Search engine optimisation (SEO) should form an important part of your clinic marketing strategy.
Firstly, it’s free.
Unlike paid advertising on Google Ads Facebook or other platforms, there is no “cost per click” associated with getting potential clients to your site. Also, statistically, SEO generates a higher quality of click more frequently than paid advertising. With clients becoming more astute, they are less likely to click on a paid ad, choosing instead to make their split-second decision based on trust.
All of that is lovely, but how can you get to the top of Google’s rankings? The good news is Google has become so smart over the last few decades that achieving page one rankings is less about hacking and tricks than it is about telling the truth and conveying as much useful information as possible.
There are some simple tips you can use to improve your Search Engine Optimisation performance.
Blog
Having a blog on your website is the easiest way to improve your rankings. The nature of clinic websites is that there are pages with multiple images, perhaps some videos and limited text. While Google has improved exponentially over the years, it still likes words. Video and image rankings achieve good results, but text-based articles are still king. A blog gives you the chance to put more words on your website.
If you’re not a writer, jump onto one of the freelancing platforms and find someone with experience in the industry who is confident writing about your treatments and topics that may interest your audience. Get them to answer relevant and interesting questions that your clients often ask (and research others, see below) and you will find yourself improving on Google.
Share Your Content
Websites linking back to your website are an important ranking factor for Google. Called ‘backlinks,’ they are used to measure – at least in part – the quality of your content. The thinking is that if people link to your website (risking their reputation) then they must consider your work to be of a high quality.
Generate backlinks by making your work shareable, putting it on social media and using it as part of your day-to-day promotion.
Research Your Topics
There is no point ranking for something if no one is searching for it. Fortunately, Google provides a significant amount of data that third-party platforms translate from completely unintelligible to something that is easy to use.
Platforms such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, MOZ and numerous others allow you to enter a search phrase and see how many people have used it recently. But you may also wish to head back to the freelancing platforms and ask an SEO expert to come up with a list of topics based on search volumes. It’ll be cheap, and far less stressful.
Search engine optimisation is rewarding, sustainable and free. A bit of an effort now, combined with consistent publishing and good research will yield brilliant results in the medium term.
