Medical SEO Marketing Basics & Benefits

What is Medical SEO?

Medical SEO at its core is the practice of utilizing search engine optimization to rank medical sites accurately so that patients can find the best, most relevant information for their search query. Strengthen your online reputation. Boost website traffic. Increase your patient volume.

As healthcare marketing industry experts say, “Social networks may be appealing, but search will pay your bills.” Regardless of your social media presence, if you cannot make your healthcare brand visible on search engine results with Medical SEO, you are missing opportunities for growth where it counts.

Patients have widely been using review sites and Google search to make decisions on who to choose as their healthcare provider, and it is just a matter of time until these methods become patients’ first preference for selecting a healthcare provider.

The Importance Of Search Results

In today’s digitally-connected world, healthcare providers and facilities can’t afford to miss patients online. Nowadays, patients turn to online research to choose which healthcare providers to trust.

If you aren’t familiar with the power of OB/GYN SEO Marketing and Reputation Management Services, consider the following.

According to statistics from Inc.com:

• Almost 80% of new customers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from family and friends.
• Nearly 60% of customers read 4 or more online reviews to form an opinion.
• Nearly half of all patients say a medical practitioner’s online reputation matters a lot.

As is commonly known, people are avid researchers—there are over 30,000 searches for the phrase “OB/GYN near me” every month. What’s more, people are always looking up specific health concerns that your practice can address online.

The Benefits Of Reputation Management Services

Popular review websites like Google Business Profile, Healthgrades, and Yelp have the potential to make or break medical practices. Your patients are influenced by online reviews they read on various sites.

If you have 5 negative reviews, but also 200 positive ones, the impact of five negative reviews will be minimal. So as part of our Reputation Management Services, we find powerfully holistic ways to increase positive reviews of your medical practice.

Instead of throwing your hands up in frustration upon receiving a negative review, you need a strategy to help your prospective patients see the excellent reviews of your medical practice, and more, to beat the competition.

The Ad Firm are experts at using all of the tried-and-tested strategies to ensure that when existing and potential patients find your brand online, they like what they read. That’s why you must build a substantial presence on third-party review sites where your target audience searches.

The Benefits Of Medical SEO Strategies

The truth is that too many medical practices rely solely on social media to grow their practice. Yes, it is fun, it is glamorous, and it is easier to spend a day browsing Facebook than it is revamping Medical SEO pages on your healthcare website.

Search engines are the first step toward harnessing the power of the Internet. Your digital healthcare marketing strategy must focus on improving organic search with Medical SEO Marketing for long-term growth and real results.

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of increasing your website traffic and visibility on popular search engines like Google. The goal of Medical SEO Strategies is to increase traffic on your website, both in terms of quality and quantity, through search engine results.

Medical SEO for your healthcare clinic is a continuous process. When done right, SEO brings lasting results that increase over-time. Because search engine algorithms keep evolving, you can continually thrive by making your presence visible on top search engine results pages (SERPs).

Top-Ten Most Important Medical SEO Practices

1. Medical Web Design
   • Make sure there is a dedicated contact page with your most up to date NAP (name, address, phone) details.
   • Your NAP should match all citations and review sites
2. Online reviews are KEY
   • Make sure you have a review/testimonials page on your site.
   • A blend of first- and third-party reviews is ideal here
     • First party means: people have given their reviews straight to the practice
     • Third party means: reviews left on Google, Facebook and Yelp
3. Claim and update the Google Business Profile Listing
   • Making sure your Google listing is accurate is vital
     • To rank first on Google as a medical practice or physician you need to make sure you are listed on Google Business Profile
     • How to do this: claim, verify and update your listing or create a listing if Google hasn’t done this for you
     • It is normal to already be listed on Google Maps, this is also why it is critical to be proactive with SEO for doctors and medical practices because Google will do it for you.
       • Taking this into your own hands allows you to disseminate the most accurate business information
4. Get a Facebook Business Page
   • Facebook is critical for first-page search results
     • You can test this- if you do a quick query for a competitor’s medical practice 9/10 times their Facebook page will be one of the highest-ranking listings and on the first page
       • This applies to any medical specialty
     • Facebook has a lot of clout in search ranking
       • By not having a page you are losing visibility
5. Claim those Listings Profiles and Third Party Reviews
   • Uniformity is absolutely critical
   • Google Business Profile and Facebook are a great first step, however, there are likely 50+ additional listings and reviews on directories that need to be claimed, verified and updated using the same NAP information
   • Google pulls in reviews and information from secondary and tertiary data points – so having these listings and reviews claimed across all of the directories will give Google a much higher confidence in your practice. The reason being that if there are a lot of search queries confirming that your details are accurate, Google will see this and boost your listing.
6. Video Content
   • This is an authoritative way to not only increase engagement but a way to also develop a much-needed rapport with potential patients
   • Adding videos into your blog posts and on pages increases time spend on-page, which is an essential ranking factor
7. Keyword Research
   • Doing extensive keyword research will help you in leveraging keywords to find niche ways to rank and expand your audience and who you are reaching
8. New Patient Reviews on Google
   • This is a main area that you must focus on if you want your medical SEO to flourish
     • Reviews are arguably the most important signal for ranking on Google and you will see often times in the Google “3-Pack” the ones closest to the top have several 5-star patient reviews
   • While GBP is the recommended starting point for focusing on review generation it is also important to give other options like Facebook or Yelp.
     • This helps create a holistic view of your business through your patient’s eyes.
9. Content Marketing and being active
   • Content is still king and User-generated content is now a must-have for brands that are looking to increase awareness and loyalty.
   • This is particularly important for Medical SEO; showing authenticity and increasing your engagement provides people looking for medical services a unique view into your practice and services.
10. Backlinks are extremely important
    • Backlinking is another tried and true way to build SEO for your medical practice.
    • Quality backlinks serve as additional validation points
      • The more relevant and credible the site you are linking to the higher your listing equity will be.

A Win-Win-Win Situation

The best thing about Medical SEO Marketing and Reputation Management Services is the fact that it is transparent. SEO is measurable and can be evaluated, revised, and assessed, and to reflect shifts in the healthcare industry.

Medical SEO Marketing is truly a win-win-win situation. Your patients win when finding a trusted healthcare provider. Google wins when search users are happy when their search delivers answers. And your medical practice wins because Google will continue to drive more traffic to your healthcare website. Win-win-win!

Are you interested in working with a medical SEO company that can guarantee results? Get a Medical SEO Strategies analysis today.