There are a variety of search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. Each type of SEO helps to increase your website’s searchability. Do you have a practice in the medical field? Here’s how you can benefit from the use of healthcare SEO.
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What Is Medical SEO?
Medical SEO, also known as healthcare SEO, is a technique used to help potential clients find businesses in the healthcare industry through internet searches. The following six strategies will help to improve your healthcare website’s webpage optimization:
1. On-page SEO
On-page SEO refers to the different things that can be controlled on a business’s website. Search engine algorithms crawl your site for title tags, headings, images, and more. Whether or not your page translates well when viewed on a mobile device can also affect your on-page SEO.
The content on your site should be well written, have easy-to-read information, and have consistent formatting. Try to have internal links on your page. Internal links are links within your content that point visitors to other pages on your website. External links, or links pointing visitors to information not found on your website, are also helpful for increasing your site’s SEO and functionality.
2. Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO refers to information available on the internet that’s not on your website. Content posted on other sites directs users back to your page with inbound links. Social media links, influencer mentions, and un-linked mentions of your practice also help your off-page SEO.
3. Local SEO
Have you ever searched for a business and ended the search term with “near me”? Local SEO focuses on helping your business appear in the search results for people within a specified geographic area.
While online businesses do not need to focus on local SEO, businesses with a physical location benefit greatly from having the best local SEO possible. You want potential and existing customers to see your information on the first page of search results, no matter the search engine. Customers do not want to dig through search results and will often only scan the first page to make their decision.
4. Technical SEO
Search engine algorithms consider how well a webpage works. Webpages with good technical SEO need to be easy to navigate, work quickly, and have a sitemap. Adding or improving these factors will improve the site’s overall searchability as well as improve the customer’s experience while on the site.
5. Keyword Selection
Keywords make a big impact on how your business is found through an online search engine. You must have keywords strategically placed throughout your business’s website.
The keywords chosen need to closely align with the reasons why customers are searching for you. Use keywords in conjunction with the city name or metro area you operate in, too. For businesses in the medical sector, keywords that you focus on should directly relate to the service you provide, such as “healthcare,” “medical services,” “doctor’s office,” etc.
6. Content Page Expansion
Medical websites don’t necessarily need a full-blown, regularly updated blog; however, there should be several pages included on your website with unique content. Examples of pages to have on your medical practice’s site include:
- Homepage: The first page someone sees when they go to your website
- About Us: A sub-page including a profile on staff members, the practice’s core values, and a mission statement
- Services Provided: Tells potential clients about services they can expect to receive at your practice
- Contact Page: Makes it easy for people to call and locate your practice
- Medical Forms: Helps to decrease wait time in your office
- Research Studies: Offer visitors research articles containing medical information relative to your practice
- FAQs: Answers questions site visitors and potential clients ask most often
The use of each of these strategies will improve your medical practice webpage’s searchability and ranking in the search results.
Who Needs Healthcare SEO?
A variety of branches in the healthcare field can take advantage of medical SEO. Some of the reasons to improve your practice’s medical SEO include:
- You want to grow the number of clients in your practice
- Your website isn’t on the first page of search results
- You want to increase the number of visitors to your website
- Your practice is new to the area or has recently changed locations
- You want to decrease spending on advertisements
You might also need to improve your site’s SEO if you own or partner with any of the following:
- Doctor’s offices
- Medical clinics
- Treatment facilities
- Specialty practices
- Hospitals
- Independent pharmacies
- Medical equipment suppliers
How Healthcare SEO Can Benefit Your Practice
Outranking other medical practices like yours greatly benefits your practice. Appearing at the top of search results can help new patients can find your site and contact information. With improved SEO, your site will rank higher in web searches, potentially increasing your practice’s revenue.
Why Work with an SEO Agency
As a medical professional, your focus is on your practice and your patients. Do you have time to work on improving your website? If not, work with an SEO agency. Such an agency can run a website audit, develop a customized strategy, and implement changes to increase your site’s SEO.
