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Originally Posted On: https://bippermedia.com/a-complete-guide-to-seo-for-healthcare-clinics/
Over 90% of all activity online begins with a search engine. With search engine optimization (SEO), you can help more people find your clinic. Successful SEO for healthcare providers requires a strong strategy, though.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about healthcare SEO. Applying these SEO ideas will help you improve your organic rankings in no time.
As you attract new patients to your practice, you can improve your ROI to experience lasting business growth. Read on to learn more!
On-Page SEO
There are four main types of SEO you’ll need to consider for successful search engine optimization. When most people talk about SEO, they’re thinking of on-page SEO.
On-page SEO involves ranking factors on your healthcare clinic’s website. It involves the words, images, and code that make up your site.
To develop an effective on-page SEO strategy, start by defining your target audience and the keywords they use during a search. Define your audience based on demographic and psychographic parameters. For example:
- Age
- Gender
- Location
- Household income
- Buying behaviors
- Online behaviors
- Pain points
- Education
- Hobbies
- Interests
- Education
If you’re targeting multiple buyer personas, gather keyword research for each group. Target long tail keywords to better understand the user’s search intent. Their search intent will help you create SEO content that matches their needs.
Content Creation
You can use your keyword research to create content that aligns with the user’s search intent. When optimizing your blog content, make sure to add the target keyword to the:
- Page title
- URL
- Opening and closing paragraphs
- Body text
- An H1 header
- Image file name and alt text
- SEO meta description and title
The SEO meta description and title will appear on Google’s search engine result pages (SERPs). Make sure both are engaging and relevant to the content. Then, you can generate more clicks.
A higher clickthrough rate can boost your organic rankings, which could help you generate more traffic and brand awareness.
Diversify your SEO content creation strategy by keeping up with new marketing ideas and trends. For example, video content is gaining popularity.
Embed the video on a dedicated page on your site. Add a transcript that features your target keyword to help Google crawl and index the content. Otherwise, Google won’t determine what keyword is relevant to the video.
You can also try ranking for voice searches. Focus on long tail keywords that are posed as questions. Then, provide the reader with an answer at the start of the blog post.
You can also optimize your images to appear for more image searches.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page search engine optimization involves ranking factors outside of your website. One of the most important off-page SEO factors is backlink-building. These links appear on other websites and send potential patients to your site.
Backlinks are one of Google’s top ranking factors. Each backlink is a vote of confidence in your site. Generating more backlinks could boost your website’s Domain Authority (DA).
While DA isn’t a direct ranking factor, it can indicate your site is more likely to rank higher on SERPs. Unfortunately, over 66% of pages don’t have backlinks.
You can start generating quality backlinks by guest blogging on other websites. Guest blogging involves writing content for someone else’s site. Then, you can add a link to your own content within the post.
Someone who reads the blog post can click on the link to your site, visit, and learn about your healthcare clinic.
You can also generate backlinks by creating press releases. Press releases allow healthcare publications and journalists to know about events related to your clinic. You can mention providing new services, using new technologies, or healthcare research.
You can also generate backlinks by claiming your profile on healthcare directories.
Don’t neglect your social media marketing strategy, too. Though social media isn’t a direct ranking factor, it can help you generate referral traffic. Generating more traffic will boost your organic rankings.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO involves ranking factors at the backend of your website. These include your website’s:
- Speed
- Security
- User experience (UX)
Run your website through Google’s PageSpeed Insights, Mobile-Friendly Test, and Core Web Vitals. If your website doesn’t offer a positive UX, consider partnering with a digital marketing agency that specializes in SEO. They can optimize your site to ensure it’s easier to use and navigate.
Visitors will have an easier time finding the information they need. As they linger, your dwell times will improve. Your bounce rate will start to decline as well.
Improving these metrics can help your organic rankings improve over time.
Local SEO
Local SEO can help your healthcare clinic appear in front of local patients. Start optimizing for local healthcare SEO by claiming your Google Business listing.
Make sure to include your:
- Business category (healthcare)
- A secondary category (dentistry, plastic surgery, etc.)
- Address
- Phone number
- Business hours
- Business description
- Photos and videos
Ask your patients to post positive reviews on your listing, too. Their reviews can benefit your brand reputation and rankings.
Otherwise, create localized content on your blog. Target location-specific long tail keywords that feature your region, city, or state.
Hire an Agency
One of the best ways to improve your organic SEO rankings is to work with an experienced digital marketing agency. Look for an agency that specializes in SEO services. Determine if they’ve worked with healthcare clinics in the past, too.
Their prior experience can help you determine the best ways to improve your rankings.
They can gather keyword research, create blog content, and help you generate backlinks. They can also make sure you’re applying the latest SEO trends.
With their help, you can make sure you’re applying the top SEO ideas and using white hat SEO tactics. Otherwise, black hat tactics can get your site penalized off SERPs.
Start Using SEO for Healthcare Clinics to Reach New Patients Today
With a strong SEO strategy, you can start appearing in front of more patients online. Apply these SEO for healthcare tips to boost your organic rankings. Otherwise, take the time to hire an SEO agency this year.
Their experience and expertise will allow you to improve your rankings without stress!
Contact us today to schedule your strategy call.
