SEO for Doctors & Medical Practitioners

When someone needs a doctor, they turn to the World Wide Web. Sure, they might get a referral or hear about you from a friend, but usually, they pull out their phone and head to Google. Often, they are looking for a specific doctor, but sometimes they just need any doctor in their area that can address their specific medical issue. No matter what they’re looking for, if you want new patients to find you, you should ensure your medical practice is showing up in search engine results.

That’s where local search engine optimization (SEO) for doctors comes in to answer today’s most frequent question from medical practices: Why is SEO important to doctors? Using strategic SEO techniques, you can ensure that you are the name that shows up when people in your area are searching for a new physician. This can dramatically impact how many new patients you see each month and, as a result, how much revenue your practice brings in.

Set Up a Mobile-Friendly Website

If you want to use doctors SEO to your advantage, a responsive, mobile-friendly website is the first step. You’ll make a professional first impression when people Google your name and ensure that it functions well on a mobile device. Not only will this make your patients happy, but Google will also give you more clout in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

The most significant advantage that a mobile-friendly website offers is that it provides an exceptional user experience (UX). If a website is challenging to navigate or slow to load on a phone, users are likely to leave and find a competitor’s site. These inflection points are called micro-moments, which Google defines as “intent-rich moments when people turn to a device to act on a need.” They’re instructive because they show how people use the internet to satisfy real-world needs.

Mobile-friendliness is also important because it’s a ranking factor for Google. If you want your website to appear in the search engine results pages, you must make sure it’s mobile-friendly. To test your site, enter your URL into Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. It will analyze it and tell you if it has any problems that need to be fixed.

Publish Engaging Content Frequently

To keep your website relevant in the eyes of Google, posting new content regularly is non-negotiable. Offering educational yet engaging information on your website can garner web traffic and increase your views. When it comes to SEO for medical practices, it’s also important to include local search keywords (Ex: doctor in Connecticut, New Haven physician) in your content so that Google knows exactly who to show your website to.

But what makes a good topic? Here are some qualities to check for in yours:

• Is it relevant? Any outdated information on your website will reflect poorly on your medical practice. Make sure to update information about your hours, locations, and accepted insurance frequently. When writing content, ensure the topics are timely and relevant to your field. Capitalizing on trending topics in the medical community can be an easy way to generate content ideas.
• Is it engaging? A block of text can be off-putting for a visitor. To make your content more engaging, break it up with subheadings, bullet points, images, and videos. Interesting content is also visually appealing, so using white space and color can help make your content more scannable.
• Is it easy to read? People should be able to understand your content without having to put in a lot of effort. Use short sentences and paragraphs, and don’t forget to proofread for grammar and spelling mistakes. You want your content to be readable by the average person, which is an important consideration to keep in mind when covering complex medical topics.
• Does it have authoritative evidence? Any time you make a claim in your content, back it up with credible sources. Websites considered authorities on a topic will rank higher in the SERPs. Sources are additionally important for any content that makes medical claims, as you want to ensure that you are providing accurate information that appropriately instructs or advises readers.
• Is there a call to action (CTA)? Include a CTA at the end of each blog post or page on your website. A CTA could be something like “Schedule an appointment today” or “Download our eBook on treatments for migraines.” By including a CTA, you can increase leads and conversions.

Get a Google Business Profile

If you have ever searched for anything local on your phone, you have likely noticed that a large map with featured locations is always at the top. If you want your practice to appear on this map, you must create a Google Business Profile (GBP). This is the most valuable real estate for local search, and you don’t want to miss out.

Some important considerations for your Google Business Profile include:

• NAP Consistency: Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) should be the same across all platforms, including your website and social media channels. Any inconsistency can lead to a drop in your ranking.
• Categories: When you set up your GBP page, you will be asked to select categories that describe your business. Be highly specific when filling out this section, as it will help Google match your business with relevant searches.
• Photos: Prospective clients like to see what they are getting before they commit, so adding pictures to your GBP page is essential. You should include a profile photo, a cover photo, and photos of your business’s interior and exterior.
• Reviews: Google reviews are highly influential and one of the first things people see when they search for you, so it’s essential to have positive reviews. You can increase the quality and number of reviews by asking your patients to leave a review after their appointment. People heavily rely on reviews when making purchase decisions, so don’t underestimate their importance.
• Posts: You can use your GBP page to post announcements and events that can appear in relevant searches. This is a great way to promote any new services or specials you may be offering to maximize your visibility.

Earn Positive Reviews

Yes, most people these days are going to look for you online to check out your reputation. That is one very important reason to encourage your patients to leave reviews online on sites like Healthgrades, Google Plus, and Angie’s List. But online reviews also play a big role in your healthcare SEO strategy. As you can imagine, they will give precedence to doctors with stellar reviews.

The best reviews include:

• Detailed descriptions of what the reviewer liked about their experience: From the front desk staff to the doctor’s bedside manner, people want to know what made their experience positive. People have different priorities when it comes to healthcare, so you want to make sure that your reviews reflect the various needs of your patients to convince the most people to visit your practice.
• Specifics about what services were provided and how they improved the reviewer’s life: If a patient had a procedure done and it helped relieve their pain, others in a similar situation will want to know. Ask them to be as detailed as they want to be without violating HIPAA.
• What made their experience unique: There are many similar practices out there, so what will make someone want to visit yours? If you provide concierge services or have a unique way of handling patient care, make sure your reviewers mention it. It could be the differentiating factor that convinces someone to visit your practice.

Interact on Social Media

You know that trust is paramount in your success as a doctor, and interacting with current and potential patients on social media is a great way to earn this trust. Additionally, social media activity plays a role in SEO for doctors. When you post links to your social media sites, you will earn more website traffic, which may up your authority in the eyes of Google.

Effective social media interaction requires a strategic approach. You want to ensure you provide value to your followers while promoting your brand. Try to stick to an 80/20 rule when it comes to content. Eighty percent should be valuable, informative content, while 20 percent can be self-promotional.

Some ideas for valuable content include:

• Educational blog posts
• How-to videos
• Infographics
• Patient testimonials
• Links to relevant news articles

When it comes to self-promotion, you want to ensure you are not being too salesy. Some ideas for self-promotional content include:

• Links to your website
• Announcements about new services or specials
• Promotions for contests or giveaways
• Recaps of events you have hosted
• Patient spotlights

Integrate a PPC Campaign

Even with the above SEO tips for doctors, you will still want to integrate a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign into your efforts. Organic SEO strategies are highly effective, but they are not instant. With a PPC campaign, you can earn immediate traffic, positively impacting your organic SEO while expanding your patient base.

The mark of a high-performing healthcare PPC campaign include:

• High-quality scores: These indicate that your ad is relevant to the keywords you are targeting, which will help you earn a lower cost per click.
• A healthy click-through rate (CTR): A high CTR shows that your ad is doing its job in capturing the attention of your target audience.
• A low cost-per-conversion (CPC): This means that you are effectively converting leads into patients.

Zero Gravity Marketing Can Give Your Website Some TLC

As you can see, SEO for doctors is a multi-step process that requires time, strategy, and commitment. If you are too busy to deal with it yourself, that doesn’t mean it should be skipped. By investing in a company that is experienced in providing healthcare SEO services and digital marketing solutions, you can reap the enormous rewards of a healthy online presence while having lots of time for your patients. 

Contact Zero Gravity Marketing today, a full-service digital marketing agency, to get started with your personalized SEO campaign and leverage the power of our SEO services for doctors.