5 Simple Yet Effective Local SEO Strategies for Medical Practices
Chad Faith
Director of Content
Any medical private medical practice needs some form of advertising if it’s to be successful. For most medical practitioners, the goal is to ensure that they make enough money in as short a time as possible, so that they can then afford to live comfortably from a relatively young age. To do this, a private medical practitioner’s business has to be effective, and has to have a robust marketing technique. An online presence is a must, and with this comes the element of local search engine optimization. Remember, when people are out looking for medical services, they are likely to use search engine-based services to find such businesses closest to them. Ensuring that your online presence is optimized for this is of critical importance to get enough continuous business. Some of the essential local SEO tips for such a business include:
Get A Verified Google+ Account
Many medical businesses will use social media as a marketing tool, but few will consider using Google+. This is despite the fact that the platform has evolved to become one of the most effective ways to do local SEO, particularly if the page is verified. Verification simply means that the parent company confirms details such as the name of the business, its location and type of business, such that people will trust the information thereon. Remember that having a verified Google+ account also means that you are likely to be on Google maps, one of the most popular maps applications used to date.
Make Use of Medical Directories
Online medical directories are the first place that many people will look when searching for medical services, so it’s definitely important to have your business listed. Having your business on a trustworthy directory also increases the chances that your local SEO score will be higher, and this means that your social network pages, website and blogs will be easily reachable by a wide audience. The key, remember, is to ensure that you use directories that are genuine, and of high quality. Listing your business on the most popular two or three directories is usually more than enough to achieve this.
Consistency in Your Credentials
Your business name, address and phone number should match in every instance where it’s mentioned. For instance, these details should be the same on your business social web pages, the business website and the business blog if it has one. If you hand out business cards, the information should be the same as well. This way, it will be easier for local SEO bots to easily index your business. It also makes it easier for clients to view the business as a legitimate one, as opposed to when such details are different depending on where you look on the internet. Lack of consistency will reduce customer confidence in addition to reducing your local SEO rank.
Curate Your Social Media Identity
Even businesses such as clinics and other institutions offering medical services can benefit from social media in order to increase their local SEO rank. This can only work if the social media accounts are well tended, with regular updating with beneficial information and linking with other pages that are trustworthy. This usually means continuously updating the company social media profile. It might seem tedious, but it often pays out in the end if done right.
Encourage Customers to Leave Positive Comments Online
Make it possible for clients to easily comment on the type of service they can get from your facility. Of course, if you offer excellent medical services, you will get positive reviews. When you encourage your customers to write about this on social media and other online platforms that are built for this, it will increase business for your facility when other people read through it. Local SEO bots will also use this information to determine your SEO rank.