Think about how you use the internet. For example, how often in the past few days have you used it to find a local business or service? This is becoming a common trend and if you are a doctor or healthcare provider, your online presence depends on SEO so your medical practice can become the answer for those seeking the type of services you provide. In this article, we will explore the importance of SEO and cover five steps that will get Google to notice your medical practice’s website.
SEO – What It Is And Why It Is Important
As reported by Pranjal Bora of Digital Authority Partners, over 80% of adults in the U.S. turn to the internet for answers to their medical-related questions. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process that provides these users with the information they are seeking. Website owners use various SEO methods to optimize their sites so that search engines can better understand their content. With this increased understanding, search engines can then offer website options that best match user queries.
It boils down to relevance. Search engines are essentially portals that direct users to websites that answer their queries. When you have relevant content on your medical website that truly reflects the nature of your service, search engines will know to match your website to users seeking the type of services you provide. The more relevant your website content is, the higher it is ranked by search engines. A higher ranking translates to your website being offered as an answer more frequently. This increases your exposure and your patient count.
Five Steps On SEO For Doctors
There are five basic steps to follow that will improve the SEO of your website.
Step 1 – On-Page SEO
There are several factors that determine search engine ranking with regards to on-page SEO. As the term implies, these are elements found on the pages of your website. The three most important are keywords, meta descriptions and page titles, and title tags.
Keywords
By conducting keyword research, you can determine the best keywords to include on your website. With proper, relevant keywords, you will be able to more accurately match with an audience making online queries about the services you provide. In other words, if you are a plastic surgeon, the keywords that best describe your practice and are related to plastic surgery help send people looking for information about these topics to your website.
Meta Descriptions
The short sentences you see under the page title in search engine results are the meta description. The meta description should briefly explain what’s on the page and sound interesting enough to encourage users to click and find out more.
Pages Titles and Title Tags
In order to be attractive to search engines, your page titles and title tags should contain your primary keywords and where your office is located. Secondary keywords add to the relevance of each page and make them easier for users to find and examine.
Step 2 – Content
Content is the term used to describe the written words that appear throughout your website. This includes the Home Page, About Us, FAQ, the Contact Us pages, plus the Blog section. Each of these pages should contain your keywords and relevant information about you and your medical practice. The blog, in particular, provides the opportunity to implement a concentrated content strategy in which you publish a new post weekly. New content attracts search engines and repeat visitors to your website.
Step 3 – User Experience (UX)
Website users typically seek information that is quick and easy to find and understand. Several factors determine user experience on your website, including site speed, mobile friendliness, and the user interface.
Site Speed
If your web pages load slowly, visitors will leave without waiting to see what is on the page. Sites with pages that take 5 seconds or longer to load lose up to 40% of their traffic. This is why fast load speeds are vital to retaining visitors.
Mobile-friendliness
You have likely been on a website on your smartphone that has small buttons or menu drop-downs that are just too frustrating to use because the design of the site is not mobile-friendly. A responsive site design automatically adjusts to fit any screen size and has navigation that works on all internet-enabled devices.
User Interface (UI)
This is the visual design of your website. The UI should be clean, functional, and easy on the eyes. All of these factors impact the SEO value of your medical website. Visitors will not stick around if your UI is unattractive or difficult to use.
Step 4 – Backlinks
Backlinks are one of the most important search engine ranking factors. A backlink is a link on another website that directs traffic to your website. Search engines view backlinks as an endorsement of your website from an outside source. As a result, your website ranking is impacted by these links. Good quality sites that link to yours help your rank much more than backlinks from lower ranking websites.
Step 5 – Local Citations
Citations are mentions or listings of your website that appear in online directories and other reputable web sources. For better SEO results, be sure that the information listed is accurate and up-to-date, specific to your medical practice, and includes quality, positive reviews.
Final Thoughts
The internet has made the business world a lot larger and ways of conducting business very different from what they were in the past. Whether you operate a retail business, a corporate entity, or a medical practice, an online presence brings you more attention. For doctors and healthcare providers, the internet has become a vital tool in attracting new patients and retaining existing ones. Considering the number of people turning to the internet for medical information, it only makes sense to gain access to these users with a website that follows SEO best practices.