People are searching for everything you can imagine online: restaurants that will deliver to their homes, the highest-ranked family sedans, or the best golf clubs to come out this year. What’s stopping them from searching for the best pediatrician in Miami, or the best nephrologist in Nashville, or best neurologist in Wichita, or scheduling a medical appointment with a nephrologist in Nashville?
The answer to that question is that nothing is stopping them. So, if your potential patients are actively searching for you online, doesn’t it make sense to build the strongest online presence possible?
I’ve compiled a quick list of SEO tips (Search Engine Optimization) and free SEO tools that can help you get your practice in front of thousands of potential patients with simple keyword research & execution.
1. Know Your SEO Goal & Your Target Consumers
- What do you want your potential patients to see on your site?
- What kinds of patients are going to be searching for in your practice? If you’re a pediatrician, you might be appealing to parents of a child with the flu. For an oncologist, you’re getting your brand in front of patients looking for cancer treatment. Keep your patients in mind as you execute these simple SEO strategies.
2. Know What Your Patients Are Searching For & Keyword Search Trends
- Brainstorm a list of keyword phrases that your patients are likely searching for online. If you’re an orthopedist, your patients may be searching for treatment for shoulder injuries or hip replacements.
- Research your top competitors’ most productive keyword phrases. There are some free SEO tools that will tell you the organic keywords that your competitors are ranking for. I like SpyFu or SEMRush for this.
3. Understand Your Current Traffic, Performing Keywords & Current Keyword Density
- Before you make any SEO changes to your medical practice’s site, you’ll want to have a baseline to see how well your SEO strategies have done already. Give yourself at least two weeks of data before making any changes. Use the free SEO tools Google Analytics and SEOBook Keyword Density Analyzer Tool to get visitor traffic, performing keywords, and find the keyword densities for your web pages. If you’re a practicing cardiologist, you’ll probably want to see search terms like “treating abnormal heart rhythm” or “top cardiologist in Ithaca.”
4. Build Your Keyword List, Execute SEO Strategies & Build Engaging Content For Your Site Visitors
- Now is the time to take everything you’ve learned about your patients, competitors, and current website and optimize it for online searches. Build your keyword list from the information previously gathered. Remember that most of your searches will be local (i.e., family doctor in Orlando, FL).
- Choose 1-2 keyword phrases to concentrate on optimizing for each page. A good thing to keep in mind is to keep the density of your keywords between 2% and 5% per page. Remember, you can use SEOBook’s Keyword Density Analyzer Tool to find keyword density.
- Check keyword search trends using Google Insights and use WordTracker Free Keyword Demand Tool to find current demand for the phrases you choose. This will give you an idea of how heavily each keyword is searched for per month and its historic popularity.
- Rework your content and URLs to optimize each page for your desired keywords. Keep your patients in mind when you’re creating content. What do you want them to get out of your site and what actions do you want them to take?
5. Track Your Results & Repeat
- Once you’ve done your research and executed your simple SEO strategies, you’ll want to review the results of your progress. Give yourself a minimum of 2-3 weeks for the search engines to analyze and start directing your future patients to your site, then see how your targeted keywords have performed on each page. Has your site received more traffic? Look at your search queries section in Google Webmaster Tools to find how well these keywords are performing.
Have you utilized SEO strategies to help acquire more patients through online search? We’d love to hear your success stories! You can use these easy SEO tips in keyword research and execution to help strengthen your online presence. With a little bit of work, you can improve targeted search rankings and acquire more patients. Good Luck!
KC Backofen
KC Backofen is the Online Marketing Manager for CareCloud, specializing in SEM (search engine marketing), SEO (search engine optimization) and brand development. He can be found playing tennis, running, and reading up on all things related to online marketing in his spare time.
