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Technology Firm Reveals Lethal Epidemic Raging in Online Medical Marketing

San Luis Obispo, CA (PRWeb) February 14, 2007 -- Etna Interactive recently uncovered the pervasive occurrence of a potentially lethal condition affecting the majority of board-certified plastic surgeon's Web sites. Simply put, the plight these Web sites suffer is obscurity. Prospective patients just can't find them.

A search engine optimization (SEO) firm specializing in health marketing, Etna Interactive is in the business of making online trends meaningful to the medical marketplace. In late 2006, the organization conducted an independent study of more than 300 plastic surgery Web sites, scoring them on 10 objective, observable criteria. The astonishing result: the average score was a dismal 3.2 out of a possible 10 points. The methodology and results are discussed in a free whitepaper available for download at www.etnainteractive.com/reports.

"We knew from experience that the typical plastic surgeon was burdened with a sub-par Web site," commented Ryan Miller, Founder and CEO of Etna Interactive, "but we never thought the condition would be so bad and so widespread. Our study revealed that the average plastic surgeon is ailing online."

"The tragedy is," Miller continued, "the 10 criteria we examined are the most basic ways to 'search engine optimize' a Web site. One measure was whether a page includes a location keyword. Fully half the pages we reviewed neglected to reference a location." To understand why this is important, Ryan suggested plastic surgeons consider how an average person searches the Web for services. If a searcher enters a service without a location, they find sites offering the service all over the country and perhaps the world. When the service keyword is followed by a location keyword, that's when a search yields relevant results.

Nearly three out of four U.S. homes have computers today, and 80% of computer users search the Web for medical services and providers. That means that in most areas of the country, the Internet has more potential to reach new patients than any other media. Physicians who don't have effective Web sites risk missing a huge percentage of their target market. A Web site with the power to make meaningful connections with prospective patients is no longer a frill, it's key to the very survival of an elective surgery practice.

Surgeons are some of the most highly-educated, achievement-oriented professionals in our society. The fact that their Web sites underperform is not due to lack of perception, according to Miller. It's most often due to lack of time to devote to Web marketing, and, in some cases, a low comfort level with computer technology. "In fact, most plastic surgeons with ailing Web sites aren't even aware of the condition," Miller said.

Etna Interactive's white paper on this "Hidden Epidemic" offers simple formulas for evaluating a Web site and recommended actions for achieving a full recovery. Visit www.etnainteractive.com/reports to download a copy.


About Etna Interactive

Founded in 2002 and based in San Luis Obispo, California, Etna Interactive provides Web marketing services to the elective healthcare industry (including medical device manufacturers, plastic surgeons, cosmetic surgeons, cosmetic dentists and medical day spas); to physicians and surgeons offering new or novel treatments; and to professional service providers including lawyers, architects and builders. Etna Interactive serves clients from Hawaii to upstate New York.

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