Medical SEO Fundamentals That Get Results
As a practice owner, you know SEO for healthcare is important for earning a top spot on search engines. But savvy SEO (search engine optimization) is about more than just your Google ranking; it’s about high-quality traffic driven by organically attained visibility. In other words, medical SEO should source patients interested in your services, leading to more appointments and measurable practice growth.
Healthcare marketing strategies are always changing, and SEO is no exception. What worked last year may already be outdated, making search engine optimization an ever-evolving art. If the SEO tools and techniques you used in years past aren’t producing optimal outcomes, don’t worry. Refreshing and updating your SEO methods is par for the course, and the Practis team can develop a custom strategy that helps you rank, build authority, and attract more patients.
Also see: What is Medical Marketing, Anyway?
What is SEO for Healthcare?
SEO for healthcare is unique because it must be patient-centric to succeed. Due to its competitive nature, medical SEO requires a tailored approach to attract patients looking for your unique services.
Practically speaking, medical SEO is the process of improving your website to reach and convert more patients. SEO accomplishes this by boosting your search engine ranking, increasing your visibility, and elevating your online authority. In this competitive digital age, a sound SEO strategy plays a major role in shaping your growth and success.
Benefits of SEO for Healthcare
When you hit the sweet spot with your SEO strategy, you can enjoy increased website engagement, boosted online visibility, and greater brand authority. Best of all, you can get more patients in the door and start building long-term relationships.
- High-Quality Leads – When properly optimized for specific search phrases, SEO attracts high-quality leads interested in your specific healthcare services.
- Brand Awareness – When you consistently appear on the first page of search results, your increased visibility and awareness puts you at the front of patients’ minds.
- Brand Authority – As more patients land on your site based on search results, Google takes note. The higher the engagement levels, the more Google recognizes you as a domain expert.
- Affordability – As long as you’re publishing highly optimized content, you can rely on SEO as a long-term affordable tactic to drive traffic and grow your practice. It requires an initial up-front investment, but it more than pays for itself over time, making it a cost-effective marketing tactic.
Components of a Medical SEO Plan
Ranking is great, but boosting the authority and trustworthiness of your website is just as essential. A comprehensive medical SEO plan doesn’t just attract patients to your site – it ensures they have a positive experience once they get there. To stand out in the competitive healthcare landscape, your website must inspire trust and confidence in everyone who visits.
Content Based on Keywords
Keyword use requires finesse. Keyword stuffing reads poorly, and the use of the wrong keywords and phrases can do more harm than good. Medical SEO content should always be written by healthcare experts who are well-versed in developing target keyword strategies for practice owners.
Your Healthcare Blog
To consistently bring in new visitors each month, your website needs more than its primary pages. A high-quality healthcare blog that publishes fresh content regularly boosts search engine rankings and proves incredibly valuable to your patients.
Medical blogs are unique because they are subject to HIPAA compliance and must avoid publishing any content that could “harm a person’s well-being.” A medical SEO expert can help ensure your blog is full of high-quality, relevant content that enriches patients’ lives and solidifies your reputation as a trusted authority in your field.
Leverage Local SEO
Local SEO allows you to target users in your specific area. As you might expect, the more local your SEO, the more likely a patient is to book with your practice. If you have local competition, you can bet their websites are making use of city-and-town-specific keywords. If you aren’t doing the same, you won’t be able to rank, match their visibility, or compete with their marketing efforts.
Improve Your Site’s User Experience
SEO can only get you so far. Once patients land on your website, their user experience will determine whether they stay or click away. The Practis team offers medical website design for all specialties, improving the patient experience with fully responsive and mobile-friendly designs, HIPAA compliance and accessibility, and comprehensive SEO.
Track Your Results
Tracking SEO results is essential. Otherwise, it’s impossible to know whether your strategies are paying off. There are multiple tools and techniques available to track your campaigns, and Practis can help you monitor your position, calls, texts, website form submissions, and more to help hone your optimization tactics.
Let Practis Perfect Your SEO Plan for Healthcare
If you’d like to see what strategic SEO can do for your practice, give us a call today. Our team of healthcare marketing experts will partner with you to develop a plan uniquely tailored to your services and goals. Whether you need medical website design, healthcare SEO, or online review management, Practis has you covered.
