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Local SEO
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Local SEO for Doctors: Explained Step-by-Step
Step 1: Set Up and Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Step 2: Find Local Keywords for Your Doctor’s Office
Step 3: Build Trust with Patient-Centered Content
Step 4: Get Listed in Online Directories and Ensure NAP Consistency
Step 5: Encourage and Engage with Patient Reviews
Step 6: Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
Step 7: Regularly Measure Your Results
Wrapping Up - Bringing More Patients Through Local SEO
Lea Höller
2024-10-08
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When people are in need of a doctor, they usually turn to Google to find one close by. 316,800 people search for “doctor near me” monthly (Source: Semrush Keyword Research Tool). You want to ensure that your doctor’s office is among the top search results. This is where local SEO comes into the picture. This guide explains the basics of local SEO that are essential to making your doctor’s office stand out among local searches.
See how we already help doctors around the world attracting more patients!
If you have a physical location (or you are active in a specific service area), your Google Business Profile (GBP) serves as a digital front desk. It displays all your important information, such as opening hours, address, phone number, website link, services, and patient reviews. When a prospective patient in your geographic area searches for a doctor, you want to make sure that he or she has all the necessary information at first glance to make an informed decision about their healthcare provider. If your information is incomplete, you risk losing the patient to a competitor. To maximize the effectiveness of your GBP, follow these steps:
You don’t have a GBP yet? No problem! Learn how to create a GBP and the steps to take to successfully verify the profile.
Keywords are specific search phrases that patients enter into the Google search bar to find a doctor. Think of phrases like “family doctor near me” or “urgent care in [City].” These are the terms patients use, and by adding them to your site, you’re making it easier for patients to find you. To find out what your target audience is searching for and which keywords have high potential, use a keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner (free).
You need to create local content centered around the interests and needs of your prospective patients. They want to know that your doctor’s office is credible and that you are either a knowledgeable and professional doctor or that you have a team of the aforementioned. Write a quick post about flu season, explain a procedure, or offer tips for managing seasonal allergies. By including relevant content on your website and your GBP, you are not only giving Google a better idea of what services you provide but also showing that you are an active and engaged doctor (or practice).
Create interesting blog posts or FAQ sections on your website that feature content your prospective patients are interested in. There is no need to post something daily, as your main business is, of course, not having a blog website. However, having a number of good articles and an FAQ section on the homepage can significantly improve your rankings and showcase your expertise to prospective clients. Make sure that you include the keywords you previously researched in your content (build your content based on the keywords).
Google Posts are a great tool that allows you to show updates on your Google Business Profile. They are similar to Instagram posts, with the option to include a call to action (e.g., learn more, book an appointment). You should schedule one Google Post for each day to keep your patients interested and increase the chance of engagement (e.g., patients clicking through to your website or giving you a call to book an appointment). It also shows Google that your doctor’s office is engaged and active. If you create a blog post or FAQ on your website, you can link to it with a Google Post. Learn more about how to automate Google Posts, so you never have to worry about posting on time!
Our tip: On Google Search, you have the feature “People also ask,” which shows frequently searched questions. You can not only use these for content inspiration, but by actually creating content for these questions, you can try to rank for them! This means that if people want to know more, they will click through to your website. It's important to know that you can only rank with your website content and not with Google Posts for this section.
Online directories are digital “Yellow Pages.” Patients use sites like Healthgrades or Zocdoc to find nearby doctors. Listing your practice on these sites boosts your visibility and lets potential patients know you’re nearby and open. The more relevant directories you are listed on, the better. A listing creates a citation (a mention of your business information), which signals to Google that your doctor’s office is an active and legitimate business. This can sustainably increase your online visibility and attract more patients.
Learn more on how to automatically claim all relevant listings and keep your NAP consistent at all times across the web!
Reviews from former patients are an incredibly important ranking factor for local SEO, and managing reviews properly can significantly improve your online visibility. Proper review management consists of review velocity (a steady stream of incoming reviews) and responding to reviews within 24 hours (even better if responded to within the hour). This is not surprising, as many patients see reviews as word-of-mouth referrals. They need to check first if the doctor’s office actually performs the promised services in a good manner.
Our Tip: With Obenan, you have the option to redirect negative feedback to a private survey. This means that whenever someone wants to leave a negative review, it will land in your internal inbox rather than directly on Google. This way, you can still learn from the feedback and improve your service while maintaining control over your online reputation.
Learn more about how to encourage reviews and automatically respond to them for a hassle-free reputation management!
While your website may not be the main focus of your local SEO strategy, it is still highly important that you keep if SEO-friendly and focus on mobile-friendliness. Many patients will click from your GBP to your website to gather more information about your doctor’s office. Greet them with a great user-experience by ensuring the following:
Our Tip: To increase the click-through rate from Google to your website, make sure you have a good SEO title and meta description. These two components will be visible on the Google Search Results pages (SERPs) and need to convince people to click through. Make sure the title is no longer than 60 characters and the meta description is no longer than 160 characters.
Keeping track of local SEO metrics helps you see what’s driving patients to your practice. Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console show how many people visited your site, how long they stayed, and which pages they viewed. This helps you figure out what’s working and where you can improve.
Local SEO is a powerful and cost-effective marketing strategy. While it has the potential to help your doctor’s office become more visible in local searches and increase the number of patients, it requires constant updating and regular monitoring. Local SEO is not a one-time effort but rather shows its effectiveness when maintained continuously. Luckily, you do not have to do all these tasks by yourself! Obenan can help you streamline and automate all essential local SEO tasks, presenting itself as a self-sustaining software specifically designed to meet the unique needs of a doctor’s office.
What does this mean? Obenan automatically claims all listings and keeps your NAP details consistent at all times. We ensure that all your Google reviews are answered automatically, and we assist you in collecting more reviews. Furthermore, we automate scheduling your Google Posts, so you never have to worry about them anymore! Lastly, monitoring your progress and gaining insights into customer sentiment has never been easier! Curious how we can help your doctor’s office with our local SEO tools and increase your online visibility?