Healthcare SEO is an essential way for providers to improve their foot traffic by improving their internet traffic. More than 70% of first-time visitors find their providers through a search engine. That means search is going to be crucial in obtaining new patients.
If you are not familiar with search-engine optimization (SEO), this short guide will help you get started quickly. Using the tools listed below will help you boost your search engine rankings. More clients will have an opportunity to click on your site to see what you have to offer.
Keywords
The first thing you need to do is decide what keywords you want to use. These keywords will help Google know what you are all about. Compile a list of keywords that patients often use related to your field. A good way to do this is to think of questions they might ask.
For example, if you are a paediatrician in London, what might your new patients ask Google? They might search for something like “best paediatrician in London.” Another option might be “friendly paediatric doctor in London.”
Picking the right keywords can be tricky. Consider hiring a professional if you don’t have time to research keywords. Companies like Click Intelligence can provide specific keywords you can target and also implement a good and durable link building strategy for your website. You can visit ClickIntelligence.com for more details.
Metadata and Healthcare SEO
Fill in metadata on the administration side of your WordPress website. It consists of a title, description, and tags.
The title is simple. It tells the search engine and users what your page is about. Make it no more than 60 characters. It should be clear and concise. Make sure to include important keywords like “paediatrician.”
The description gives more clues about the information on your site. Keep it under 160 characters. Use keywords in relevant ways. Keep phrases short. They should answer the question your new patients entered in the search engine. They should also tell them who you are.
“Are you looking for a paediatrician in London? Set up a new patient with Dr. Love today.” This example answers the question searched for and introduces you. This description will show up in the search results under your web address. So, make it appealing to new patients.
Original Content
Consider what problems or questions your patients have that you can help answer. Having a blog with helpful tips can boost traffic and add credibility. It will add relevant keywords to your website. Think about what other topics are relevant to the service you offer. Anything related to the problem you solve will give valuable clues. Examples in the healthcare field include insurance, cold, flu, pain, etc.
A post for the practice above might say “when to call your paediatrician for a fever.” This answers a question. It also shows your investment in your patients. Add relevant tags to these posts to signal to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo that you have new content. This boosts your ratings in their systems.
Image Descriptions for Healthcare SEO
Google also uses information from uploaded images on your website. This is an easy way to get in a few extra keywords. Before you upload an image, add a descriptive phrase for the title. It should include relevant keywords.
Site Map
This can get a bit complicated, but it does pays off. If you do not have the time to invest in learning this tool, consider using a program to create a map for your website. One program that does a great job is Sitemap Writer Pro.
If you want to give it a go yourself, take some time to read Google’s guidelines. It will require you to know how to write and create robots.txt files and UTF-8 encoding. It isn’t as complex as it sounds. You just need to take some time to learn the basics from a good source.
Follow these tips to get you started. Don’t feel like you have to tackle it all at once. Every little bit helps. Of course, you may want to get going faster. If so, consider using one of the products I mentioned above to help as you learn. This will keep you from getting overwhelmed.
SEO for healthcare is exactly the same as for any site. First research your keyword phrases and make sure they drive traffic. Make sure the phrase appears at least once in the title tag, h tags and body copy and then for Google its about building backlinks to your landing pages. There are other factors, but if you cover these it packs the biggest punch…