Undoubtedly, a blog can improve your website's optimization by continually updating your site with fresh, relevant content. Over time, educational content that relates to the services you provide helps establish your perceived authority on the subject matter, as well as increases your digital authority and rank in search engine results. 

 Whether you're a seasoned veteran or are new to blogging, you may be interested in maximizing the potential of your blog. If so, take a look at these common blogging mistakes and their respective solutions:

 1. Mistake: Poor use of keywords within article categories and tags

Solution: Categories and tags allow you to classify your posts according to the subject matter of your article. Use terms commonly searched by your prospective patients as your article's category and tags. This will communicate the relevance of your post to search algorithms.

 2. Mistake: Inferior anchor text when linking to blog articles

 Solution: Anchor text is the clickable part of the link and most often says "click here" or "learn more". When linking to your blog from your website and vise-versa, use descriptive anchor text with your links. For example, when linking to a blog article about teeth whitening, use text, such as "Learn About Teeth Whitening". This will fully optimize the link with relevant keywords, rather than meaningless information.

 3. Mistake: Cheating with "copy and paste"

 Solution: Not only does copying someone else's content infringe upon copyrights, but it can negatively impact your website's rank within search engines. Make sure your articles are original and informative to prevent your website from suffering a Google penalty.

 4. Mistake: Using your blog as a newsfeed

 Solution: All too often, businesses start to use their blog to deliver brief updates about the practice. Save these types of messages for social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Blog articles should be around 300-700 words in length in order to maximize SEO benefits. 

 5. Mistake: Not spreading the word

 Solution: If you have a blog and aren't sharing its contents anywhere, it's time to start. Promoting blog posts on your website, Facebook page, Twitter profile, etc. will give your blog maximum exposure.

 6. Mistake: Being too broad

Solution: You'll gain the most interest from potential patients when you stay on topic. Write articles that relate to the services you offer to establish yourself as an industry expert. Blogging about seemingly off topic subjects can drive once interested readers away.

 7. Mistake: Not responding to blog comments

 Solution: One of the main benefits of blogging is increasing the interaction between you and current or prospective patients. Ignoring readers' input shows a lack of concern for their thoughts and ideas, making them less likely to engage with you in the future.

 8. Mistake: Making your posts impossible to understand

 Solution: You have to remember to write for your audience. Avoiding technical industry jargon and using "common speak" will improve readers' experiences with your blog. It's important to remember, if readers can't understand what you're saying, they won't turn to you for future help. 

 9. Mistake: Ignoring fundamental grammar mistakes

 Solution: Blatantly disregarding common conventions, such as periods or misspellings, turn readers off, suggesting that you're hurried and careless. Take extra time to review the articles you've written, and have another reader review your articles, when possible.

Is it time to reevaluate your blogging efforts? Use these helpful tips as a guide when writing and sharing your next post.

Fact: Hardware will fail.

If you've got an anchor of a server sitting in your practice someplace--in the broom closet, under your desk--it's going to crash and die. Of course you can prolong the life a server by keeping it updated with the latest software and having an IT pro come in and keep it tuned up on a regular basis.

When you move your practice to the cloud with web-based dental software, like Curve Dental, you can chuck the server and the hassle and worry that comes with it. With web-based dental software, all you need is a computer with a browser and Internet access. And you don't need a fancy, expensive computer. Nearly anything off the shelf will do.

And here's a bonus thought: If something happens to the hardware in your practice--theft, fire, flood, zombie apocalypse--you don't have to worry about losing data. Why? With web-based dental software you data is stored securely and safely on the cloud. It doesn't matter what happens to your computers or your practice.

Overwhelmed by the zombie horde? No matter. Your data is waiting for you when you make it to the next safe zone.

Lost all of your hardware to theft? Thank goodness you don't have to call all of your patients letting them know their personal health information is now available to every drug addict in town.

Fire destroyed your practice? That's unfortunate, but with your data safe on the cloud you can contact your patients immediately and be up and running much sooner with much less loss in production.

You can't do that with old-fashioned dental software, the kind you have to install, update, and backup.

It's 2015. Why are you still using technology developed in the 90's?

You can learn more about the advantages and joys of living sans server on the cloud by chatting with one of our dental software consultants at 888-910-4376. Call today to learn more or visit our website. 

A man sits in the dental chair with severely fractured front teeth. After discussing how his teeth will be restored the patient says, "Before we begin, doctor, I gotta know: Will I be able to play the trumpet when you are finished?"

"Sure you will!" the doctor replies.

"Great," the man says. "I couldn't play a note before!"

On a daily basis kids laugh about 400 times per day. Adults laugh just 15 times per day.