If you are seeking to improve your cataract surgery volume, you have come to the right place. Like you, we recognize the opportunity at hand and wish to make sure our clients are well suited to obtain cataract market share in their regions.

There are 4 million cataract surgeries done each year in the United States, and that figure is growing 3-4% annually, and projected to hit 6 million surgeries per year by 2030.

Not Just One Case Study…Decades of Data

We have spent over $25 million dollars on the Google ad platform giving us the most ophthalmology search date by any ophthalmology company. We have spent roughly $5 million on Facebook ads in ophthalmology.

Our process is refined and well-honed for this market. This is the type of campaign that is intelligent because we understand the mathematics of which keyword converts to surgery at what percentage.     

Our cataract surgery marketing approach is 100% different than the competition and on average our clients spend far less to get more leads. With the advent of increased baby boomers moving into the cataract years, many cataract surgeons have an opportunity to increase surgical volume and provide patients with a plethora of lens implant options.

These options can dramatically improve their quality of life. Baby boomers will literally change the face of healthcare in a movement many call the “gray tsunami”.

The Opportunity

According to data from the 2020 census, the baby boomer generation is estimated at 73 million. By 2030, all baby boomers will be over the age of 65.

Roughly 90% of people will develop cataracts by the age of 65.

The baby boomers are expected to stay in the workforce longer and live longer. A Mayo Clinic study found the incidence of cataract surgery more than doubled from 2005 to 2011 in one Minnesota county.

As of 2024, age-related cataracts currently affect over 30 million people nationwide.

The baby boomer generation is different than the generation before them. This generation places a high emphasis on their quality of life.

As a result, cataract patients are younger and have higher expectations of outcomes in cataract surgery. With technology improving, we can meet this desire and position practices by providing options for the best possible visual outcomes

One of the biggest issues with marketing cataract surgery begins with education and communication. Patients generally have little awareness about their options for how they will see after surgery.

Many patients have worn glasses their whole life and cannot imagine what life could be like if they reduce their dependence on glasses or no longer need them at all. Additionally, they have no idea about the difference between laser cataract surgery and standard phacoemulsification.

Paramount to your cataract surgery marketing strategy is a clear and concise plan to communicate your message and educate your patients. You may or may not have seen the 2019 AAO presentation at the Lensar user group meeting. It was during this meeting that we first initiated the idea of the strategy.

We had Mitchell Jackson, MD, and Lisa Chumura of the Eye Max Group participating in the sections of this presentation. Before jumping into digital marketing, we suggest taking a look at these important points.

1. Get Your Value Proposition in Place

The importance of this concept was first made clear with Dee Stephenson, MD. When Glacial visited her boutique practice in Venice, Florida, our team realized why she spent so much time with her patients and got the technology right.

She has the most appreciative and loyal patients anywhere in the country. With cataract marketing, you need to be more than just a mill.

You need to be an entire experience from not seeing well to revolutionizing how an active lifestyle can be experienced. Ask yourself a question: Why would a patient choose you over any other surgeon in town?

Are you communicating this properly to your patients? It is time to craft your story and make this part of your value proposition.

2. Figure Out Your Internal Process

Whether you are using consumer-focused marketing or referral marketing, you need to be able to handle calls and web forms and put these into a conversion-ready system. There are both internal and digital aspects to making this process effective.

On the internal level, you a need conversion/scheduler that is accountable and trackable. On the marketing automation level, you should be equipped with a CRM and overall funnel process with email drip campaigns.

Setting these up can take time and using them requires discipline. It is very easy to get distracted and you need good information logged in the system.

3. Put Digital Marketing into Play

Digital marketing is key to generating a lot of interest. Now that the baby boomers are digitally connected, you can reach them with multiple media platforms.

Tracking each platform for conversion effectiveness is key when setting budgets. It is important to understand the buyers that want to buy now from those that may eventually buy and learn how to use automation to maximize the conversions.

The best way to succeed in this space is to develop a solid plan that will utilize SEO, PPC, local maps, and social media advertising. Make sure tracking and conversion systems are in place or the media costs will be a waste of money.

4. Make Referring Physicians a Key Component

Do you have a co-management system in place? If not, now is a great time to get started on this project.

Getting a patient sent by another doctor makes getting the surgery much easier. With some of the new OD portal technology available, now might be a time to convince some ODs to switch over.

Do you have an easy referral process? Have you created digital intake forms? Can the OD schedule be directly pulled into your system for cataract evaluations?

We realize obtaining referrals can be hard, but you need to start somewhere. Starting with regular CE events for your OD community is a great place to start. Maybe the next step is putting an OD liaison in place at your practice.

5. Track Conversions

Conversion to surgery is the metric we care most about. However, you may get confused with the marketing to lead conversion rate because marketers talk about this a lot.

The conversion process is vital to the success of your cataract marketing efforts. This requires disciplined callbacks and follow-ups to get appointments scheduled. Remember patients have choices these days!

Using Technology in Marketing

The advanced technology lens implant opportunity is tremendous for both patients and doctors. There’s never been a better time to educate your patients about premium lenses than right now.

Patients may not understand the differences between premium IOLs and standard monofocal lenses. They may also not grasp the subtle nuances that advanced lens technology brings to the table.

As a practice, it is your responsibility to educate your patients, but how you do it is key. Using a medium like content marketing to further your SEO efforts has many benefits. Not only can it be used as a way to boost your rankings, but by writing informative, accurate content, you can educate your patient base at the same time.

To have a successful content marketing strategy, you need to create content that is both compelling and engaging. Think about the frequently asked questions that you already answer during appointments with your patients as a good place to start.

The other thing you need to consider is the way you’re answering these questions. Any content that you’re creating, whether it’s for your website, your blog, or other avenues, needs to be easy to understand.

This is not the time to try and stuff as much medical jargon into your content as possible. Having easy-to-understand content will pay off, as this is the kind of writing that Google appreciates and is most likely to rank.

Explaining how lens technology works will serve to educate your patients. Whether they are at the beginning of the cataract surgery process, or they need more information about which lens will help them lead the lifestyle they want, helping them understand the differences between cataract technology is only a benefit for your practice.

There’s never been a better time than right now to make cataract marketing a priority. Take your practice’s cataract marketing efforts to the next level by contacting �����ƽ�� to learn about our digital marketing services!

Have you noticed that your Google Business Profile (GBP) impressions are significantly down compared to this time last year? You’re not alone!

You may have even noticed this same trend happening last year, too. No, your Google Business Profile hasn’t been cursed or filtered out; Google is simply continuing to make tweaks to the way impressions on Google Search and Google Maps are counted. 

Keep reading to find out why your practice’s Google Business profile views have dropped and what this really means to your practice!

January 2023

At the beginning of 2023, Google introduced substantial changes to GBP analytics tracking. These changes were designed to improve user privacy while offering a more accurate view of the number of interactions and impressions happening on your doctor’s or practice’s profile.

Previously, all impressions were accounted for, even if the same patient viewed your profile multiple times within a single day. This led to double or triple counting of the same users, which inflated the numbers.

With this change, Google will only count the number of unique visitors to a business profile. Users can only be counted once per day per device and platform, reducing the inflated numbers from repeated visits.

In addition to changing how impressions were measured, Google also changed how driving direction clicks were counted. 

Driving directions are now: “Number of unique customers who request directions to your business. We changed how we tally unique direction requests to account for multi-tapping, direction request cancellation, and spam. We expect the new direction requests metric to more accurately represent the number of times individual customers request directions to your business. We’re still experimenting with the new version of the metric, so the old one is still available on the Business Profile Performance page.”

With these changes happening early last year, doctors should start seeing more accurate year-over-year numbers this year. Although they may look lower, you can feel confident knowing the numbers are more precise.

January 2024

On January 16th of this year, Google announced it was making further changes to the directions metric, which resulted in less accurate year-over-year numbers again. A few weeks later, on February 8th, they updated their messaging to say, “Starting in January 2024, you might see fewer direction requests and a lower number of people who have viewed your business. This is because Google is making updates to better protect people’s privacy and give you more accurate results”.

Unlike last year, when Google mentioned the specific updates they were making, Google kept it brief with this singular message. 

Impact on Medical Practices

Since introducing this year’s changes, we have seen an average 18% decrease in impressions and a 5% decrease in direction requests compared to the previous year. This decrease is primarily due to the updated tracking systems providing a more privacy-conscious and accurate representation of user interactions and impressions.

Moving Forward

Keep in mind that while these dips in impressions and direction requests may present temporary hurdles, they also provide valuable insight into Google’s ever-evolving landscape. Understanding these changes should allow you to have a deeper understanding of your reporting metrics.

With this in mind, if you have any questions or need further clarification on how these changes may affect your practice, don’t hesitate to reach out! Are you ready to revolutionize how your practice shows up with local search? Take the first step by contacting Glacial to learn more about local SEO!

We are thrilled and honored to have recently won awards for three of our web designs. These awards are a true testament to the exceptional quality and craftsmanship that our agency brings to every project. We take great pride in setting ourselves apart from other healthcare website design agencies through our unwavering commitment to creating unique, user-friendly, and highly functional websites for medical practices.

What truly distinguishes our agency is the meticulous care and attention to detail we pour into each design. Our team of skilled designers and developers work tirelessly to understand the unique needs of our healthcare clients, ensuring that every website not only meets but exceeds their expectations. From the intuitive navigation and engaging visual elements to the seamless integration of essential features, our websites are crafted with the user experience at the forefront.

Glacial’s Award Winning Designs

Silver – Publication Category

Ophthalmology Business Minute

Bronze – Website Design

Clear Vision Center

Merit – Website Design

Stephenson Eye

This as Glacial’s first time submitting to the Healthcare Ad Awards, but is not the first time our medical website designs have won prestigious awards.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the awarding organization for recognizing our dedication and hard work. These awards validate our approach and motivate us to continue pushing the boundaries of healthcare website design. We are committed to staying at the forefront of web design trends and technologies, consistently delivering innovative solutions that set new standards in the industry. Our clients trust us to bring their online presence to life, knowing that their website will be a powerful tool in connecting with their target audience and driving their success.

Thank you once again for these prestigious awards. We are incredibly proud of our team and the work we do, and we look forward to continuing to create award-winning websites that make a positive impact in the healthcare industry.

Is it Time to Upgrade Your Practice’s Website Design?

�����ƽ�� has been designing and developing specialty medical websites for over 20 years. We’re a full stack digital marketing agency that can not only give you a custom, one of a kind website design, but we can also generate leads, convert visitors into patients, and grow your practice through a variety of digital marketing strategies.

Why not start with a free website audit, or contact our team today!

�����ƽ�� is thrilled to share that ASCRS was an incredible experience in Boston this past April. As a leader in ophthalmology marketing, we’re always eager to connect with clients, prospects, and industry partners at these events. 

This year’s show was extraordinary as it brought together our growing team, allowed us to showcase our latest offerings, and demonstrated that the industry is back in full swing post-pandemic. Keep reading to learn about some of the highlights of this unforgettable event!

ASCRS Felt Back to Normal this Year

It is safe to say that eye care trade shows are back to the levels they were before the pandemic. This was an incredible meeting for �����ƽ�� because it was very close to home. 

Being in Boston this year meant more employees could come, including many who had never been to an ophthalmology trade show. The team seemed to love every minute of being there and were prepared to help any client or prospect that came near their booth. 

There were many long hours at the convention hall and many great nights spent meeting new people. After all, these events are about meeting clients and making new friends, and the goal was met and then some.

Learn About the Lenstec ClearView 3 Multifocal IOL and the Lenstec User Group Meeting

If you don’t know about Lenstec’s new ClearView 3 Multifocal IOL, check it out. The ClearView 3 Multifocal IOL is a rotationally asymmetric IOL designed to improve contrast sensitivity, minimize visual aberrations like halos and glare, and provide superior near, intermediate, and far vision compared to other presbyopic IOLs. 

The segmented optic design is the first of its kind in the country. Lenstec’s patented four-point fixation and design allow surgeons to be confident in the IOL’s effective lens position within the capsule. 

The panelists at the user group meeting were J. Morgan Michelletti, MD; Sheri Rowen, MD; Kyle Rhoades, MD; Neel Desai, MD; Jerry Hu; and Omar Almallah, MD. 

Jamieson Webking Gives a Presentation on HIPAA, ADA, and Online Privacy Tracker Compliancy for ASOA

Healthcare compliance rules around website accessibility, security, and privacy constantly evolve.  Ensuring your organization and marketing company stay current on the latest advancements is critical. 

Jamieson’s proposal offered practical guidance for websites and related marketing activities to meet recently updated ADA, HIPAA, and HHS pixel guidelines. He reviewed accessible vs. non-accessible examples for the most common ADA violations, an essential HIPAA compliance method for medical websites, and explored various online tracking technologies practices may be using in their marketing efforts and how recent guidance impacts their use cases. 

If you missed this ASOA presentation, please contact us to get a copy.

Referify’s Physician Referral System Attracts Massive Attention 

Not only was Glacial at ASCRS, but MDprospects was also there, with members from Referify, including Michelle Pelletier and her crew. They were blown away by the interest, love, and support for what they have created with Referify. 

Everyone keeps saying it is very different from other systems and has unique characteristics. The initial beta work was done with Dell Laser Consultants in Austin, Texas, under the direction of Melissa Cicarelli and Steven Dell, MD. 

Right out of the gate, they wanted to make a product that worked, was easy to use, and helped increase referral volume. So many times, they have seen software created that is detached from what a practice really needs. This time, they were determined to make something better. 

�����ƽ�� Applauds Conclusn’s Strategic Partnership with Codex IT

It is great when friends meet friends, and everything works out. That’s what’s happened with Conclusn and Codex IT. 

Jay Greiling of Minnesota has been a long time Glacial supporter and dear friend who helped Glacial make great connections in the early days of the business. With Conclusn SMART analytics, you see what’s happening in your business and how to address underperforming areas. You can easily monitor the key performance indicators most important to your success. 

�����ƽ��’s Michael Dobkowski Supports Holland Foundation’s Mission to Establish Centers of Excellence for Severe Ocular Surface Disease

After 24 years in ophthalmology, having a passion project of some kind is probably required. That’s precisely Glacial’s work with the Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration.

When Bindu Manne asked Glacial to be involved, it was a no-brainer. This led to more respect and love for the foundation, which has grown over the years. This was the second Eye Love Rock & Roll event, which featured ophthalmologists and industry partners along with the Queen Masterstroke tribute band. 

The event was a tremendous success, and the foundation will now be opening another center, this time at Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary. Among the performers were Bill Mercier of Optical, Dave Pennington, Warren Luster, John Sheppard, MD, Parag Majmudar, MD, and Katie Meeks from Goel Vision. 

High Interest in RxSight’s Light Adjustable Lens Leads to Busy Booth at ASCRS

Glacial has been doing an incredible amount of preparation for assisting ophthalmology practices with marketing RLE. Many surgeons have told them that they now have a lens implant that can achieve patient satisfaction with nighttime glare and halos. 

The Light Adjustable Lens (������®/������+) is the first and only intraocular lens that a surgeon can adjust in the eye after cataract surgery. Precise UV light treatments adjust the shape of the Light Adjustable Lens, giving your patients transformative and custom vision. 

Imagine what the Light Adjustable Lens could do for your practice.

�����ƽ��’s presence at ASCRS in Boston shows our dedication to staying at the forefront of ophthalmology marketing. By connecting with clients, showcasing our innovative offerings like the Referify physician referral system, and supporting industry partners such as the Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration, we continue to shape the future of digital marketing in this dynamic field. 

As the industry evolves, �����ƽ�� remains committed to providing cutting-edge solutions that help practices thrive. Contact us today to learn how our comprehensive marketing services can take your practice to new heights!

Did you miss the MDprospects and �����ƽ�� webinar about how to maximize your local search profiles and reviews?

Dive deep with CEO Michelle Pelletier and Local SEO Specialist Jeffrey Kustron from �����ƽ�� as we share groundbreaking strategies to optimize your local search profiles, harness the power of online reviews, and build unwavering trust through customer testimonials. Check out the recording below!

The Evolving Importance of Digital PR

Led by Sarah Pierce and Alyssa Boothby, our Digital PR team combines solid copywriting, messaging, email campaigns, press releases, link building, organic social media, blogging, content creation, and influencer marketing. The department’s primary goal is to grow our clients’ digital footprints, establish their authority, and improve online visibility. We will add a new team member to help make the launch successful.

Having a website was once enough to stand out, but in today’s crowded digital space, it’s only the first step. Practices need a robust digital presence across various channels. 

Being easy to find and connect with makes these practices more likely to be top of mind, especially in the case of healthcare digital marketing. That’s where an effective digital PR strategy comes into play and can provide a much-needed boost. 

Digital PR is about leveraging media sources like your website, blogging, press releases, social shares, and user-generated content to increase awareness and drive growth. Unlike traditional PR, which focuses on print and broadcast, digital PR recognizes that a strong online presence is essential to success.

No matter which field, consumers can be found online to research and learn more about the brands, businesses, and practices they buy from. You need high visibility and authority to compete to succeed and stand out online. Digital PR provides the online engagement and credibility today’s buyers want.

Comprehensive Digital Services for Healthcare Clients

�����ƽ�� understands the unique digital marketing needs of healthcare practices. Regulatory requirements, physician access, health literacy, and other factors make healthcare highly specialized.

Our dedicated Digital PR services are customized specifically for healthcare clients. We develop integrated strategies spanning websites, blogging, social media, email marketing, online reviews, partnerships, and more. These initiatives aim to:

• Improve website traffic and search rankings
• Establish thought leadership and credibility
• Engage target audiences online
• Amplify brand messaging across channels
• Increase lead generation

Ultimately, our digital PR solutions help clients educate and connect with patients, physicians, payers, and other key stakeholders. We move beyond basic websites and ads to provide authentic digital engagement.

The Future of PR is Digital

Digital is no longer an optional component of an effective PR strategy. Instead, it is intertwined in every modern and successful public relations campaign. 

By establishing a Digital PR department, �����ƽ�� acknowledges and embraces this as a new reality. We are excited to lead clients into the future of PR while leveraging the vast digital opportunities to help practices grow and engage their patients. Backed by a 20+ year foundation in healthcare marketing, our Digital PR team offers state-of-the-art online expertise and in-depth industry knowledge.

The department’s launch reflects our commitment to evolving alongside the modern healthcare landscape. Glacial will continue advancing our services as consumers and medical professionals consume information across new channels. Our Digital PR offerings are only the beginning as we shape the digital future of healthcare marketing.

Learn more about Glacial’s digital PR offerings and other services by contacting us to request a quote and take your marketing to the next level this year!

A new strategic partnership between �����ƽ�� and Dry Eye Access has been announced! Through this partnership, both parties aim to assist eye care professionals expand their dry eye services. In addition to patient acquisition tactics from �����ƽ��, this offer includes training from Dry Eye Access, one of the most successful companies in the field.

Since �����ƽ�� has supported Dry Eye University for more than four years, this new strategic alliance is the logical next step. The collaborative partnership will help enhance future students’ experience at Dry Eye University.

Keep reading to learn more about dry eye and this new partnership!

What is Dry Eye Disease?

Dry eye disease is among the world’s most prevalent eye conditions.

One in every eight adults, or 33 million Americans, has some form of dry eye disease.

Dry eye disease, also known as dry eye syndrome, occurs when there is an issue with appropriate lubrication of the cornea. The cornea is the clear dome-shaped tissue that act’s as a window to the eye. 

In order for someone to have a clear and comfortable visual experience, the cornea must be adequately lubricated. In most cases, dry eye disease is caused by one of two things: a lack of tears or a lack of quality tears.

Dry eye disease can cause numerous symptoms, including eye irritation, burning, increased tearing, redness, and blurry vision. Although anyone can develop dry eye disease, it is more common in women than men, and its incidence rate increases with age. 

Symptoms can range from severe to mild. This chronic, multifaceted, chronic disease has typically had low or no diagnosis rates.

Dry Eye Access aims to change this by teaching eye care practitioners how to create new expertise around all aspects of dry eye disease.

What is Dry Eye Access?

is a learning tool designed to assist every member of your staff, from ophthalmologists to technicians, to help support dry eye patients and their care. This subscription-based online educational tool aids eye care professionals in understanding how to recognize, diagnose, and treat individuals with dry eye disease.

Dry Eye Access has already helped many eye care facilities improve education surrounding dry eye disease. According to Patti Barkey of Bowden Eye Associates, Dry Eye Access has relaunched its education and training portal with courses designed to get staff up to speed on discussing dry eye with patients.

The dry eye industry can be a great place to increase revenue. Patients with dry eyes require non-elective treatment. Dry eye disease can be frustrating, uncomfortable, and exhausting to experience for many people.

Many people with dry eye disease struggle for years, trying over-the-counter eye drops and other remedies or lifestyle changes that have not done an adequate job. Although these treatment methods work in some cases, a large majority of chronic dry eye disease patients will require greater intervention from their eye care professionals to adequately reduce their symptoms.

For this reason, the dry eye industry can be a great place to increase revenue. This area can be excellent if you are weighing options for revenue-generation at your eye care practice.

How �����ƽ�� Can Help

Working as a team, both Dry Eye Access and �����ƽ�� can help get your practice on the map. Michael Dobkowski of �����ƽ�� Inc. says: “There are millions of people suffering from dry eye in the US, and this partnership will help patients find the practices with the best dry eye programs.”

If you are interested in becoming a certified Dry Eye Access Best Dry Eye Doctor, please complete our submission form to be considered for the program. Our team, including various dry eye experts, will review the credentials of each practice evaluated. 

Do you want to learn more about how this partnership can benefit your practice? Contact �����ƽ�� today to learn more!

Do you want to improve potential patients’ digital first impression of your clinic? Testimonials can be invaluable in creating an excellent first impression, gaining prospective patients, and cultivating a positive digital presence. 

Follow these tips to ensure you are digitally benefiting from the positive patient experiences you are providing every day!

1. Ask Patients for Testimonials After a Successful Surgical Outcome

Positive patient reviews and testimonials are an excellent way to increase patient loyalty and support your practice’s exceptional reputation. In addition to this, positive first-person experiences listed on your website can prompt potential patients who are perusing your website to schedule the consultation they have been considering.

The first step to showcasing these positive post-surgical testimonials and clinic reviews on your website is to collect them from current patients. A great way to endorse patients to write testimonials is to provide them with a prompt.

A prompt will help your patients write about their positive experiences and create a more valuable, insightful, and grounded testimonial. Consider asking them to include information like the eye surgeon or doctor’s name, type of procedure, and an explanation of their level of satisfaction or results. 

It is essential to not alter or change the original words of your patients in any way. It is also important to keep the testimonial in the context it was written and not pick and choose what you use from each testimonial.

This is good practice to ensure that you respect your patients and maintain a trustworthy reputation. All testimonials on your website should be directly from the source it is signed by, unaltered, and in the quotation form.

Following these guidelines will ensure that your practice maintains an authentic presence in the digital world.

2. Ask Patients for Permission to Publish Testimonials and Permission to Use Pictures

Another important part of maintaining a trustworthy reputation and respecting your patients is to ensure you are following all HIPAA rules and regulations. This includes publishing testimonials or pictures of your patients on your website or social media channels. 

 require you to get expressed consent from your patients in order to publish ePHI on social media networks or on your website. Protected health information (PHI) that is published electronically.

It includes any information that may identify the patient or related to that person’s health. It is best to err on the side of caution when including detailed information about patients.

This applies even when it’s their own words, on your website or social media channels. Besides asking for permission to publish their testimonials, you may also want to consider limiting their name or using initials. 

When obtaining expressed consent, make sure you are following all of the rules laid out by HIPAA laws. It is also essential to ensure that the patients permitting their testimonials to be published know that anyone can potentially see their words and that they will be visible to the world.

When it comes to respecting your patient’s privacy when publishing testimonials, transparency is key to establishing trust in this mutually beneficial relationship. Beyond testimonials, it is also important to enact this process when considering posting any pictures of your patients online or on social media.

Be cautious when personalizing your website with fresh and unique images. If patients are identifiable in them, ensure that you receive express consent before publishing.

3. Have Patient Testimonials Visible and Interactive on Your Website

First you must legally and respectfully gather and choose which testimonials and reviews you want to publish on our website. Next, it is important to have a team of professional website development experts design a spot for them to live.

It’s best to have your testimonials visible or easily accessible on your website. Your web development team can even customize this feature to include interactive arrows so that visitors can navigate through the testimonials easily. 

Additionally, they will be able to install a button that can prompt current or previous patients to leave their own reviews. After you have done all of the leg work to gather these invaluable testimonials, you will want to ensure that they are placed on your website in an appropriate and strategic location. 

This will ensure that as many eyes as possible are able to view the many positive things that your patients have to say about your practice, doctors, or procedures. If you have already signed up for services through MDidentity, it is easy to utilize the review showcase widget to accomplish this mission.

Reading a good testimonial about an elective procedure can be the final push a potential patient needs to schedule a consultation. It’s essential not to overlook the value of accurate, reliable, first-person testimonials that are easily viewable on your website.

This is especially true when it comes to gaining the trust and admiration of potential patients.

4. Publish Testimonials Periodically on Social Media

Making a good first impression sometimes needs to go beyond the confines of your website. Your website is your new front door. There is immense potential to create an excellent first impression. 

But it’s essential to reach potential patients who haven’t yet visited your website through social media. Once you have obtained written consent and followed all the HIPAA guidelines, you may also want to consider posting these testimonials periodically on your social media channels. 

Your social media manager will be able to design a post that is eye-catching and visibly pleasing to match your website or social media channel aesthetic. Publishing these testimonials on social media will take getting new eyes on your practice one step further. 

Social media can reach new and broader audiences than a website alone. It is even likely that potential patients may learn about your practice for the first time through one of these social media posts. 

What better way to learn about a medical practice than to read a positive and encouraging testimonial by a fellow patient? Let patient testimonials do the hard work of securing your reputation as a trustworthy, dedicated, and reliable clinical practice. 

Accurate and legally collected testimonials and reviews can be invaluable for ensuring that potential patients have an excellent first impression of your clinic.

Are you interested more about how to get reviews and testimonials on your website or social media channels? Schedule a call with a client manager from �����ƽ�� to learn how we can help enhance your online presence to garner excellent first impressions.

There’s never been a better time to learn how to maximize and increase your practice’s revenue. With the upcoming Modernizing Medicine webinar on April 28th that focuses on ophthalmology marketing analysis with Michael Rivers, MD, and Michael Dobkowski, you’ll gain plenty of tips and tricks to try at your own practice.

Topics like marketing, branding, patient experience software, and tech stacks will be discussed throughout the year in formats like webinars, task forces, lectures, and more. See below for information on where and when you can find us!

4/28/2021

Modernizing Medicine
Ophthalmology Marketing Analysis
Michael Rivers, MD & Michael Dobkowski

5/11/2021

Hawaiian Eye Meeting Maui
Ophthalmology Practice Branding
Moderator: Anish Kapur, MD
Patti Barkey, Michael Dobkowski, James Smith & James Dawes

5/19/2021

Opticall Webinar
Refractive Stimulus Panel

7/23/2021

ASOA Transformational Task Force
Maximizing Communication Through Engagement Technology

9/17/2021

Southern Eye Congress
Modernizing the Patient Experience Tech Stack.
by Michael Dobkowski & Anish Kapur, MD

Have questions about how to maximize your ophthalmology practice revenue in the meantime? �����ƽ�� is always here to help! Contact us to learn more!

**UPDATE: 4/23/21 Google has moved the release date of Core Web Vitals back to the middle of June. This gives you more time to audit your website to ensure that you are up to date and your rankings will not be hurt. Take advantage of Google’s delay and be ahead of this critical algorithm update.**

Have you heard that there’s a critical Google update coming that could hurt your rankings? On the heels of Google officially completing its shift to a mobile-only ranking and indexing system, starting in June of 2021 Google’s search algorithm will begin incorporating the speed of your website as a ranking signal for organic search results. This algorithm update is referred to as Core Web Vitals.

To understand potential impacts and to find out if your site is prepared for these algorithm updates, keep reading to learn more about what this means!

Request a Free Web Vitals Site Audit

What are Core Web Vitals?

Historically, a fast website was nice to have, but you didn’t need to have one. While you’ve long heard the merits of speed as related to e-commerce conversions and sales, you were never punished by a platform if your site was slow.

This is changing. The landscape continues to become more competitive, web technologies evolve, and the use of mobile continues to grow. Google is continuing to take the performance and usability of your website into account when determining organic positioning.

With the incorporation of Core Web Vitals, web usability factors such as load time, interactivity, and the stability of content as it loads will now be part of page experience in the Google search ranking algorithm.

The three main “Vitals” Google has come up with to represent these web usability and performance indicators are LCP, FID, and CLS. 

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

The LCP vital is how long it takes the largest element to fully load in the viewport (screen). This is a proxy for how long it takes the website to load important assets on a page. 

The largest element typically ends up being an image or video. It can usually be picked out by a big empty space on a screen during page load.

From Google:

is a Core Web Vitals metric and measures when the largest content element in the viewport becomes visible. It can be used to determine when the main content of the page has finished rendering on the screen.

How can you improve your LCP scores?

• Utilize a high-quality web host
• Limit third-party scripts
• Move large media assets to a CDN (content delivery network)
• Compress and lazy load media elements
• Minify files
• Page caching

First Input Delay (FID)

The FID vital is how long it takes to be able to interact with elements on the page. This is a score for the time when a user first interacts with the page while it’s loading (clicks a form field while the page is loading), to the time when the browser is able to respond to that interaction. 

Interaction examples include actions such as clicking a button, selecting a form field, or opening an accordion module on mobile during the page load.

From Google:

the time from when a user first interacts with a page (like when they click a link, tap on a button, or use a custom, JavaScript-powered control) to the time when the browser is actually able to begin processing event handlers in response to that interaction.

How can you improve your FID scores?

• Minify and/or defer scripts
• Limit the number of third-party scripts
• Page caching
• Limit the number of social media embeds on a page

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

The CLS vital is the movement of elements from their start position, during loading. Have you ever been about to click on a button or link as the page is loading and right before you tap the screen, it jumps down a few pixels and you miss? 

That’s a content layout shift. If elements on your page move around as the web page loads, that will lead to a high CLS score.

From Google:

of all individual layout shift scores for every unexpected layout shift that occurs during the entire lifespan of the page.

A layout shift occurs any time a visible element changes its position from one rendered frame to the next.

How can you improve CLS scores?

• Set height and width dimensions on media and embedded elements
• Avoid, or accommodate for dynamically injected content
• Adjust font use and loading priorities
• Remove excessive animations

Are Core Web Vitals the only thing that matters for organic search rankings?

No. Web vitals are not becoming the end all be all for search rankings. They are the latest additions to an already complex and multifaceted ranking system. 

The Three C’s: Code, Content, and Connectivity are still the foundation of SEO.  

, Web Vitals will join the hundreds of other signals that they consider when generating Search results:

“Once the changes mentioned in our roadmap are rolled out, web vitals will join the hundreds of signals that Google considers when generating Search results.

While overall page experience is important, Google still seeks to rank pages with the best information overall, even if the page experience is subpar. Great page experience doesn’t override having great page content. However, in cases where there are many pages that may be similar in relevance, page experience can be much more important for visibility in Search.”

Core Web Vitals are simply the newest pieces of page experience in Google’s algorithm. This includes factors like security (https), mobile-friendliness, and intrusive interstitial guidelines (pop-ups). 

What are good Core Web Vital scores?

Google has provided this easy-to-understand visual guideline. You can use this to have a better understanding of your Core Web Vital scores.

Why aren’t all my metrics green?

There could be a number of reasons why Core Web Vital scores may not be the level you hope. Be aware of potential nuances, implications, and trade-offs with current website designs or tools utilized.

For example, in the world of marketing, one of the unfortunate trade-offs is the required use of third-party scripts for things like analytics, retargeting, and heat mapping. While these tools give marketers advanced insights and advertising abilities, these third-party scripts need the loading of large amounts of render-blocking, un-cached code onto a website. 

Depending on the number of third-party tools used, there may be cases where some metrics are a mix of green and yellow. Depending on the vendor and the quality of their software, some may be even potentially worse.

Beyond that, for each of the three vitals, there are many subfactors that collectively can influence the individual scoring of different metrics. It will be important to work with your medical web design and SEO partners to find the best solutions available. 

Field Data is the average scores of your site that Google has collected over the past 28 days. Lab Data is the scores from the test you just ran.

How do I test my site?

For Core Web Vitals specifically, we suggest using or contacting Glacial for your scores. We’ve been preparing for this rollout since it was announced last year and are ready to help all our clients be in the best possible position come June.

If you have not had any search engine optimization work done on your site within the last few months, consider having Glacial conduct a free website audit, or use our custom in-house SEO audit tool. This will give you a preliminary idea of where your website stands in regards to the upcoming Google algorithm update.  

Don’t know where to start on your website when it comes to the new Google update? Contact �����ƽ�� if you’re looking for a hand with your practice’s digital marketing needs!