88% Of Those Looking For Healthcare Services Start With A Search Engine.
That’s 9 out of 10 people! If you are accepting new patients and you don’t have a website or aren’t optimized properly, you’re missing 90% of the market. Online marketing is the #1 way to attract and retain new patients for medical professionals. Having a website that converts visitors to appointments and the ability to be an option, or listed on search engines for the services you offer, is imperative to the success of your practice!
What’s the point of your website? Your website should reflect the professionalism and expertise of your practice, and provide quality information for those seeking your various services. These visitors are actively in need of your services, whether they are a patient or referral source. Your website is your 1st impression, so put your best face forward.
How do you become an option for those seeking your services? I’m sure many of you have heard the term SEO (Search Engine Optimization). But, what is it and how do you find a quality SEO partner?
SEO is the continuous monitoring, updating, and linking of your website to fall in line with Google’s algorithm. Once you have a quality website, that site needs to be properly indexed for various search engines. These search engines scan your website, looking at over 200 factors, to find out what each page is about and then score it for relevancy. So, when a visitor searches for “ex. Dermatologist near me” Google’s algorithm will instantaneously populate a list of search results relevant for their user.
Effective SEO first requires a professional to research your services and location to find out what people are searching, what your competition is doing, and what search engines currently think of your website. Then, your SEO partner will need to optimize your website using “on-page” techniques to comply with search engine compliant guidelines, which include a large portion of the 200 factors previously mentioned. Next, “off-page” techniques are used to build credibility for your website. A term called “linking” is the most heavily weighted, and you can think of it like an endorsement for your website. Google does. Finally, your SEO partner should be continually optimizing fresh new content related to your services, adding to your backlink network, and keeping your website up-to-date to comply with various search engine (mainly Google) algorithms. Google changes their algorithm every 3-6 months and doesn’t necessarily tell you how, so a trusted Google Partner is always nice to have.
83% Of Your Patients Come From A 5-7 Mile Radius Of Your Office.
This Google Trend is why local maps optimization is so important. Mobile search has now surpassed desktop and tablet for healthcare services because people are looking for medical professionals close to their home.
Listing your business on Google Maps isn’t enough. You need to have regular NAPS (Name Address Phone Submissions) to industry and search directories. A good online marketing partner will prioritize your local maps optimization and create 70+ listings for you.
91% Trust Ratings And Reviews They See About You Online. 87% Verify What They See And Hear About You Offline With An Online Search.
Your personal and practice reputation management is extremely important. Ratings and reviews are the new word-of-mouth referrals.
Traditionally, one of your loyal patients/clients might have told a handful of people about you, who may or may not have been interested in your services. Today, one positive online review can reach thousands of patients actively in need of your services, and quickly convert to a new appointment!
It’s also important to respond to negative reviews, quickly. Other searchers forgive and sympathize, but a lack of response leaves that searcher wondering. If you saw the last 2 reviews at a pediatric dentist’s office were negative with no explanation, would you take your child there?
Women Are More Likely Than Men To Seek Health Services Online As Are Internet Users With Higher education, Income, And Insurance.
Knowing these kinds of market research points, alongside you geographic location, can help you tailor your marketing tone. Maybe you’d like to create a social media or email marketing campaign to women over 40 reminding them to come in before the end of the year to use their family health spending account?
77% Of Patients Used Search As Their Last Step Prior To Booking Their Appointment.
Retargeting campaigns can greatly increase your new appointment conversion rates by reminding people why they came to your website in the first place.
Eric Dawe
Eric is the CEO and Founder of HealthMed Marketing. HealthMed is a Google Partner with the largest healthcare backlink network in the U.S., specializing in patient acquisition and retention for medical professionals.
