We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Something feels a little “off,” and instead of rushing to a clinic, we head straight to Google to figure out what’s going on.
Whether searching for symptoms, nearby doctors, or clinics offering screenings, we’re all looking for answers online first.
This behaviour shift is pretty significant and poses a big opportunity for healthcare providers.
By showing up with helpful information and building trust online, they can connect with patients like us before we’d even think about booking an appointment.
With this ‘search trend, ’ healthcare professionals are up against stiff competition for standing out, building trust, and being the first website patients visit on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
If healthcare service providers want to get noticed, medical SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is something they need to adopt.
How does medical SEO work, and what are the best strategies for putting it into action? Read on to learn more.
What is Medical SEO?
Medical SEO is a digital marketing strategy that healthcare professionals can use to gain visibility and trust online.
Its goal is for medical websites to rank higher on search engines and ensure their content reaches audiences looking for medical services or information.
Moreover, this type of SEO employs numerous techniques, such as keyword research, content creation, and metadata optimisation, among others, to help patients easily find a healthcare professional’s medical website and practice.
What’s the difference between medical and general SEO?
Medical SEO is only a subset of general SEO. Their difference is that the former is especially tailored to the specific needs of healthcare providers seeking an online presence using healthcare-related keywords.
Another difference is that medical SEO can be more restrictive. The Healthcare Services Act (HCSA) of Singapore has established advertisement regulations for the medical field.
Content is everything when it comes to SEO, and according to HCSA regulations, any content containing false and misleading claims is not allowed.
Healthcare providers must also not promise unrealistic or guaranteed outcomes and forbid direct comparisons that claim one provider’s service is better than another’s.
While there are many other guidelines to follow, the key takeaway is that medical SEO is more regulated, requiring a higher level of care and attention to detail in its implementation.
Why Healthcare Professionals Need Medical SEO Services for Growth
Enhancing Patient Reach & Visibility
Medical SEO allows clinics to stand out and remain visible online, even amidst intense competition.
In further improving patient reach, an SEO strategy valuable for healthcare professionals is local SEO, which helps clinics connect with patients in the vicinity by allowing their website to rank in “near me” searches (i.e. pediatricians near me, family clinics near me, etc.).
Additionally, local SEO for medical professionals involves targeting location-based keywords (i.e. dermatologists in Jurong East, cardiologists in Tampines, etc.), getting listed in citations and online directories, and leveraging localised content marketing.
Maximising Cost-Effective Marketing
There’s nothing so much to lose with medical SEO. This digital marketing strategy is free–it’s an organic type of marketing.
Unlike paid advertising, which requires a constant budget to maintain visibility, medical SEO is also a long-term organic traffic strategy that continues to deliver results over time.
Once a website is properly optimised for search engines, it can rank for relevant, high-intent keywords in organic search results. This reduces the need for ongoing investment in paid ads because SEO efforts continue to generate traffic without additional costs.
Establishing Authority & Trust
If your medical website and services rank high in search results, it not only boosts visibility but also signals to potential patients that your practice is reputable and reliable.
Consistently updated and relevant content helps improve SEO rankings and position your clinic as a go-to resource for healthcare information. Blog posts and FAQs are some content types to complement your medical SEO efforts.
10 Essential SEO Strategies for Healthcare Providers
1. Strategic Keyword Research
In every SEO strategy, identifying keywords or search terms that your target audience enters in search engines is important.
It’s because through strategic keyword research, you can align your website’s content to your potential patient’s search intent—may it be commercial, transactional, navigational, or informational.
This, then, allows your clinic to attract highly relevant traffic and improve the chances of converting visitors to being your patients.
More so, Ahrefs, Google’s Keyword Planner, and SEMrush are medical SEO tools that can help you with keyword research.
2. Develop Dedicated Pages for Conditions & Treatments
Creating separate services pages for your medical SEO efforts can attract commercial and transactional traffic.
Potential patients who keys in commercial and transcational keywords in search engines are at a place where they are already researching for the best products and services or they’re already set to make a conversion.
Having dedicated pages for conditions, treatments, and other services your clinic offers allows you to capture this high-intent traffic by providing tailored, in-depth information that directly addresses the specific needs of potential patients.
3. Craft High-Value Blog Content
Blogging gives you the space to speak to your audience at length.
It’s the perfect avenue to showcase your clinic’s expertise while incorporating healthcare-related keywords for SEO visibility.
To create engaging, patient-centered content, you can use social listening tools (i.e. AnswerThePublic, UberSuggest, etc.) to identify what searchers are talking about and what questions they have.
It’s also important to use straightforward, easy-to-understand language, adopt an empathetic and supportive tone, and ensure the content is easily scannable. When using hyperlinks for references inside the content, ensure that it’s from reputable medical sources only.
4. Optimise Metadata for Search Visibility
One major factor in ranking higher at SERPs is helping search engines understand what a page is about. We can do this by optimising your web page’s metadata.
When you search on Google, the blue link you click on is the meta title, and the text under it is the meta description. These are just short pieces of text that tell you what a webpage is about.
Optimising your page’s metadata is essential if you want to be visible online. Some best practices include:
- Incorporating your main keyword in both the meta title and description
- Compellingly summarising page content in your meta description
- Optimising metadata length. Meta title must be under 60 characters and your description around 155 to 160 to improve your page’s click-through rates.
5. Strengthen Local SEO with Google My Business
A part of optimising for “near me” searches is updating your Google My Business (GMB) profile to improve your clinic’s visibility and credibility with nearby patients.
When someone searches, for example, “eye clinic Singapore,” SERPs will show a map and a list of clinics with their addresses, phone numbers, operating hours, and reviews. This is called the local pack.
Optimising for GMB allows you to claim a spot in this pack and capitalise on the opportunity to attract patients.
6. Enhance Website Usability & Speed
Google wants to deliver the best results for users. It favours websites that give a good user experience.
That’s why your site must feature:
- Faster loading times: If your page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds, the chances of people bouncing increase by 32%. So, the longer it takes for your page to load, the more likely potential patients are to leave before even seeing your content. This is not a good user experience and Google can take notice.
- Mobile-responsiveness: According to BusinessDasher, mobile users are 68% more likely to stay engaged with mobile-responsive websites. It only means that a mobile-responsive site decreases the chances of potential bounce rates, which is a positive signal for search engines.
- Intuitive navigation: A website that’s easy to navigate encourages visitors to stay longer and explore more. Clear menus, easy-to-find information, and a logical structure make it simple for patients to find what they need. This reduces frustration and ensures a smooth user experience.
7. Implement Technical SEO Best Practices
Technical SEO focuses on improving the backend aspects of a website to help search engines crawl it more effectively and enhance user experience. This involves utilising schema markup, which is a type of code you implement on your website to assist search engines in better understanding your content and structure.
Other aspects of technical SEO also include conducting a site audit to identify broken links or “Not Found” pages, crawlability errors, image sizes for page speed, and more.
These actions collectively improve the site’s technical health and facilitate better communication with search engines, leading to improved rankings.
8. Earn Quality Backlinks for Authority
Think of websites as people giving recommendations to one another. When reputable websites link to your site, it’s like they’re saying, “This site is worth checking out!”
With this, search engines like Google can assume your site must be valuable. This is called backlinking. The more quality backlinks you earn, the better your chances of ranking higher in search results.
To earn quality backlinks for authority, you must create valuable content, perform guest blogging, and partner with medical directories and reputable healthcare sites to request backlinks or content contributions on their websites.
9. Utilise Social Media for Patient Engagement
Social media marketing services might not directly impact your rankings, but having a strong presence on social platforms can still help your medical SEO efforts.
Being active on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others increases the chances of driving more traffic to your website by inserting your website link in your account bios or including them in your posts’ call-to-actions.
You can also re-share your blog posts on your socials to increase their reach and gain additional traffic.
10. Track & Optimise SEO Performance
Monitor key metrics such as website traffic, keyword rankings, engagement and conversion rates using Google Analytics and Search Console.
Tracking the results of your medical SEO efforts is crucial to continuously optimise your performance. Being guided by data-driven techniques allows you to identify what’s working and what’s not, helping you make informed adjustments to your strategy.
Attract and retain patients online with expert medical SEO strategies
With so much information and resources available online, building trust and establishing credibility is the best way for healthcare providers to stand out, attract, and retain patients.
Marketing in the medical field has its unique aspects, especially with advertising regulations that vary per country. A medical SEO agency can help you navigate these regulations and create a well-crafted strategy to ensure patients can find your practice.
With over 20 years of experience, iFoundries offers expert medical SEO strategies for healthcare professionals looking to improve their digital presence.
Our SEO services are not just about increasing traffic. We practice data-driven strategies that focus on attracting the right patients, improving patient engagement, and enhancing your online reputation.
Let’s help you build a strong, sustainable digital presence. Schedule a free consultation with us today!
