Medical practices and healthcare organizations of all kinds that want to improve their online visibility and book more patients should focus on search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the process of optimizing a website for Google and other search engines. When done correctly, this evergreen marketing technique helps websites rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), which can lead to more website visitors and ultimately more patients.
By making your site more relevant to patients’ searches, you can ensure that they will find you when your targeted consumer base is looking for a doctor or health care provider.
What Does Search Engine Optimization Entail?
According to DigitalAuthority.me, medical SEO includes multiple important methods all designed to rank your website higher. They all share the goal of earning higher web traffic numbers and improving the visibility of the site. Ultimately, this will result in booking more patients and increasing revenue and profits overall.
Choose the Most Effective Keywords
Keywords form the foundation of all SEO efforts, but they are not the only part of the success equation. The most effective keywords depend on interest from your target audience. You can use Google itself or other search tools to figure out the competitive words and phrases that people are more likely to use when looking for a healthcare provider like you.
Also consider looking at your competitors in the area or in high-population locations around the country to see what words and phrases they use. Then, create content that includes the most relevant keywords in the text, titles, and meta descriptions. Also, use these for image alt tags and similar behind-the-scenes content.
Create High-Value Content
What do people want to find when they come to your website? While things like information about the medical team, office hours, and services are essential for attracting new patients, people also want to see that you know what you are talking about. The content you share on site pages and your health care blog can build trust, show authority, and make people more comfortable with your friendliness and professionalism.
When it comes to website content, there is one golden rule: keep it relevant, informative, and engaging. This means writing page content and blog posts that are both interesting and useful to your readers. This is also called authoritative content. For best results, put each piece on a separate page using the keywords in the URL, meta-description, and on-page headings. Share at least 1000 words of text using an attractive and easy-to-read layout. Scatter photos, graphics, and video content across the page to make it more engaging to site visitors.
Another key to creating good website content is using keywords relevant to your topic. This will help your posts show up in search engine results pages (SERPs), which will in turn help you attract more visitors to your site. You can use a variety of techniques to find the right keywords for your content, including keyword research tools and competitor analysis.
Finally, always keep in mind the importance of writing for humans rather than search engines.
The technical side of website development and design matters too. You need to make sure that your website is optimally coded and loads very quickly. Also, if the site is not mobile ready or fails to display properly on smaller screens, Google will penalize your placement considerably. All of today’s web designers understand this fully and will include responsive layouts with any project.
Link-Building Strategies
Another important factor in SEO is link building. You can improve your site’s ranking by getting backlinks from other high-quality websites. This demonstrates that your content has a lot of value to other trusted sources. Network with other local businesses, send out press releases to the media, maintain an active social media presence, and ask people to share their good experiences with others online.
The Power of Local SEO for Healthcare Providers
Since all healthcare providers, doctor’s offices, and wellness centers who want more patients work in a specific geographic area, local search engine optimization is an exceptionally powerful tool. This follows all the same rules as SEO outlined above but adds the extra power of geo-targeting. In other words, use keywords that include your city or region like ‘dentist near Asheville’ or ‘family doctor in Boston.’
Also include content on the website of interest to people in the area. For example, write an article about high pollen counts during allergy season in the Northeast or share tips on how to properly apply sunscreen when hitting the California beaches in the summer.
Use Online Business Listings Wisely
Another essential part of local SEO and improving reach to potential patients in your area is to claim and optimize all your business listings online. Google My Business is undoubtedly the most important one for ranking higher in the main search engine. However, there are others that also promote general service providers and healthcare-related providers, such as Healthgrades and Doximity.
Online business directory listings convey lots of benefits. When customers search for a business on Google, the businesses that are listed in online directories are more likely to appear at the top of the results pages. When you claim your listing on one of these sites as a healthcare provider, patients can give you ratings and reviews. This can help potential patients make informed decisions about who to call for an appointment.
No matter what type of business you operate or institution you represent in the medical and healthcare community, it takes a strong online presence to attract more patients and book more appointments than ever before. Dive into all aspects of strong SEO or hire an expert digital marketing agency to tackle keyword research, content creation, back link building, and more for you. Your practice can enjoy new levels of success and expand your options to help more people in the local community.