March 2015

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You can’t take with you what you don’t own…

Imagine the following scenario: You’re renting your home, and your landlord asks you to pay for new hardwood floors, cabinetry and kitchen appliances. Pretty absurd, right? Why would you ever invest in something you will never own?

Yet, every day, surgeons and dentists sink money into websites and other Internet marketing components they don’t own the rights to. If you are one of them, now is the time to stop. Before you even think about making upgrades to your website, you need to make sure that you own the website itself and all its associated components, including graphics, content and images.

Here are some tips to get you started.

Check the Contract

Your name should be the only one listed at the bottom of the home page. If your website company’s name is listed, you might as well be a renter — in other words, you don’t own your own website.

Reassess Your Content

Unfortunately, far too many Web development companies use canned content. You need to make sure yours isn’t one of them. Copy a line or two from your website, paste it into the search box on Google, and hit “Enter.” If the result is pages and pages of matching content, guess what? Your website has canned content. The good news is, there are programs designed to tell you if your site has canned content, such as Copyscape or Siteliner. (Note: If the list is long and you decide to move on, make sure you keep the URLs.)

Review Your URLs

URLs are like fine wine. You guessed it: They get better with age. Your older URLs are more palatable to Google’s taste than are new URLs. Make sure your website URLs end with .html, or with an English-language word followed by a slash (/). URLs such as www.plasticsurgerywebsite.com/breast-lift.html or www.dentistrywebsite.com/veneers/ are easily transferred, even if you don’t own your website.

URLs that end with a programming language text extension, like .cfm or .asp, may be difficult or impossible to transfer. And you may lose years of rankings on Google as a result. To determine if any of your URLs have these extensions, take a look at the text of each of your website’s URLs in the status bar above the browser.

Avoid Proprietary Blogging Platforms

Blogging can enhance the visibility and depth of your website, but doing so via a site that isn’t really yours can make it more difficult to move your blog posts to a new site if you decide to switch to another Web development company. Blogging on mainstream blogging platforms such as WordPress make transferring easier. The problem is that many Web marketing firms require their clients to use their own proprietary blog platforms. Transferring from such platforms could require having one of your employees literally copy and paste every blog post, and it could be difficult to reproduce the URLs. This is why it is so important that your blog is published on a commercial blogging platform — and that you are the owner.

Ceatus clients always own their own websites, blogs and (original) content. Call us if you have any questions.

Read about our Case Study of the Month

Ask the experts

Q Is a bigger website better for rankings?

A Bigger is NOT necessarily better. Expanding your website with numerous pages of “thin” content can actually damage your search engine rankings. Examples of “thin” pages include multiple pages with only a slightly different angle on the same procedure, or placing each before and after photo on a different URL.
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Events: Maximize Your Internet Strategy

Come by the Ceatus booth for a FREE website evaluation!

ASCRS

San Diego, California
April 17-21
Booth 2408

Bring your Internet strategy into FOCUS. Come visit us at Booth 2408 and get a FREE website evaluation from one of our Internet marketing experts.

Ceatus CEO David Evans, PhD, will be speaking on the importance of SEO, reputation management and ROI from Internet marketing. Also, Ceatus’ VP of Product Management will be speaking on maximizing and tracking ROI from online and offline Internet marketing efforts. So don’t miss it!

“Why Does that New Surgeon Down the Street Outrank Me on Google?”
Speaker: David Evans, PhD, CEO of Ceatus Media Group
Sunday, April 19
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Room 29CD

“Learning How to Track and Maximize Your Online and Offline Marketing Efforts”
Speaker: Devin Butler, VP of Product Management
Sunday, April 19
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Room 30CD

CDA Presents – Anaheim

Anaheim, California
April 30 – May 2, 2015
Booth 867

Give your Internet strategy a smile makeover. Visit the Ceatus team at Booth 867 to learn how to increase your conversion and start bringing new patients to your door!

AACD

San Francisco, California
May 6-9
Booth 1212

Join Ceatus Media Group at AACD in booth 1212 to learn how to maximize your Internet marketing ROI!

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CEATUS Case Study of the Month

Build It, So They Will Come

Ceatus “mobilizes” high-ranking website to launch LASIK practice’s expansion into premium cataract markets

Background: Laser Eye Center has a very successful eye practice with nine locations in the Los Angeles area. Although the practice was originally LASIK-only, they recently added cataract surgery and premium IOLs to their offerings. They had been a Ceatus client for many years, namely investing in our search engine optimization services and listings in the All About Vision Directory, both of which continue to create a high number of leads from the Internet.

Challenge: They wanted to upgrade their Web presence by creating a new online image that would attract not only the younger LASIK audience (millennials), but also expand their presence into the cataract market and attract patients who have an interest in advanced cataract surgery.

Solution: Laser Eye Center contracted with Ceatus to create a new website that would be visually stunning and mobile friendly while retaining their excellent Google rankings in the Los Angeles area. Their expanded new website went live before the end of 2014, as planned. Laser Eye Center burst into the New Year with an attractive, successful, state-of-the-art new site. All of this was achieved without sacrificing the dominant first-page Google rankings they had for a wide range of terms – in fact, they have achieved dominant rankings for their new markets as well.

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Hit Me with Your Best Shot

Top 5 Moments from NCAA Basketball Tournament History

1. 1995: Tyus Edney & UCLA

UCLA had all the necessary ingredients to make a run at an 11th national title. They had finished the regular season with a 26-1 record and earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region. But in the second round of the NCAA tournament, with only 4.8 seconds remaining, Missouri was leading by one. This set the stage for Tyus Edney’s moment to shine, as the senior point guard took the ball the length of the court and ran over Tigers’ forward Derek Grimm, just as the buzzer sounded. Edney’s shot saved the Bruins’ season, which concluded with a win over Arkansas in the national championship game.

2. 1987: Keith Smart

Once in a while, it only takes one game to make college basketball history. For Keith Smart, it took just one shot. Smart didn’t receive much recognition in high school or at Indiana, but the 1987 national championship game changed his life forever. With the Hoosiers trailing Syracuse by one and the clock under 10 seconds, Smart swished a 16-foot jumper along the baseline to land Indiana its fifth national title. While Smart’s NBA career was not long, “The Shot” became one of the most memorable moments in March Madness history.

3. 1982: Michael Jordan and Fred Brown

It was Dean Smith’s 21st season as North Carolina’s coach and he had yet to win a national championship. That is, until he found a star freshman from Wilmington, N.C. Trailing by one in the 1982 national championship game, Michael Jordan knocked down a jumper from the left wing with only 17 seconds putting his team back up by one. Georgetown opted not to call a timeout, and pushed the ball up court. Amidst the pressure and the ticking of the game clock, Georgetown’s point guard Fred Brown mistook UNC’s James Worthy for a teammate and passed him the ball, handing the title to Smith.

4. 1992: Christian Laettner

If college basketball had a shot heard ’round the world, then Christian Laettner’s would be it. After winning the national title in 1991, beating the favored UNLV, Duke was primed for another championship run. But in the East Regional final, Duke had their hands full, with Kentucky leading by one with 2.1 seconds left in overtime. Inbounding the ball from behind his own basket, Grant Hill connected with Laettner with a spectacular pass down the court. Laettner faked one way and then spun back around for a fade-away jumper that was nothing but net, propelling Duke into the Final Four. This game is now widely regarded as the greatest college basketball game of all time.

5. 1983: N.C. State shocks Houston

In the 1983 national championship game Dereck Whittenburg heaved a last-second shot, and Lorenzo Charles dunked it at the buzzer, giving Jim Valvano and his Wolfpack their second national title. To make it even sweeter, it came against a Houston squad that boasted a 31–2 record and a 26-game winning streak. Houston was expected to easily defeat its underdog opponent. After almost 30 years, this still remains one of college basketball’s most memorable moments.

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Read about our Case Study of the Month