You might think search engine optimization isn’t something you’d need to worry about as a healthcare professional.
However, you’d be wrong. Whether you’re an optometrist, family physician, dentist, or another type of medical professional, you are still a business at the end of the day. And like any business, you need a means of standing out from your competitors — of bringing in new patients.
But how exactly do you do that?
First thing’s first, Google My Business. Given that most of your lead-generating traffic will be local, and given that your Google My Business page is crucial to local SEO, ensuring this is filled out in its entirety should be your first step. A patient should be able to tell, at a glance:
- What your practice does.
- Where your practice is located.
- Your practice’s website, if it has one (it should).
- Hours and location.
- High-quality photos of your clinic/office, including the exterior/waiting room.
A side bonus of using Google My Business is that it also allows patients to leave reviews of your practice. Pay attention to these. Thank people for their positive reviews, and make an effort to reach out and rectify negative reviews.
You should also consider establishing your practice on a site like WebMD, which allows patients to search and rate physicians of all stripes.
Beyond that, you’ll want to ensure your website is modern, easy to navigate, and includes your name, address, and phone number (NAP) on every page. You might also consider optimizing your pages for local search by including references to certain areas of your city or location-specific landing pages.
More importantly, make sure it works seamlessly on mobile devices. Most people now browse the web on their smartphones. There’s no excuse for a site that isn’t mobile friendly, and a doctor that can’t even be bothered with maintaining a professional website doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
You might also consider leveraging some form of digital booking software or perhaps even a virtual care platform. With so many people sheltering in place of late, the ability to receive medical care without having to leave the house could be a substantial potential draw for patients.
Last but certainly not least, let’s talk content marketing. As with SEO, it’s probably not something you’ve thought much about. But it’s an untapped market and one with a great deal of potential.
Again, it’s about inspiring confidence in your patients, establishing yourself as a trusted voice in your field, and providing your patients with valuable medical advice in the process. Given that there’s a very good chance you don’t have the time or energy to run a blog yourself — especially now, medical professionals are exhausted and overworked — you might consider hiring a marketing agency to take care of things for you.
After all, your time is valuable, and they can help ensure you use it efficiently, all while getting your name in front of as many new patients as possible.