Speed Counts—Four Ways to Help Your Dental Web Site’s Google Ranking

Google recently announced that it is taking speed into account in determining page rank. According to Google, faster sites make for happier users, and its studies have shown that the slower a Web site is to load, the less time a user will spend on the site.

Here are four tips to speed up your Web site’s loading and hopefully increase its ranking:

1. Keep your editorial content to the point. Avoid unnecessary verbiage that distracts from your central message. Using bulleted lists can be very efficient and will minimize page loading time.
2. Don’t use Flash. (Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation and video to your Web site.) Most consumers find Flash not only annoying but a good reason to avoid a Web site. It will not work on most mobile units, including the iPad.
3. Don’t use music on your Web site. Not only does it make your Web site load more slowly but, like Flash, it is often annoying and distracting.
4. Use video wisely. Good video can be effective to tell prospective patients about your dental practice, but it should be incorporated the “right” way. Adding video through Flash is not the way to go. Instead, consider putting your videos on YouTube and then adding the YouTube links to your Web site.

For more information on the use of site speed in Web-search ranking by Google, take a look at the Google Webmaster Central Blog.