Did you know that marketing accounts for nearly 10% of a business’s revenue? You might be even more surprised to find out that this applies to the healthcare industry as much as any other. A significant majority of patients — around 82.8% — start their search for healthcare providers through search engines like Google.
For medical practices aiming to capture this audience, investing in search engine optimization (SEO) is certainly a good idea. By mastering SEO, your practice can rank in the top positions for relevant search queries on Google and other search engines.
In this article, we’ll be discussing SEO for doctors, and how doctors can use SEO strategies to attract more patients via search engines. Let’s get started.
SEO for Doctors
SEO (or search engine optimization) refers to the process of improving your website’s visibility and ranking on search engines like Google. The higher your site ranks for relevant search terms, the more likely it is that potential patients will be able to find and choose your practice.
SEO involves targeting specific keywords — search phrases that your prospective patients use online. For example, “pediatrician near me” or “dermatologist in [your city]” are keywords that potential patients might search for.
By incorporating these keywords into your website’s content, you’ll be able to increase the chances of ranking highly in search results. That said, SEO is more complicated than simply inserting keywords into your website. To truly outrank competitors, you’ll need to:
Build authoritative backlinks
This means earning links from other reputable websites pointing to your practice site. These links signal to search engines that your content is trustworthy.
Improve user experience
Make sure that your website loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and provides a seamless user experience.
Create valuable content
Produce content that answers your patients’ questions and positions your practice as an authority in your field.
Leverage off-site signals
Use social media, online directories, and other platforms to increase your website’s visibility.
While SEO requires consistent effort, the return on investment (ROI) is pretty substantial. In fact, 32% of companies report that SEO delivers the highest ROI of any digital marketing channel. For medical practices, this means a steady influx of new patients.
Why SEO Matters for Doctors
SEO is more important for doctors than you might think. Here are the reasons why:
Increased patient acquisition
With over 80% of patients using search engines to find healthcare providers, ignoring SEO means missing out on a huge number of potential patients. By optimizing your website for search engines, you can rank for keywords related to your medical practice. This will eventually drive more patients to your clinic.
More local visibility
Local SEO is a subset of SEO that focuses specifically on attracting patients within your area. For healthcare providers with brick-and-mortar locations, local SEO is quite necessary for targeting searches like “doctors near me” or “[your specialty] in [your city].”
Building trust and authority
Search engines prioritize ranking websites they trust. By engaging in SEO strategies (like content creation and link-building), you can establish your practice’s online credibility. This will also improve your reputation as a medical professional.
Cost-effective marketing
While SEO requires a lot of effort, it’s far more cost-effective than traditional advertising methods, even if you outsource the work.
Areas of Focus for SEO in Healthcare
SEO is a very broad field with several areas of focus. Doctors will definitely want to understand these different aspects. Here are some areas for healthcare professionals to focus on when it comes to SEO:
Local SEO
Local SEO is essential for practices with a physical location. It focuses on attracting patients from your local area.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO Involves optimizing individual pages on your website to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO, on the other hand, focuses on actions taken outside your website, such as backlinking, to improve your site’s authority.
Technical SEO
This involves optimizing the backend of your website to make sure that it meets the technical requirements of search engines.
Quality Content Creation for Medical Practices
Search engines prefer websites that provide genuine value to people by creating helpful content. For healthcare providers, blogging and content creation could be a great way to give your SEO efforts an extra boost. Here’s a rundown on what that will involve:
Identifying patient needs
To create content that resonates with your audience, you need to understand their needs. Here are some methods you can use to gather this information:
- Ask directly: Use appointments and feedback forms to collect questions and concerns from your patients.
- Online research: Monitor health forums, social media platforms like Reddit and Quora, and other online communities to identify trending topics related to your specialty.
- Keyword research: You can also use tools like Google Keyword Planner to discover commonly searched terms and questions within your field.
Creating patient-focused content
Once you have a solid understanding of your patients’ needs, make sure to create content that directly addresses their concerns. This means writing blog posts (including service pages that clearly explain the treatments and procedures you offer.
You might also want to develop a comprehensive FAQ section that addresses frequent questions about your practice, services, and policies. You can include testimonials and case studies with patient consent, too. This will be one of the best ways to build trust and credibility.
Ethical considerations
When creating content for your medical practice, you should make sure to comply with HIPAA regulations when discussing patient cases or using patient data online. It’s also important that you never sacrifice accuracy for better rankings. Always prioritize patient safety and include clear disclaimers that your content does not substitute professional medical advice.
Being transparent is important, too. Clearly state the qualifications of your content authors and cite reliable sources. Periodically review and update your content to reflect the latest medical knowledge and practices. This will help you build credibility as a medical professional, too.
How to Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
Other than content creation, there are a few technical aspects that you’ll want to keep in mind when it comes to using SEO to improve your website’s visibility, including:
Header tags
Header tags help structure your content for both readers and search engines. They break your content into sections, which makes it a lot easier to read and understand. Here's how to use them effectively.
Image optimization
Images are important because they help break up text and improve user engagement. However, search engines can't “see” images the way humans do.
To make sure your images contribute to your SEO efforts, name them with descriptive terms (e.g., “pediatrician-examining-child.jpg”). You can also add alt-text that describes the image content and includes relevant keywords.
Internal linking
Internal links connect different pages on your website. They guide users through your content and help search engines understand your site structure. Each page should have at least one internal link to avoid orphan pages — pages that lack internal links and are harder for search engines to find.
Internal linking also improves “dwell time,” which refers to how long users stay on your website. This is a factor that search engines take into consideration when ranking pages.
Local SEO for Doctors
As we already mentioned, local SEO focuses on optimizing your online presence to attract patients within your area. Here are some strategies you can use to improve your local SEO:
Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is going to be a super important part of your local SEO efforts. It’s often the first-place potential patients will look for information about your practice. Make sure your GBP is complete and accurate. It should include:
- Important details: Your practice’s name, address, and phone number (NAP).
- Online presence: Your website URL and social media links.
- Practice info: Your hours of operation, a detailed description of services, and locations served.
- Visuals: Photos and videos of your practice and staff to build familiarity with potential patients.
Social media
Social media platforms like Facebook can also improve your local SEO. We’d recommend creating a Facebook Business Page for your practice. These pages often rank highly in search results, sometimes even above your own website.
Website optimization
Optimize your website for local search by including location-specific keywords and contact information on each page. Consider creating separate pages for different regions, cities, or neighborhoods that you serve.
Building backlinks
Backlinks, or links from other websites pointing to your site, are super important for improving your site’s authority and search engine rankings. High-quality backlinks from reputable sources signal to search engines that your website is, in fact, trustworthy.
Strategies for building backlinks
Here are some effective strategies for building quality backlinks:
- Guest blogging: Write articles for other healthcare blogs or local websites in exchange for a backlink.
- Directories and listings: Get your practice listed in credible medical and local business directories.
- Partnerships: Collaborate with local health organizations, hospitals, or non-profits for more link-building opportunities.
- Shareable content: Create high-quality content (like infographics or videos) that others will want to link to.
- Forums: Establish your expertise by answering health-related questions on platforms like Quora.
Social Media Marketing for Doctors
Social media is honestly a tool that doctors should use more often. Here are some tips for effectively using social media to market your medical practice:
Build patient relationships
Engage with your online community by responding to comments and messages. You can also share informative posts, and run health awareness campaigns.
Expand your reach
You can run targeted social media ads to reach a broader audience. Facebook, for example, allows you to target users based on location, age, gender, and even specific health interests.
Create shareable content
Share engaging content that your followers will want to repost — such as health tips, success stories, or updates on new services. This can help you reach a wider audience through search rankings and attract new patients.
Conclusion
SEO is a fantastic tool for medical providers who are looking to attract more patients. Don’t wait any longer to take your practice to the next level with SEO. Book a Call with Reporter Outreach today. Our team specializes in healthcare PR and can help you build authoritative backlinks as well as secure valuable media coverage.
