One of the primary issues hindering the effective treatment of dental blog content in serving a dental SEO purpose is accessibility. Here’s how a better approach can help boost your rankings.
The way Google views accessibility
Google doesn’t like to disclose much about how its algorithms work, but it’s clear from its patents that it’s interested in measuring the amount of time a user spends viewing a site and whether they return to the SERPs afterwards.
This suggests that the moment after a user clicks on your link is perhaps as crucial as the moment before in terms of rankings, and that the long click, which occurs when a user stays on your site, is ideal. As such, you must prevent the user from leaving your page.
How to get potential patients to stick around
Create a table of contents for long-form text
Long-form articles are a great way to provide genuinely helpful information and keep users engaged. But the average person only reads 20% of any page ) – scanning for essential information rather than reading in-depth. The more apparent your content accessibility is, the more likely people will stay.
As such, a table of contents is perhaps the single best step towards retaining users and gaining rankings. It doesn’t have to take a lot of effort, either. Simply use a tool like Table of Contents Plus to create a table similar to a Wikipedia article.
Consider accessibility as you write.
The simplest information presentation techniques can be remarkably effective. Use subheadings to describe each section of your content clearly. Make sure essential facts and tips are highlighted in bold. Also, always use numerals rather than written numbers – the eye is naturally drawn to them.
Give patients the option to download content.
It might seem counterintuitive, but giving users the option to print your content as a PDF easily means they are more likely to perceive you as an authority and, in turn, are more likely to return to your site. Place a link to your downloadable version early in the article—somewhere after the introductory paragraph—to make it as accessible as possible. Making your content more accessible to a wider range of patients will help you achieve your practice’s goals.
