People are constantly searching online for medical advice, information, and facilities. So, optimizing your medical website is crucial to bringing in new patients and keeping present ones engaged. When patients search for a doctor in your area you, want to come up at the top of the search engine. SEO leads often produce a 14.6% increased chance of reaching new customers. In order to increase your SEO, here’s 5 tips for optimizing your practice’s website!
Use the Proper Keywords and Define Meta Data with Concise Titles and Descriptions
Make a list of keywords that you think patients would search for when looking for your website. If you work with a web design company they can help you find the best words. Often a web design company will test the words by searching in Google Keyword Planner to find the best ones for you. They strive to use keywords to bring you traffic and not competition. Use these words in content and on your web pages. About 77% of patients use search engines to look for doctors and offices.
Define meta tags that tell search engines what your page is about. Web design companies know how to write effective meta tags with titles and descriptions that summarize what you’re about. They are short and concise designed to bring good search results in the search engines. The titles a have 65 characters and meta descriptions should be no longer than 150.
Use Local Search Marketing
It‘s important to use local search engine marketing because most patients go to local doctors. About 50% of searches are performed on mobile devices. This means your website should be optimized for local mobile phones and tablets. It is an important search vertical for healthcare. This is because patients have to go the physical location of the office and obviously would prefer a location nearby.
When someone searches for your office or medical facility, your goal should be to organically rank on the first page. When working with web design companies provide the right street address, city and state for local listings. It should be listed correctly on Google’s Local Page and the Foursquare Page. Monitor customer comments or have the web design company do this to make sure comments don’t affect your rating. Often negative comments can be removed.
Create Fresh Content Regularly
Create fresh content regularly on your medical website that helps patients. Whether you write about new medical surgeries to provide information or medications it should be useful to patients. Provide information to help patients to make decisions and learn how to cope with treatments. Article and blogs should be informative and educational. Tip: Content with great photos and videos increase the likelihood of engagement.
Create content that answers typical questions and finds way to help patients. Change content on your website every month. Don’t keep same old articles and blogs for months without writing anything new. Write content that encourages new patients to call for an appointment or old ones to refer friends. This is the basis for great medical website content.
Optimize Your Website for Mobile Users
When you design the website or a web design company does have them optimize your site for mobile users. This means it changes size for mobile users that have tablets and small cell phones. Many patients may search for your website on a cell phone when driving, working, or at home. Often they are searching for contact information on doctors and medical staff.
A website should be formatted to all type of cell phones and tablets. This is why a web design company is helpful because they know how to do this effectively. You can find out if your websites is optimized for mobile users by searching using your cell phone and finding out what it looks like. Can you locate information easily and see the photos and content? If you’re content isn’t clear and easy to find, any potential user will simply go to another website.
Provide Registration Forms Online and Use Social Media
Have PDF or online forms for patients to register with your doctor or medical office. Allow forms that can by typed out or filled out online. This makes it easy for patients who cannot get away from work or don’t have time for you to mail them the forms. Putting necessary forms under new patient makes it easy to bring in new patients when they want to register.
Don’t forget to use healthcare social media on your website. Use a Facebook Page where patients can post comments and photos to make your practice seem more patient friendly. Many patients use Facebook so it is a good way to get more patients and spread the word about you.
Optimizing your practices website is simply excellent medical marketing. If you’re in need of optimizing your website, we would love to assist you. At Atlantic Health Solutions, we specialize in healthcare marketing and website optimization so you can rest assured that you’re in good hands. Contact us if you’re interested in our services!