I don’t often link to other articles in my blog. But, my friend, Gary Takacs has made an appearance of sorts on the Forbes website in an article titled, “Design Doesn’t Matter? Website Strategies For The New Era Of SEO And PR.” Gary shows up in the article on the 2nd page by virtue of an embedded video of him interviewing Jack Hadley.
Jack Hadley – founder of MySocialPractice.com.
A quote from the article by Jack Hadley (My Social Practice): “I wouldn’t worry about the design and graphic elements of your site so much. In fact perhaps not at all. I’d be far more concerned with the content.” That’s coming from a guy who built his career on DESIGN.
I’ve was RIDICULED for saying that YEARS ago on Dentaltown. I persist in my position on this. Dentists like shiny things and they assume everyone else does, too. Website designers with “mad graphic design skillz” know this and cater to those dentists. Some of those dentists laugh at my website, which is rather spartan when it comes to the eye candy. Laugh all you want. My website works! I wrote every word… about 55 pages worth. I took every photo… about 500 of them. Those things spell: congruence, credibility, and resonance.
Another excerpt from the Forbes article:
“In contrast, consider the benefits of a “content” site – one that includes multiple articles, some pictures, perhaps some video, and that is clearly updated with new material on a frequent or at least a regular basis…. Yet again—the content, the words and the messaging win. And as to the value of quality and meaningful content over marketing hype and expensive imagery…”
I read this and thought to myself, “YES! YES! YES!” To borrow from “When Harry Met Sally” – “I’ll have what he’s having!”
This is what I’ve been preaching for at least a dozen years. Content is king. Fancy, cool sites with special effects and a ton of effort spent on the appearance are impressive to show your mom and friends. But, prospective patients are searching the web for INFORMATION. Canned, encyclopedic, and DUPLICATE content sold to you by the website designer isn’t going to cut it! I’m going to keep preaching this, because it’s TRUE! Dentists MUST contribute and create unique, personalized, and compelling content, if they want their websites to actually PRODUCE.
For a list of blog articles I’ve written on this topic, click on Content Is King in Dental Websites. (Click on the “older posts” link at the bottom of that page to see the rest of the list.)
PS… I wrote this article while on the treadmill! Cool!
PPS… In the video, I think Gary did a great job of concealing his “hair envy!” 😉
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We have what we believe is a both- and – site.
Me (the ghostwriter) writes all the content which is approved by the Dr. ( all of the procedure content especially). But we also have what we think is a pretty cool designed website as well. We take all of our own videos and pictures.
We also are selling ourselves- how we practice, how we treat our patients- this is what really sets us apart.
But content is king- unless you are selling a ‘hard’ product like clothes or computers. Just give me the facts, ma’am.
Hi Jay,
Copywriter guru, Joe Sugarman, would surely disagree that there is an exception for products like clothes or computers. He made a career out of writing full page ads FULL of copy for electronics and other consumer goodies and gizmos.
But, when it comes to a very personalized service, like dentistry, I agree that compelling, informative, and relevant content is paramount.
Thanks for your comments!
Thanks so much, Mike, for talking about the Forbes article here on your blog. I have been reading through some of your other posts here, and look forward to getting to know you—and YOUR content—better. Thanks, again.
Hi Jack!
Thanks for chiming in on my blog. I’ve been preaching “content is king” for what seems like forever. Dentists just want to write a check and “have a website.” I strongly believe that to RESONATE with your visitors / readers, you MUST have personalized copy. For your website to effectively speak on your behalf, YOU have to create the content. Mind you… I’m not suggesting every dentist create the actual website. Hire an expert to put that together. But, the DENTIST must, at least, contribute to the creation of the content.
Dentists just don’t want to use the time and energy that requires. It surely looms as an overwhelming task. That’s why I recommend doing it a bit at a time. I’ve been tweaking my website for fourteen years! It’s still not “done.” It’s never “done.” But, it’s ALL mine. And, visitors see that. It’s not 3rd party-created puffery. Instead it’s very REAL. People LIKE that.
Thanks again for checking in! I enjoyed the Forbes article. I really did yell out, “YES!” 🙂
Thanks, Mike.