3 Components of Healthcare SEO Strategy — Digitalis Medical

Did you know that 80% of U.S. patients find their healthcare provider through the internet? Now more than ever, healthcare businesses must understand the three core components of search engine optimization (SEO) to get more exposure online.

On-page SEO

On-page SEO is the optimization of individual pages on a website to boost its rankings in search engine results pages. This involves improving elements such as:

• Page title
• Meta description
• Header tags
• Images with alt texts
• Content

A successful on-page SEO campaign begins with proper keyword research. Targeting specific keywords related to medical conditions, treatments, and medical services that potential patients may be searching for is especially important in healthcare facilities.

Optimize for Local Search Results

Local SEO strives to increase a company’s visibility in local search results. This is especially helpful for healthcare providers, as many patients prefer seeing providers within or near their neighborhood. In fact, according to Google survey 46% of all searches are for local information.

Here are some tips when optimizing for local search results for on-page SEO:

• Optimize your Google My Business (GMB) listing
• Use local keywords
• Create location-specific landing pages
• Utilize schema markup
• Build local citations
• Leverage social media
• Use Google posts
• Localize your content
• Partner with other local businesses
• Utilize online ads
• Measure and analyze your results

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to the optimization of various external factors that may have an effect on search engine rankings for healthcare websites. This adds value to your medical SEO strategy by helping build trust and credibility with potential patients.

To optimize for off-page SEO in healthcare, it is recommended to focus on the following:

• Creating high-quality backlinks from trustworthy sources
• Optimizing your Google Business Profile by claiming and verifying your listing
• Encouraging patients to leave online reviews

Technical SEO

Technical SEO is the practice of optimizing a website’s technical elements in order to boost its search engine rankings. In healthcare, this component allows potential patients to quickly and conveniently find all pertinent information they need.

Here are a few pointers for effective healthcare technical SEO:

• Create a mobile-friendly website.
• Ensure a quick loading time.
• Optimize the site’s architecture to make it easy to navigate and to make important pages easily accessible.
• Implement schema markup on your website to help search engines better understand the content on each page.

Healthcare SEO is an investment that can reap rewards in the future. Though results may take some time to appear, a well-executed SEO campaign will continue to drive traffic and attract new patients for months or even years to come.

Originally published at https://digitalismedical.com on April 6, 2023.