll be at the very bottom of the page instead of the top. Not good news.
But let’s stand back. Google processes over one billion search requests each day, and revenue is largely from advertising, which amounted to $67.39bn in 2015. It’s hardly surprising Google wants to tinker with its engine, and we should expect many more changes.
Having all your eggs in one basket means you might get caught out by these changes, and it’s the same with organic search: if it’s working for you and you start relying on it alone, what happens if there’s an algorithm change or you do something wrong? Major disruption to your traffic and new patient leads.
You can insulate your business from disruption like this with a diverse and well managed PPC and organic search campaign along with a multi channel approach to your marketing. I am not just talking about social marketing but mainstream advertising including press/magazine, radio and posters; without exception all of these channels will play a role in pushing traffic to your website. Selecting which channel works best or is the most cost effective is a function of the treatment type you are wanting to promote, along with your catchment, competitive set and your skill at making each channel work.
If you are particularly well versed in this ever changing world of marketing communications then there’s no reason why you can’t do this yourself, but if you don’t have the time or expertise let me know and I’ll arrange a free audit from our team of marketeers.
Alternatively, if you simply want to arrange a chat about the role of marketing in your practice, call me or email me.
m. 07860 672727
e. jonathan.fine@breathebusiness.co.uk