According to research by Backlinko, only 0.78% of Google users click on results from the second page of Google. If your healthcare brand isn't ranking on the first pages, then you're missing out on a ton of traffic!

Search engine optimization is the key to increased online visibility, more website traffic, and high-quality leads. Unfortunately, when it comes to medical SEO, most healthcare providers have more questions than answers. With Google's ranking algorithms changing often, you need to be on top of your game to rank higher. We've compiled the most frequently asked medical SEO questions to help you appear on the #1 page of search results.

What Are the Best Local SEO Techniques for Healthcare Practices?

Local SEO increases your business's online visibility within its physical location. About 46% of all Google searches are usually looking for local information, so it's important that your brand is among the top-rated businesses locally.

Internet users also use the 'near me' option a lot to narrow down their search results. If your healthcare practice is among the top practices, you'll gain many potential repeat clients.

The good news is that most of the local SEO practices are free. They include;

• Claiming your Google My Business listing: fill out all the implant information, including your business name, location, opening and closing hours, and medical services provided.
• Listing your practice on local directories, especially those that are mostly geared towards medical professionals.
• Ask your customers to leave reviews on your online profiles.

You should also optimize your brand for voice search and create content around local news.

Why Doesn't My Medical Practice Appear First When I Google My Business Name?

There are 2 main reasons why this could be happening;

1. You haven't optimized your online presence.
2. Your medical practice is fairly new or shares a name with another business.

The best way to solidify your rankings with your brand name is to ensure that you continually work on your SEO. You should also use keywords that your customers are actively using to look for your services.

Analyze the websites that appear before your own and identify the aspects that give them a cutting edge. It could be faster load times, more content, a great user experience, or an interactive site. While you cannot copy their content, it's okay to borrow a leaf from them.

Why Does My Healthcare Brand Require SEO?

A study by Google revealed that a whopping 83% of online users looked up products and services online before visiting the business's physical location.  Online users are looking for convenience; they want to find out all they can about a brand before making the final decision. If your business is ranked highly on search engines, your online discovery will also increase.

Other benefits of SEO include;

• Increase website traffic.
• It targets quality leads that are likely to turn into customers.
• It's a great digital marketing strategy.

SEO is also a great PR tool and shapes the way customers view and interact with your medical practice.

What's Preventing My Medical Practice From Ranking on the First Page of Google

If you already have an SEO strategy in place, but your rankings aren't improving, it could be that;

• You're targeting the wrong keywords.
• Your website is insecure, has broken links or images that don't load.
• There's shallow or poorly written content on your site.
• You're using blackhat SEO tactics like keyword stuffing.
• Your website is hard to navigate, and the user experience is low.
• Your online reviews are poor and scaring away potential clients.

It could also be that you just started implementing your SEO strategy, and it hasn't taken effect yet.

What Are the Best on-Page and off-Page SEO Techniques for Medical Practices?

On-page SEO is all about optimizing the content on your website so that it can rank higher.

Some of the best on-page SEO practices include;

• Optimizing your page content, page titles, and meta descriptions with relevant keywords.
• Using headings in your blogs and website content.
• Making your website mobile-friendly.
• Reducing the time it takes for your site to load.
• Optimizing URLs
• Using internal and external links in your content.

Off-page SEO, on the other hand, involves the actions you take outside your brand materials to support your rankings. Some of the off-page medical SEO techniques you should use include;

• Being active on medical forums.
• Social networking
• Optimizing your social media profiles.
• Influencer outreach
• Writing blog posts on authoritative sites.

Use both on-page and off-page SEO tactics as they complement each other.

How Can I Measure the Success of My Medical SEO Strategy?

The effects of medical SEO aren't instant. It takes a while for Google bots to analyze your website content and index your site. On average, it takes anywhere between 4months to a year to start seeing results.

To determine whether your strategy is working or not, you should consider metrics such as

• The amount of organic traffic you receive.
• Your rankings on search engine result pages.
• The number of web users that clicked on your site from search engines (clickthrough rate)
• The number of people that visit your website but leave without any interaction (bounce rate)
• The average time web users spend on your website.

The trick is to focus on the metrics that are most important to your medical practice.

What Are the Most Important Medical SEO Ranking Factors?

Search engine algorithm keeps changing, and it's difficult to keep up with new developments. Currently, there are more than 200 ranking factors used by Google.

There are, however, several factors that impact your rankings, including;

• Page speeds on both mobile and desktop devices.
• Website security and accessibility.
• Optimized site content.
• Technical SEO.
• User experience.
• Inbound and outbound links.

Search engine bots also consider social signals, so ensure your social media profiles are well optimized.

Are You Leveraging the Benefits of Medical SEO?

Implementing medical SEO strategies will increase your online visibility and ultimately drive customers to your physical healthcare center. You should, however, note that SEO strategies take a while to reflect, so you need to be patient and consistent for the best results.

Are you having a hard time creating an effective SEO strategy? DearDoc provides full-range SEO services to healthcare practitioners! Contact us today for an engaging consultation on how we can improve your rankings:

‍
Would you like to learn even more about SEO? Download our Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Medical Providers and discover how to boost your website rankings and increase discoverability.

‍