For many people, the healthcare journey begins online. As patients scour the internet to research conditions and find a provider, simple steps can connect them to your practice. Here are six search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to help potential patients find you.

Focus on the user experience

Long before entering your waiting room, your website is your patient's first experience with your practice. An intuitive website built around your patients' needs is a must-have for any healthcare business. Consumers and search engines alike favor landing pages that are easy to navigate, well organized and optimized for mobile.

Create relevant content

While keywords still play an essential role in SEO, search engines prioritize engaging and easy-to-understand content. Rather than trying to hit all the right keywords as many times as possible, keep the content on your site relevant to your audience first - your keyword strategy will follow. Write in a way that answers your patients' real-life questions and is easy to follow.

Prioritize your meta tags

There are many types of meta tags, but the two most common and most beneficial to readers and search engines are title tags and meta descriptions.

  • Title tags appear as headlines on your site for both users and search engines. Your title tags should be enticing and include your highest-priority keyword.
  • Meta descriptions are brief descriptions of what's on your page, also containing your keywords and phrases.

Stay on top of your social media channels

Promote your website and blog content on your social media channels. Search engines monitor social activity, so stay engaged by sharing, commenting, following and liking content regularly to increase your rankings and reach potential patients.

Keep your business listings current

Business directory listings are an easy and often free way to boost your online presence. Having a presence in local business directories such as Google My Business, Bing, Yelp, Angie's List and Facebook helps your patients find you and helps your website rank higher in search engine results page (SERP) appearances. These business directories often include valuable reviews from patients—another way to give credibility to your practice and improve site rankings.

Partner with an SEO expert

As content marketing and SEO constantly evolve, experts can guide you to additional methods to help your site out-perform the competition. Contact CMG Health Marketing to explore how SEO marketing can work for you.