These days, medical doctors need more than an impressive bedside manner. They should consider increasing their online presence.
In the 2018 Patient Access Journey Report, over 62% of respondents gathered provider information on search engines, and almost 35% found a doctor on their own. Meanwhile, nearly 50% visited urgent care over the last year. Around 42% of them did because internet research said the clinic was in a convenient location.
Medical SEO is one critical step of the many internet marketing strategies they can implement.
Medical SEO is optimizing a website for a higher search engine ranking to attract more patients. Businesses use a subset of general SEO to improve organic reach. The main difference is that medical SEO focuses on keywords related to health, illnesses, and treatments.
It also considers the way people search for doctors and medical information. For example, a survey showed that 90% of seniors would choose a new provider if another doctor had negative reviews.
Healthcare providers can benefit significantly from medical SEO. Some, however, make the mistake of choosing the DIY route. While this can perform for some businesses, it’s often not the case with medical SEO.
Here are a few causes you should consider working with an expert:
Anyone who has tried to rank their website on Google knows that it is not a simple task. It needs a mixture of technical expertise and creative thinking.
The same is true for medical SEO. While SEO basics still apply, the medical field presents a unique set of challenges. From understanding complex jargon to dealing with strict privacy regulations, ranking a website in the medical niche can be complex.
However, the rewards can be considerable. A top-ranking website can bring in new patients, build credibility, and increase brand awareness. For these reasons, many healthcare providers are willing to invest the time and resources necessary to achieve a top spot on the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Some companies can benefit from ranking high for national keywords. Think of retailers such as Adidas or Louis Vuitton selling their products globally.
If you’re a healthcare provider, you are more likely to work in a particular city or town. You don’t need to spend a lot of resources running after highly competitive and often-expensive keywords.
What you need is a medical SEO expert that specializes in local SEO. They can optimize your website and content for local search terms. They can also create citations on local directories and review sites, further improving your visibility in search results.
Credibility is essential in the medical field. Patients must trust that their doctors are competent and qualified to treat them.
One way to build credibility is by ranking high in search results. Studies have shown that people tend to trust websites that appear on the first page of Google search results.
An expert can help you achieve this goal by:
The ultimate goal of medical SEO is to increase leads and revenue. After all, what good is a top-ranking website if it doesn’t generate new patients?
A good strategy will consider your target audience, their needs, and the keywords they use to find doctors like you.
For instance, a cosmetic surgeon will want to rank for keywords such as “cosmetic surgery” or “breast augmentation.” On the other hand, a pediatrician will want to focus on ranking for terms such as “pediatrician” or “child doctor.”
Medical SEO experts can also implement strategies based on the patient’s journey. They can create content to attract new patients, convert leads into appointments, and retain existing patients.
The United States has a massive shortage of doctors. A study by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) revealed that the country will need nearly 140,000 more physicians by 2033.
Still, doctors dedicate a lot of time to administrative tasks today. According to a 2018 Medscape Physician Compensation Report, over 30% of healthcare providers spend at least 20 hours on paperwork.
Let’s face it; as a healthcare provider, your time is better spent seeing patients and caring for their needs. The final something you want to do is spend hours figuring out how to rank your website higher in search results.
This is where working with an expert can be beneficial. They can handle all the technical aspects of SEO while you focus on what you do best: providing quality patient care.
Further, the medical field is constantly evolving. New procedures are being developed, and old ones are becoming outdated. To keep up with the latest trends, you must continuously update your website and content.
Marina Turea from Digital Authority Partners says that medical SEO can be a full-time job and, therefore, highly recommends working with an expert.
A medical SEO expert can do a lot for your practice. They can help improve your website’s ranking in search results, making it more visible to potential patients. They can also create targeted content relevant to your specialty and local market.
In addition, a medical SEO expert can generate leads, increase sales and conversion, and boost your credibility. Working with a medical SEO expert ensures that your website performs at its best and reaches the broadest possible audience.
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