Healthcare SEO is a complex process that requires a lot of research, strategy, and expertise. It is not just about understanding how to rank your website on search engines. It’s also about understanding the needs of your audience, what they are looking for when they search online, and how you can best satisfy those requirements.
Understanding the Building Blocks of SEO
SEO is the process of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) and gaining more website traffic in the process. SEO is a complex and ever-changing process that requires constant attention.
Healthcare brands can have a challenging time with SEO, as they have to compete with countless other healthcare brands, blogs, and websites for organic search rankings. In this section, we will explore the building blocks of SEO for healthcare brands so you can optimize your website’s SEO strategy accordingly.
SEO can be divided into three major elements: link building, technical SEO, and content marketing. We’ll dive into each of these a bit more below.
Link Building
Link building is the process of acquiring inbound links to your website. It is important to understand that this process can be done in a variety of ways and there are no set rules when it comes to link building. However, one thing you should always keep in mind is that you must provide value for the site that you’re asking to link back to you. You can do this by providing them with relevant content offering valuable insight to their readers or subscriber base.
There are many reasons why link-building is important for healthcare brands, including the following:
- Link building can help with branding and recognition.
- Link building can help improve organic search rankings.
- Link building may increase the number of visitors to your website.
- Links from authoritative websites can earn you higher rankings in search engines, which will result in more traffic and leads.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO refers to website and server optimizations that help search engines crawl, index, and rank your site more efficiently. It is important to consider because it directly impacts the performance of your site in the SERPs. One of the most critical technical SEO factors for healthcare brands is making sure your website loads quickly, which can be accomplished by using a CDN, caching, and minification.
Other important activities related to technical SEO include:
- Site performance optimization
- Server configuration
- Structured data markup
- URL canonicalization
Content Marketing
Content marketing is an important part of a healthcare brand’s marketing strategy. It’s one of the most effective ways to attract new clients and grow their practice areas. To be successful in content marketing, healthcare brands need to create high-quality content that caters specifically to their target audience and that audience’s intent – or where along the buyer’s journey they are.
Here are seven examples of the most popular different types of content used in content marketing:
- Web Pages: Think biography pages, service pages, and history/about us pages. All of these are considered content, they’re just more copy-heavy.
- Blog Posts: Blog posts are typically a mix of visual content and copy, and they’re an excellent way to drive users to your website and see your brand as a trusted source of information. A common type of blog post would be content surrounding frequently asked questions or common client concerns.
- Landing Pages: This type of content is similar to a web page, but they’re generally unique pages that are created to capture visitors who have entered your website through an ad, social media post, or, if it makes sense, a link from another website. Your company’s first impression will show through your landing page. Whether they followed a link from Google or a guest blog, a unique landing page is a chance to show what sets you apart from similar healthcare brands.
- Podcasts: Podcasts are audio recordings that you can listen to via a streaming platform. This type of content can be embedded on a web page, blog, or landing page. Releasing a weekly podcast where you answer frequently asked questions or talk about hot topics within your industry or practice area will help you build an audience.
- Videos: As you know, videos are visual recordings with audio included. This type of content is more popular now than ever before, and it’s only going to continue gaining steam – especially in our current remote-first world.
- Infographics: Infographics are helpful visuals that can explain data sets, processes, and more with the help of rich imagery, graphics, etc. These can be added to blogs, sent in email newsletters, and included in long-form content pieces.
- E-Guides: E-guides are long-form pieces of content that typically revolve around the comprehensive exploration of all components of one topic. These types of content pieces are typically used as lead magnets on landing pages.
Unlocking Growth: PPC in Marketing Strategies
Healthcare brands face a unique challenge: reaching patients amidst a sea of online information. This is where healthcare PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising emerges as a crucial tool. As a leading marketing agency specializing in healthcare, we understand the pivotal role PPC plays in connecting providers with their target audiences effectively.
Healthcare PPC allows providers to amplify their visibility precisely when potential patients are searching for relevant services. Unlike traditional advertising, PPC ensures that every dollar spent targets individuals actively seeking healthcare solutions. This targeted approach not only increases visibility but also enhances the likelihood of converting clicks into appointments, consultations, or inquiries.
Tailored Strategies for Healthcare Providers
At 9Sail, we recognize that each healthcare provider is unique, with specific goals and patient demographics. Our bespoke PPC strategies are designed to align closely with these factors, ensuring maximum return on investment (ROI) and patient acquisition. Whether you’re a specialty clinic, hospital, or individual practitioner, our team crafts tailored campaigns that resonate with your audience and drive measurable results.
Comprehensive PPC Services
Our suite of PPC services for healthcare providers includes:
- Keyword Optimization: Identifying and targeting the most relevant keywords to attract high-intent patients.
- Ad Copywriting: Crafting compelling ad copy that not only informs but also compels action.
- Landing Page Optimization: Ensuring that landing pages are optimized for conversions, guiding visitors seamlessly from click to conversion.
- Campaign Management: Monitoring and refining campaigns in real-time to maximize performance and ROI.
- Local PPC Targeting: Targeting patients in specific geographical areas to drive foot traffic and local awareness.
Why Choose 9Sail for Healthcare PPC?
Partnering with 9Sail means gaining access to a team of dedicated healthcare marketing experts who understand the nuances of the industry. We combine deep industry knowledge with cutting-edge PPC strategies to deliver exceptional results for our clients.
Digital PR and Marketing Services for Healthcare Brands
While SEO and PPC can get you in front of the right audience, digital PR services ensure your healthcare brand puts its best foot forward. 9Sail’s team of PR experts will help you unlock new potential for your business, whether it be an individual office or a regional group of practices. From harnessing your expertise as a thought leader and celebrating your successes with press releases, to strategically populating the top healthcare news sources with insightful blogs and articles, these digital PR services help boost your brand awareness, establish your market authority, and build your customer relations with potential and current patients.
Thought Leadership
Being a thought leader within your industry is a coveted position to hold. It signifies the knowledge, experience, and trust your healthcare brand and its C-suite have collected after years of successful business. With the right networking, outreach, and monitoring, your practice will have the opportunity to spread this insight to completely new audiences. When executives share their takes on current industry movements, or doctors answer the hot-topic health questions the internet is asking, it builds a sense of respect, awareness, and authority for your brand among potential patients.
Press Releases
Press releases are a structured and controlled way for your healthcare brand to share breaking news with the media. Whether announcing new corporate hires, welcoming new practices to the brand, or sharing major company successes, press releases help you get your brand’s most important updates to the right crowd. If done correctly, a great press release can also result in a return on your investment; a captivating story may inspire journalists to inquire about additional digital press opportunities, sustaining a consistent digital PR campaign.
Guest Blogs
Guest blogs are similar to the blogs that should be on your practice’s website: they can answer important patient questions, deep dive into specific conditions, or break down a difficult procedure into easily digestible content. The difference is that these articles are outsourced to respected health news outlets rather than posted on your site. This collaborative effort lends itself useful in two ways: the first is by building up your SEO backlink profile, and the second is by combining your practice’s expertise with an established website’s audience rapport. Once shared, your business has not only reached a new market segment but also inherently gained their respect by working with a brand they already know and love.
Hyper-Targeting With Digital PR
PR isn’t a “one size fits all” type of marketing. It requires constant molding, monitoring, and management to truly see the results you want. The PR experts at 9Sail have the experience and market understanding to get you those results. Is your healthcare group opening an office in a new city? 9Sail’s team will build customized media lists that target the regional market’s top journalists and news outlets. Maybe your private practice is wanting to push a certain procedure; with focused guest blogs and thought leadership opportunities, 9Sail can help build your brand an esteem and authority around this topic, making you a top choice for patients.
Whatever your goals, 9Sail’s digital PR services can help you get there. With personalized campaigns that are as unique as your brand—and when combined with primed SEO and PPC efforts—the path to success has been laid.
What Makes SEO for Healthcare Unique?
The healthcare industry is highly competitive. Healthcare brands need to make sure that they are using the best SEO strategies and tools.
To most effectively cut through the noise in this complex environment, the SEO strategy of a healthcare brand should be based on, and tailored to, the unique nature of the practice. For example, a small private practice can benefit from SEO by focusing on local rankings and generating leads through organic search. On the other hand, larger groups of practices might want to focus on more complex strategies like link-building or content marketing. These foundational nuances also give rise to the need for very tailored, concerted target keyword pursuits since you can easily exhaust an SEO budget by pursuing too broad a range of target keywords.
In short, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to Healthcare SEO and only experts specializing in the industry like 9Sail can develop a strategy taking into account the specifics of your practice, its desired target audience, and the current search landscape.
The Impact of SEO on Your Healthcare Brand
No matter what type of medicine you practice, from women’s health or plastic surgery to psychiatry or gastroenterology, search engine optimization should never be an overlooked piece of your healthcare marketing strategy. But why? What can SEO for medical providers really do? Well, for starters, organic search drives over 50% of website traffic (and, honestly, that percentage is just going to keep rising in the digital age). Website traffic equals visitors to your website, and each visitor to your website is a potential lead that could convert into a new client. This, in turn, means a new case that’ll result in more revenue, and so on.
Essentially, a targeted, meticulously planned, and well-executed SEO strategy will increase traffic to your healthcare brand’s website while boosting quality inbound leads that have a greater chance of converting into patients. Yes, other methods of traditional and digital marketing (like print and social media) should also be incorporated into your practice’s overall marketing strategy. However, implementing search marketing components like SEO and PPC is the ultimate key to ensuring that your practice achieves its goals.
Ready to Optimize Your Healthcare Brand’s Website?
Our experienced team at 9Sail is ready to help take your healthcare company’s digital marketing to the next level so you can rank higher in search, generate more traffic, and convert higher-quality leads.
If you’re ready to boost your healthcare marketing efforts by incorporating search marketing into your overall strategy or if you’d like to learn more about how SEO can benefit your healthcare brand, contact us here.
