SEO for dentistry marketing has become an innovative approach to increase traffic to your website and improve your ranks on search engine results pages. Connecting your clinic with potential patients who are actively searching for dental services is more important than simply being visible. Your clinic will rank for more types of search terms and see an apparent increase in patient inquiries with the correct SEO plan. For best results, combine Dental SEO with extensive online and offline marketing strategies.
Are SSL certificates necessary for dental website SEO?
Search engine rankings and website security have become essential as a growing number of people perform business and engage online. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates are a type of technology that fulfills these two basic requirements. Fewer individuals are aware of SSL’s influence on SEO (Search Engine Optimization), even if many are conscious of its role in cybersecurity.
A digital certificate known as an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certification is used to encrypt data sent to a server via SSL technology and to verify the trustworthiness of the dental website. Data gets mixed up during encryption and decryption requires using the right key to return it to a readable state.
On websites where the URL begins in “https,” a secure connection is made achievable by the SSL certificate. Particularly, the certificate fulfills two goals:
- Authentication: It validates that the server to which you link is, in fact, the correct one. This happens using a method known as the SSL handshake, which helps prevent man-in-the-middle attacks in which a foreign party could intercept data being transmitted to the server.
- Encryption: This makes sure sensitive data, such as credit card details and login credentials, is secure by safeguarding information sent to and from the server. This data is encrypted, and only the computer that matches an SSL certificate can decrypt it.
Why you need to incorporate an SSL certificate in your dental website:
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Safeguard Your Website
SSL will protect not just the data going to and from your dental website but also your website against malware, hacking, and eavesdropping.
Additionally, SSL certificates are an excellent safeguard against phishing techniques for both you and your clients. Phishing is the act of a hacker posing as another website in an effort to trick visitors into revealing private data such as their passwords and usernames.
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Protect medical data
Just because something is obvious does not make it any less important! Your dentistry website will be more secure with an SSL certificate. All data entering or leaving your website is encrypted, protecting your vital patient data from being accessed or changed by hackers, even in the unlikely scenario that such intercepts happen.
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Increased trust
From the user’s point of view, sites with SSL certification will display the trustworthy padlock icon. Users are more likely to submit information through properly authorized websites as they become more educated about internet security. It also shows your commitment to protecting the confidentiality of personal data.
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Enhance HIPAA Compliance
As previously established, HIPAA privacy laws do not legally need SSL. On the other hand, protecting your dentistry website with an SSL certificate is a fast, easy, and inexpensive approach to reducing the risk of breaking HIPAA regulations.
For example, you might have a “Reach out to us” form on your website. You are asking patients to share PHI (protected health information) digitally when you ask them to explain why they contacted us. Sensitive patient data, even about something ordinary, such as toothache, needs to be protected at all times.
Conclusion
It is common for individuals to feel intimidated about cybersecurity while starting their business online. Protecting your patient’s data is essential, but it can be pretty challenging to know where to begin. Therefore, hiring an expert who can guide you through the problems is recommended.