Due to their essentiality and high demand, it is a given that medical practices are in abundance across Sydney and wider Australia. Doctors and medical practices are a term that encompasses a wide range of specialities to service a range of individuals and needs. Of course, for your practice you will want to make sure you are able to reach patients that are in need of your services through your website and other online sources. This is where the work of SEO for medical practices comes in.
What is Doctor SEO?
Doctor specific SEO refers to the search engine optimisation strategies specifically tailored for doctors and medical practices as a whole. It involves optimising a doctor’s website and online content to rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential patients to find their services online.
As an SEO service, we understand the ins and outs of SEO strategy, even in the field of medical practitioners. Regardless of your speciality, we have compiled a list of tips to consider based on your marketing needs when implementing SEO within your website that will yield the outcomes you desire.
- Optimise for Local SEO:
Local SEO for doctors is particularly important to utilise in your SEO process. Potential clients usually like to go to medical practices that are near to their home. This is especially true for general and private practitioners which are frequented more regularly.
Doctor SEO practices means utilising location-based keywords in your website’s content, meta descriptions, and titles to rank higher in local searches. This includes keywords and long form keywords that feature your suburbs name, location area, and phrases such as ‘near me’ to appear to potential patients in close proximity.
Beyond local keyword targeting, don’t forget to update your Google My Business listing. Ensure your practice appears in local search results by claiming and optimising your listing. This includes having accurate details such as business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and local keywords in your description so potential customers can have easily accessible details of what your practice entails.
The need for proximity is what makes local SEO for private doctors and other specialities an important facet of SEO to consider and implement.
- Use Relevant Medical Keywords
With a strong emphasis on relevant, it is important to utilise keywords throughout your website’s written content that specifically relate to your practice.
For example, you might be targeting seo for cosmetic surgeon businesses. Keywords targeted could include ‘facial cosmetic surgery in (city),’ ‘reconstructive surgery treatments,’ and ‘body contouring procedures near me.’ These keyword phrases target the treatments undergone at cosmetic surgeons so potential customers seeking certain treatments will be directed to your business.
- Optimise for Voice Search
Voice search is increasingly growing in popularity, particularly for medical inquiries. While it is often overlooked, it is important for doctor seo to optimise their website content in a way that aligns with natural, spoken language patterns. This means framing content in a question-and-answer format, using long-tail keywords that mirror how people naturally speak, such as “What is the highest rate dermatologist near me?” or “Where can I find an emergency dentist nearby?”
By doing so, you enhance the chances of your content aligning with voice search queries. This makes your practice more accessible and likely to be chosen by voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant as the best answer to users’ questions and therefore attract more interest.
- Create Quality Content
Establish a strong foothold and authority in your medical field by creating content such as blog posts and articles. While this can be a tip utilised by any medical practice, this is particularly useful for speciality services. General practices service a range of conditions, whereas speciality ones such as dermatologists just focus on skin, making the content more specific to clients.
Develop informative blog posts that can assist and inform patients, building a sense of trust in your practice. You may want to utilise other modes such as video and photo formatting to present your material in alternative ways. For example, if you are enhancing SEO for cosmetic surgeon practices, you may create a reel of your office and talk through the procedure available. This content creation is a fantastic way to gain traction for your practice.
- Improve User Experience
Having an accessible website as a medical practitioner is essential as it will be accessed by people of many demographics that may not have strong technological literacy to troubleshoot or understand confusing aspects of your website.
A well-structured, mobile-friendly website adapts seamlessly to various screen sizes, ensuring that patients can easily access your site on smartphones or tablets, which is increasingly important as more people use mobile devices for internet searches. Additionally, fast loading times are essential, as slow websites can frustrate users and lead them to leave the site. Programs such as WordPress, WP Rocket, and Yoast SEO can be utilised to alleviate these issues.
- Garner Patient Reviews
Garnering a range of patient reviews is a vital strategy to improving the reputation of your practice and also significantly influencing potential patients’ decision-making.
When your practice is backed by a substantial number of positive reviews, it signals trust and quality of care to both search engines and prospective patients. This ultimately improves your website’s search rankings. Furthermore, these reviews can provide valuable feedback for improving patient care and services. To show your practice is listening to all patients, it’s important to actively respond to these reviews, both positive and negative. This interaction demonstrates your commitment to patient satisfaction and can further boost your online presence and credibility.
SEO for Medical Practice: An Important Consideration
There you have it! Our top tips for doctor SEO efforts that will work for a variety of specialities.
As you implement these seamless tips into your online content, you will see your online visibility broaden and search engine ranking rise up. This will allow you to truly reach patients in need of your care and attention.
