As a dentist, you know that your website is an essential tool for attracting new patients and growing your practice. But, simply having a website is not enough. To ensure that your website is easily discoverable by potential patients, you need to optimize it for search engines. This is where SEO comes into play. In this article, we’ll discuss whether you need to redesign your website for SEO purposes and why you may not need to redesign it at all.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords and phrases. The goal of SEO is to increase the quantity and quality of organic traffic to your website, resulting in more patients and revenue for your practice.
When a Website Redesign for SEO Is Necessary
Dentists are finding that when they switch SEO companies, many dental SEO companies are requiring a redesign of the website.
However, it is important to note that in less than 9% of the new dental clients we have taken on, have we recommended a completely new website design. That doesn’t include clients who didn’t have a website to start when they contacted us for help. There are several reasons why a website redesign may be necessary for SEO purposes. These include:
Outdated Website Design
An outdated website design can negatively impact your SEO efforts. This is because older websites may not be mobile-friendly or may have poor site architecture and navigation, which can lead to a poor user experience. Search engines prioritize websites that provide a positive user experience, so if your website design is outdated, a redesign may be necessary.
Poor Website Structure and Navigation
Having a clear and organized website structure with easy-to-use navigation is essential for both user experience and SEO. If your website has a confusing structure and navigation, it may be difficult for search engines to crawl and index your content properly. This can lead to poor rankings and lower organic traffic.
Slow Page Load Times
Page speed is a critical factor in SEO. If your website takes too long to load, search engines may penalize your site, resulting in lower rankings and less organic traffic. If your website has slow page load times, a redesign may be necessary to optimize images, minify code, and reduce HTTP requests.
Non-Responsive Website
With the increasing number of mobile users, having a non-responsive website is detrimental to both user experience and SEO. A non-responsive website does not adapt to different screen sizes, making it difficult for users to navigate and view your content on mobile devices. As a result, search engines may penalize your website, resulting in lower rankings and less organic traffic.
Other Technical Issues
There may be other technical issues with your website that require a redesign for SEO purposes. One of the issues we have run into is not being able to make needed changes to the site. In most instances, it is because the current hosting company is extremely difficult to work with.
When a Website Redesign for SEO Is Not Necessary
Not all websites require a redesign for SEO purposes. If your website has the following features, a redesign may not be necessary:
Recently Updated Website Design
If your website design is relatively new and up-to-date, a redesign may not be necessary. However, you should still regularly monitor and update your website to ensure it remains optimized for search engines.
Strong Website Structure and Navigation
If your website has a strong and well-organized structure with easy-to-use navigation, a redesign may not be necessary. However, you should still regularly review and update your website structure and navigation to ensure it remains optimized for SEO.
Fast Page Load Times
If your website has fast page load times, a redesign may not be necessary. However, you should still monitor and optimize your website’s page speed regularly.
Responsive Website
If your website is already responsive and mobile-friendly, a redesign may not be necessary. However, you should still regularly review and update your website design to ensure it remains optimized for mobile devices.
Other Technical Issues
If there are any other technical issues with your website, such as broken links or missing meta tags, these can usually be fixed without requiring a full redesign. However, if the issue is more severe or widespread, a redesign may be necessary.
Signs That Your SEO Company May Be Manipulating You
Unfortunately, some SEO companies may try to manipulate their clients into unnecessary website redesigns to make more money. Here is a sure sign that your SEO company is manipulating you:
They always require a re-design for all new clients
Ask them straight up if it is required or strongly encouraged in most instances. If your SEO company requires a website redesign for every new client, this is a red flag. There are many instances where a redesign is completely unneccessary. In fact, in most instances, it is not necessary.
We prefer to work with WordPress sites, and they tend to be the best for SEO. However, that is one of many factors to consider when ranking a website. We’ve ranked sites that utilize HTML and even sites hosted through Wix and Weebly (which are considered sub-optimal for ranking).
With AdPro4U, we will not advise you have a website redesign unless it is completely necessary in order for us to rank. In some instances, we may not even know it up front. However, if it becomes an issue, we will let you know.
The SEO company requires you to sign a contract
This is another red flag for SEO. It is true that SEO is a long term play. It may take 6-12 months to rank a dental website, or even longer. However, those expectations should be made from the outset. Locking a dental practice into a contract is uneccessary. They should be free to end the arrangement with their SEO company at any time, and for any reason at all.
If your SEO company is pressuring you to sign a contract, this could be a sign that they are more interested in making money than helping your practice. Be wary of any contracts, as it is strictly to protect their interests.
We’ve seen this happen many times when dentists have called us to try and use our services only to find out they are stuck with their current company that is not providing them with results and service that they require.
The Importance of Choosing the Right SEO Company
Choosing the right SEO company is essential to the success of your website and your practice. Here are some factors to consider when choosing an SEO company:
Research the SEO company’s reputation by reading online review and asking for references from current and past clients. A reputable SEO company will have a proven track record of success.
Trust is important when choosing a dental marketing agency. You should be able to get a good sense for this when you speak with them. Are they open and honest? Is their process transparent?
Ask questions and voice your concerns to ensure that the SEO company is transparent and trustworthy. A good SEO company will be happy to answer your questions and address your concerns.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a website redesign may be necessary for SEO purposes if your website has:
- outdated design
- poor structure and navigation
- slow page load times
- non-responsive
- other technical issues
However, not all websites require a redesign for SEO purposes. Your SEO company ise taking advantage of you if they recommend a redesign for all new clients. It’s important to choose the right SEO company by researching their reputation, understanding their website redesign process, and asking questions and voicing concerns.