Welcome / intro
This brief consolidates everything already sent to Barrk (July-October 2026) so the intro meeting with Tammy can focus on priorities and the plan, not a re-brief. Items marked to confirm need a quick check with Dean or Alison.
See our current content
Before we meet, please spend some time on our live website and social channels. They show the voice, look and content we already publish, and where we want to take it next.
Who we are
Surgical eye care
Specialist ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon at Lowveld Eye Institute, Mbombela. Practice: Dr Dean van der Westhuizen Inc.
Focus
Cataract + retina
High-volume cataract & lens replacement; surgical retina (RD, macular hole, ERM, diabetic eye); medical retina / anti-VEGF.
Audience
Patients + referrers
Adults 40-80 and families across the Lowveld, Eswatini and southern Mozambique; optometrists and GPs referring surgical cases.
Start here (2-minute summary)
- Agency moved from Engage24 to Barrk (notice Aug 2026; Barrk live since late July). John Bognar hands over to Tammy Albrecht from 1 Nov 2026 (John’s last day 31 Oct).
- Site already ranks roughly positions 2-6 for most high-intent local terms but historically earned almost no clicks. Early win = win the click (titles, meta, CTR, map pack), then deepen service pages and a symptom-to-surgery layer.
- Commercial goal: surgical enquiries (phone first, then WhatsApp, then form), not raw traffic. Filter out unsuitable optometry / eye-test traffic.
- Month 1 (Sept) already showed early movement, especially Google AI Overview visibility for cataract / eye surgeon Nelspruit searches. Month 2 focus agreed: retina content, cataract, GBP/local, schema, off-page.
- Lowveld Eye Institute (LEI) has a separate website and is out of scope except as our location and for natural keyword mentions.
Top 5 priorities at a glance
1
Win clicks on Tier 1 / Tier 2 terms we already rank for
KPI: CTR > 3% on core local queries (from under ~1%)
2
Make cataract & surgical retina service pages the money pages
KPI: top 5 for their Tier 2 terms; homepage less dominant than Apr-Jun (191/199 clicks)
3
Close GBP Maps gap (currently ~#2 for eye specialist Mbombela)
KPI: more GeoGrid cells at #1; citation/NAP consistency
4
Finish clean tracking (one GTM, real lead conversions, tool events)
KPI: form / phone / WhatsApp / tool_use reported as primary; no inflated Ads “conversions”
5
Wire tools, Casebook and optometrist directory into SEO
KPI: in sitemap + nav/footer; gas-bubble calculator usage visible in GA4
Public contacts (use these only): Rooms 013 497 2525 · WhatsApp 066 528 9696 · info@doctordean.co.za ·
Lowveld Eye Institute, Suite 4, 14 Midnight Street, Orchards View Ext 2, Mbombela 1200 · Social @eyedoctordean · Tagline “See clearly, live wild.” (marketing only).
Keep Dean’s personal email and mobile out of everything public.
Our analysis & recommended SEO strategy
Expert view based on Dean’s July brief + GSC evidence, the Barrk Aug audit, Engage24 handover, and live work through early October 2026.
Best-outcome plan (next 90 days)
- Protect momentum, don’t restart. Barrk’s Sept Month-1 report already shows AI Overview and local movement. Tammy should inherit John’s 90-day plan (from 1 Sep) and the SERP baseline of 15 keywords, then extend it, not rewrite from zero.
- CTR before vanity rankings. Thousands of impressions sit at positions 2-6 with near-zero clicks. Titles, meta, FAQ/Physician schema, sitelinks and GBP presence will move the needle faster than chasing #1 everywhere.
- Two commercial hubs dominate: Cataract & Lens Replacement, and Surgical Retina. Every blog, tool, Casebook edition and symptom page should feed one of those hubs (or Medical Retina / injections).
- Build the Tier 2b symptom layer next (flashes/floaters, curtain/shadow, wavy lines, sudden vision loss, diabetic blur, cataract glare). Phone-first CTAs. Geo-anchored to Nelspruit / Mbombela. These also feed AI Overviews and Ads.
- Local entity consistency wins Maps. Reviews are already strong (~222+). Fix NAP/citations, secondary categories, LEI naming in content, and the shared-building reality with other ophthalmologists. Don’t expect more reviews alone to flip #2 → #1.
- Measurement that matches the business. Primary conversions = validated form success, meaningful calls, WhatsApp clicks. Directions / page views as secondary only. Instrument tools (especially gas bubble calculator) with GA4 events.
- Referrer SEO is a second flywheel: Casebook series + For-optometrists hub + optometrist directory, without diluting patient-facing surgical intent or creating thin town pages too early.
What Engage24 left us
- Solid WordPress / Enfold / Yoast / W3TC build; blog cadence; FAQ work on service pages; security maintenance.
- Fragmented tracking: two GTM containers + direct Enfold GA4; Dean lacked ownership until Aug handover.
- GBP questions (why not #1 locally) went unanswered; reporting felt like activity, not insight. That is why the practice consolidated with Barrk.
What Barrk has already done (keep going)
- Full SEO / GBP / Ads audit (19 Aug) approved 25 Aug; 90-day plan from 1 Sep.
- Ads rebuilt (~R5,000/mo Search): pause Smart; negatives for optometry; validated-lead focus. Sept: 155 clicks / 12.2% CTR / R2,050 spend (1-22 Sep).
- Homepage SEO moved live onto the original URL (21 Sep); cataract page + 23 internal links; cataract recovery article published after Dean’s OK.
- Tools menu + GSC submit for OphthDraw / gas bubble calculator; refractive calculator on calc.doctordean.co.za.
- Optometrist directory reviewed; schema/nav/sitemap recommendations approved to proceed (1 Oct).
Handover risk: John’s full written handover (with Justin) is due before 31 Oct. This HTML brief is Dean’s parallel pack so Tammy is not blocked if that document slips. Align both documents in the intro call.
Priorities and goals
Ranked commercial outcomes, then SEO workstreams. Success = surgical enquiries, not traffic vanity metrics.
Business goals (order matters)
- Surgical case enquiries, new patients for cataract and surgical retina. Primary conversion: phone. Secondary: WhatsApp and contact form.
- Non-branded local discovery, eye specialist / surgeon / ophthalmologist / cataract surgery + Nelspruit · Mbombela · Lowveld · Mpumalanga. Today most organic clicks are already-branded.
- Referrer growth, optometrists and GPs sending surgical cases (Casebook, directory, referral hub, selective LinkedIn).
Ranked SEO priorities
1
CTR & SERP presentation on Tier 1-2 terms
Titles, meta, schema, sitelinks. KPI: CTR > 3% on core clusters; AI Overview presence maintained/grown.
2
Service-page SEO: Cataract + Surgical Retina (+ Medical Retina / injections)
Top-5 rankings; internal links from blogs; FAQ schema; strong mobile CTAs.
3
Google Business Profile / local pack
More #1 GeoGrid cells; citation cleanup; LEI naming; secondary categories (to confirm).
4
Tracking integrity
Single GTM; primary = real leads; tool events; Ads bidding on validated conversions only.
5
Tier 2b symptom-to-surgery pages
5-6 geo-anchored pages live with phone-first CTAs; indexed; linked to hubs.
6
Tools + Casebook + optometrist directory discoverability
Sitemap, nav/footer, schema; gas-bubble usage reportable monthly.
7
YouTube / GEO content
Editor access used; explainer videos for tools; transcript → short blogs.
8
Technical hygiene
Noindex /home-2/; fix title/slug mismatches; author ≠ admin; CWV / TTFB improvements (to confirm with PSI).
Monthly reporting KPIs (what Dean wants to see)
- Narrative: what was done → what moved → what it means → what’s next.
- Tier 1 & 2 keyword rankings (not only sitewide average position).
- Organic clicks / impressions / CTR for those clusters; AI Overview notes.
- GBP: Maps position / GeoGrid, calls, direction requests, website clicks.
- Enquiries: validated forms, phone, WhatsApp (and Ads cost per validated lead).
- Tool usage: gas bubble calculator events (high interest); refractive calculator; OphthDraw.
- Honest flags when something is not working, with a course correction.
Keywords
Use Nelspruit, Mbombela, Lowveld and Mpumalanga as interchangeable modifiers. Evidence from Dean’s GSC export (Apr-Jun 2026) and later Barrk work. Filter below.
Location modifiers: Mbombela (= Nelspruit), White River, Hazyview, Malelane, Barberton, Lydenburg, wider Mpumalanga, Eswatini, southern Mozambique. Don’t create dozens of thin town pages until GSC shows demand (Barrk advice on the optometrist directory, 23 Sep).
| Priority | Cluster | Keyword / cluster | Intent | Target page | Evidence / notes |
|---|
SERP baseline of 15 keywords (Barrk Keyword.com share, Aug 2026): confirm still the monthly ranking set, to confirm with Tammy / Justin.
Site and tools
Self-hosted WordPress on Xneelo. Barrk handles theme and code changes. Static HTML tools live alongside WordPress.
Stack
CMS & theme
WordPress · Enfold (Avia Layout Builder) · child theme · Yoast SEO · W3 Total Cache · Wordfence (Barrk standardising; Kadence overlap to avoid)
Hosting & agency
Xneelo hosting · Barrk for theme/code/SEO · Engage24 ended 31 Aug 2026 (plugins/handover notes retained)
Page map (high value)
| URL | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| / | Homepage / identity | Revised Sep (kept URL history). FAQ schema live. |
| /services/cataract-and-lens-replacement/ | Primary money page | Optimised 21 Sep; 23 blog backlinks. |
| /services/surgical-retina/ | Primary money page | Was ~pos 39.7 in Apr-Jun, still a focus. |
| /services/medical-retina/ · diabetic-retinopathy/ | Medical retina / DR | Injections content mostly on blog. |
| /meet-dr-dean/ · /about-us/ · /contact-us/ · /faqs/ | Trust & convert | Fix About typos; FAQ JSON-LD still weak on /faqs/. |
| /home-2/ | Staging leftover | Open noindex/remove from sitemap if still indexable. |
| /optometrists/ | Referrer / local resource | Static; 87 practices / 28 towns. Wire nav + sitemap. |
| /casebook/01/ | Referrer education | Static; series index /casebook/ currently 403. |
| /Ophthdraw/ · /gas-bubble-calculator/ · calc.doctordean.co.za | Tools | Outside Yoast sitemap by default. |
Online tools
| Tool | URL | Who it’s for | SEO / lead value | Tracking needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas Bubble Calculator | doctordean.co.za/gas-bubble-calculator/ | Patients post-vitrectomy + clinicians (altitude / flying with intraocular gas) | High shareability; supports surgical-retina authority. Dean wants usage frequency. | GA4 events: tool_view, calculation_complete (params: gas type / altitude, to confirm) |
| OphthDraw | doctordean.co.za/Ophthdraw/ | Clinicians: fundus / retinal drawing | Referrer magnet; WebApplication schema present | tool_view; export/share if available |
| Refractive Surgery Screening Calculator | calc.doctordean.co.za (Cloudflare; CNAME) | Currently more ophthalmology-facing; Dean plans a separate optometrist-facing version | Feeds /services/refractive-laser-screening/; blog draft held for split OD vs MD | Cross-domain / subdomain in GA4 domain property; tool events |
| Optometrist registry | doctordean.co.za/optometrists/ | Public: find Lowveld/Mpumalanga optometrists; staff verifying listings | Local search resource; free listing; ItemList schema recommended | page_view; click_to_call / directions per listing if possible |
| Casebook | doctordean.co.za/casebook/01/ | Referring optometrists (monthly teaching case) | E-E-A-T + referral SEO | GA4 already on edition; series index + schema still needed |
Static tools were given Tools-menu links and GSC URL inspection (17 Aug). They still need reliable sitemap inclusion. Refractive blog remains unpublished until Dean splits OD vs MD versions. YouTube explainers planned for gas calculator, refractive screener and OphthDraw.
Tracking and Google
IDs below are safe to share with Barrk. Never put passwords, keys or tokens in reports or this brief.
Current asset IDs
| Asset | ID / detail | Status |
|---|---|---|
| GA4 account / property | Doctor Dean / Doctor Dean Website · Property 512869013 | Owned |
| GA4 measurement ID | G-FVBXTP6MHS (also hard-coded on tool HTML) | Live |
| GA4 web stream | Dr Dean Website · Stream 12978421291 | Owned |
| GTM (keep) | Account Doctor Dean · Container www.doctordean.co.za · GTM-TS8HGSJZ | Consolidate here |
| GTM (legacy / inaccessible) | GTM-T6DK3FK6 (had Ads AW-687042301, Designify lead, remarketing) | Disable after cutover |
| Legacy GA4 ID seen on site | G-WNX2EHVVV7 (Engage24 era; not under Dean initially) | Confirm retired |
| Google Ads | Customer ID 243-495-5211 · Conversion tag AW-687042301 | Barrk Standard access |
| Search Console | Domain property doctordean.co.za (covers apex, www, subdomains) + prior URL-prefix | Barrk access to domain property to confirm |
| Google Business Profile | Dean’s own profile: “Dr Dean van der Westhuizen: Ophthalmologist Nelspruit” (5.0, 256 reviews, Oct 2026). Note: place ID ChIJfYeID9NJ6B4RzzPWzT7F3Xo and shortlink maps.app.goo.gl/3UXL4jsm9t3cFbiM9 open the separate Lowveld Eye Institute facility listing, not Dean’s profile. | Strong profile; Maps ~#2 |
What was wrong → what was fixed → what’s open
- Fixed Dean had no GTM/GA4 admin, Engage24 added admin (10 Aug); Dean shared GTM-TS8HGSJZ + GA4 with John & Justin.
- Open Double tagging, GTM-TS8HGSJZ + GTM-T6DK3FK6 + Enfold direct gtag for G-FVBXTP6MHS. Plan: publish consolidated GTM-TS8HGSJZ (GA4 + AW-687042301 + Conversion Linker + form/phone/WhatsApp), remove Enfold GA script, disable T6DK3FK6. Confirm live cutover status with Justin.
- Fixed (Ads side) Inflated Ads conversions, Directions / page visits as Primary; contact “Submit Lead Form” firing on /contact-us/ load (AJAX form, no thank-you URL). New Search campaign; Smart paused; negatives for optometry.
- Open Domain GSC property access for Barrk, John (31 Aug): “We don’t have access to the new property in Search Console.” Dean created domain property for subdomains (calc.). Grant Tammy/Justin; keep URL-prefix if still needed.
- Open GSC noindex alerts (6 Sep), likely /home-2/ staging in sitemap. Triage Pages report; noindex or 301 /home-2/; purge from sitemap & llms.txt.
- Open Tool & static-page measurement, gas bubble / OphthDraw / optometrists / Casebook events & sitemap inclusion.
- Partial GBP NAP consistency, Suite 4 / Orchards View Ext 2 / Midnight vs Midknight; Bing outdated; Apple match wrong (Barrk audit). Align website footer, schema, GBP, stationery.
- Done WordPress, Ads, GSC (prefix), GBP, Xneelo access granted to Barrk (Jul-Aug).
Google Business Profile
- Strong profile (~5.0, 222+ reviews, daily reviews, posts, photos) yet often #2 in Maps behind a colleague in the same building (shared location + entity history).
- Actions: UTM on GBP website URL; confirm pin; standard name/address; secondary categories; services; 1-2 posts/month; original imagery; monthly GeoGrid.
- Dean’s GBP listing is “Dr Dean van der Westhuizen: Ophthalmologist Nelspruit”. The website’s “Visit Us” shortlink (3UXL4jsm9t3cFbiM9) opens the Lowveld Eye Institute facility listing instead; to confirm which listing the website should link to.
Content and social
Patient education + referrer content + social proof of expertise. All public channels: @eyedoctordean. Jump to See our current content on the Welcome tab.
Content pillars
- Patient education, cataract & retina explainers, geo-anchored; symptom-to-surgery pages; FAQs.
- YouTube explainers, 53 long-form + 7 Shorts already live (cataract, RD, macular hole, injections, gas vs oil, PCO/YAG, diabetes, etc.). Planned: short explainers for gas calculator, refractive screener, OphthDraw → transcripts → blogs.
- Referrer network, The Casebook (monthly); optometrist directory; future For-optometrists hub (how to refer, urgent criteria, feedback loop).
- GBP updates, 2-3 factual sentences + www.doctordean.co.za; no hashtags/emojis.
Social channels
Patient
Facebook @eyedoctordean · Instagram @eyedoctordean · WhatsApp 066 528 9696 · YouTube @eyedoctordean · Google Business Profile
Professional
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/eyedoctordean · Casebook / Lowveld Retina referral email info@lowveldretina.co.za when relevant
Publishing notes already agreed with Barrk
- ~2 SEO articles / month in the optimisation plan (Engage24 leftover blog queue can feed this).
- Homepage + cataract cluster largely done for Month 1-2; retina cluster next.
- John + Justin invited as YouTube editors (Dean confirmed Justin 22 Sep).
- All clinical copy clinically reviewed by Dean before publish.
Philosophy and tone
Professional, warm, educational, trustworthy. A local specialist who cares, not a generic medical advert.
Mission
Specialised eye care with precision and compassion.
North star
The surgical eye specialist the Lowveld trusts: world-class cataract and retina surgery, delivered with professionalism, warmth and modern technology.
Voice rules
- Education first, trust second, CTA third. Short sentences. SA English. Prefer “may / can / often”.
- Write for anxious readers aged 40-80 on a phone.
- Never: em dashes, outcome guarantees, fearmongering, salesy discounts, invented stats, comments on other practices.
- Humour: light eye puns OK; never trivialise a condition.
HPCSA / advertising compliance (practice policy)
Do
- Factual education and process explainers
- Clear contacts and booking path
- Credentials stated accurately
- De-identified teaching cases with consent (Casebook)
Don’t
- No testimonials / review formats in marketing content
- No superlatives (“best”) or outcome guarantees
- No before/after claims or inducements / fee specials
- No patient-identifiable content; no public complaint replies
Note: Copywriter has not clause-checked every HPCSA booklet line; treat the above as practice policy and escalate edge cases to Dean.
Brand guide (built in)
From Dr Dean Inc Brand Kit v2 (updated 14 Oct 2026). Yellow is a brand accent colour, usable across print and social, but use it sparingly and never as the primary colour.
Colours
Dark Cyan#003C4C · Primary
Teal#006D6B · Secondary
Sea Green#45B5A0 · Accent
Light Mint#A4C4A0 · Support
Near-black#1A1A1A · Text
Ice#EAF3F5 · Soft bg
Yellow#F4C400 · Accent only, sparingly
Yellow #F4C400: Yellow is a brand accent colour, usable across print and social, but use it sparingly and never as the primary colour. Use it for small highlights (a thin rule, a small badge, one underlined word), never as a background, large text or the dominant colour. Never yellow text on white.
Typography
Headings
Cinzel Bold · Uppercase
Body / UI
Raleway Regular / Medium
Logo & imagery
- Default web logo: horizontal colour on light; white on navy. Public URL: DRDEAN-logo-hor-colour-full.png (white version: DRDEAN-logo-hor-white-full.png)
- Clear space ≈ height of the pangolin eye; don’t recolour or redraw.
- Imagery: practice / facility / Dean portraits, or clean branded flats. Macro eye / wildlife-eye mood OK. No patient photos.
- Tagline “See clearly, live wild.”, marketing only; never on clinical letters or invoices.
- LEI and Lowveld Retina are separate brands, don’t mix their looks into Inc. work.
What we need from you
A short agenda for our meeting. The background is all in this brief, so we can focus on priorities, the 90-day plan and reporting.
What we’ll cover in our meeting
- Current SEO performance and open Search Console, Google Ads and Google tag (GTM / GA4) issues.
- Google Business Profile mismatch: the website links to the Lowveld Eye Institute listing, not Dean’s 256-review profile.
- Top keyword and page priorities, including missing pages (macular hole, YAG / PCO) and the symptom-to-surgery layer.
- Website tools: gas bubble calculator, refractive calculator, optometrist registry and OphthDraw: discoverability and tracking.
- Social content plans and how SEO and social link up (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Casebook).
- Reporting and cadence, including a standing check-in with Alison.
- Next steps and owners.
Deliverables we expect
- Baseline confirmation, reaffirm or refresh the Aug audit + 15-keyword SERP baseline; list open technical items with owners.
- 90-day plan, week-by-week from handover (aligned to ranked priorities in this brief).
- Monthly report, narrative + KPIs listed under Priorities (including gas-bubble calculator usage).
- Tracking cutover sign-off, single GTM live; Enfold duplicate removed; legacy container disabled; Ads bidding on validated leads only.
Contacts & approvals
| Role | Person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Practice / clinical approvals | Dr Dean van der Westhuizen · dean@doctordean.co.za | Best after 17:00 weekdays for calls |
| Day-to-day access & ops | Alison du Plessis · alison@doctordean.co.za | Practice Manager |
| Barrk (until 31 Oct) | John Bognar · john@barrkmarketing.com | Primary until handover |
| Barrk (from 1 Nov) | Tammy Albrecht · tammy@barrkmarketing.com | Digital Marketing Strategist |
| Barrk SEO implementation | Justin · justin@barrkmarketing.com | Technical SEO / site |
| Barrk escalation | Jessica Lötze · jessica@barrkmarketing.com | As per John’s intro email |
| Public patient line | 013 497 2525 · WhatsApp 066 528 9696 · info@doctordean.co.za | Use on site / ads / GBP |
Approvals: No public clinical copy or major template changes live without Dean’s OK. Theme/code changes via Barrk. LEI website out of scope unless we explicitly expand.