📍 Local SEO for Medical Tourism: (Unique Local SEO Strategies)

9 min readApr 17, 2024

For a medical tourism business, Local SEO can be a game changer for you. Of course, if you know how to use it correctly.

Local SEO means making your website more visible in local online searches, like when people search for “rhinoplasty in Turkey” or “dentists nearby.” It’s super important for businesses serving local areas, like clinics in specific locations catering to medical tourism.

The best part is that you do not need to have any technical knowledge to perform Local SEO optimization.

Before I go any further, I am Ismail Yusibov, an SEO specialist with over 5 years of experience. I have worked in-house, at agencies, and as a freelance SEO consultant, serving clients from diverse industries. I am currently working at “Make.az SEO xidmeti” agency. My focus areas include SEO, content strategies, content writing, marketing, branding, reputation management, and web development

My Linkedin / Freelance SEO Services / Facebook / Twitter / TrustPilot / Upwork / Facebook Page

Read all articles in the SEO guide for medical tourism agencies:

Top 9 Local SEO Tips for Medical Tourism Business (2024)

Have the keywords and/or target city in your reviews,
Get more 5-star reviews,
Upload pictures and post on Google Business Profile (GBP) weekly,
Focus on organic SEO, with a focus on optimized anchor text (keyword and city — but don’t overdo it),
Update your title and meta tags with keywords and location,
Add keyword modifiers to your brand name (see below for how to do it right)
Add local content
Use Local Falcon to track your Local SEO results
GEO tag images (yes, this helps)

Read on for a step-by-step guide.

If you need help with local SEO, you can benefit from SEO Accelerate SEO service. The services we offer will help your medical tourism business gain more customers in specific regions.

How Does Google Determine Local Ranking for Medical Tourism Agencies?

Google determines the local ranking of medical tourism agencies based on factors such as relevance, physical distance between the searcher and the business, and the reputation of the agency.

Relevance

In the context of local search, relevance refers to how closely a medical tourism agency’s website or GBP (Google My Business / Google Business Profile) profile matches the specific clinic, hospital, treatment, doctor or specialty someone is searching for. This is determined by evaluating many aspects of a business’s profile information and related website content.

Here are some ways relevance can be influenced:

Business category: Selecting the appropriate industry category on platforms like Google My Business (GBP) is crucial. For a medical tourism agency, opting for “Health Consultant” maximizes relevance and reflects the services offered.
Keywords in GBP profile: Incorporating relevant keywords strategically within the business name, description, and customer reviews enhances relevance. For instance, using “Treatment in Turkey” as a keyword emphasizes the agency’s specialization and geographical focus.
Consistency of information: Ensuring uniformity of information across the web, including your website and GBP profile, maintains relevance. Consistent details such as contact information and business name across platforms are crucial.

Distance

In online searches, how far away a business is matters. Google looks at how close businesses are to you when suggesting options. Here’s a simple breakdown of how this distance factor works:

Proximity: Google checks where you are to suggest nearby businesses. For example, if you search for “rhinoplasty in Turkey,” it suggests the closest doctor or brokerage firm that offers that service.
Location Specifics: If you mention a particular place in your search, like “Rhinoplasty in Antalya,” Google prioritizes options near there.
Google My Business Listing: Google also considers the address listed on a business’s Google My Business page to calculate distance. So, businesses need to keep their location details accurate.

Authority (Prominence)

Business authority, or how well-known a business is, plays a big role in local search results. Places with strong offline reputations, like famous museums or popular stores, tend to show up more in local searches. Google sees these businesses as valuable assets.

The reputation of a business, or its authority, is determined by a few things, such as:

Links from different websites
Listings in local directories
Articles and press coverage
Number of reviews and their scores on Google My Business

Factors like authority, importance, and distance are crucial for ranking high in local searches.

How to Improve Your Local Ranking on Google

We will assume that your medical tourism agency has already established a GBP profile. If not, start setting up a GBP now.

Improving your local rankings starts with optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP). This tool is free and lets you control how your business shows up on Google Search and Maps. You can use it to connect with customers, share updates, list your products and services, and even display your menu.

Here are some easy tips to make the most out of your Google Business Profile.

Complete Your GBP Profile

Make sure you fill out all the important details about your business in your GBP profile. This helps people find you easily when they search locally. Here’s what you should include:

Your address where customers can visit you
A phone number for people to reach you
Your business category
A brief description of your business

Picking the right business category is key for showing up in local searches. For instance, if you’re a medical tourism agency, choosing “Health Consultant” is the way to go. Choosing the wrong category could mean your business doesn’t show up when people search locally.

Verify Your Profile

Verified GBP profiles show up more in local searches, while unverified ones don’t appear at all. Here are the different ways you can verify your Google My Business account:

Video verification
Instant verification
Postcard verification
Phone call verification
Email verification

Get Legitimate Reviews

Getting good reviews for GBP is vital to attract more attention from both reviewers and customers. When people look up businesses online, they focus a lot on what others have said about them.

Reviews play a big role in how well a business shows up in online searches. Using the right keywords in comments can really help your business match what users are searching for.

If you want to be at the top of local search results, make sure to get reviews for GBP.

Add High-Quality Photos

If you don’t think photos matter, think again.

Listings with photos rank better, giving you an advantage over those without. Adding pics to your GBP profile boosts your visibility in local searches.

Google may close profiles without photos, so make sure to upload one for verification.

Share Posts Constantly

Sharing posts on your GBP listing is a great way to get more people involved. Research suggests that when users interact with your listing, it helps your business show up more in local searches.

For medical tourism businesses, adding photos to your posts is important. Sharing pictures of patients getting treatment in the places you offer services can be a good idea. It helps others see what it’s like and hear what patients have to say about their experience.

Google My Business Checklist for Medical Tourism Agency

Ensure business information is complete and accurate: name, address, phone number.
Write an engaging business description optimized for search engines.
Update business categories and attributes for better visibility.
Upload high-quality digital assets: logo, cover photo, interior/exterior shots.
Showcase your team with photos.
Complete all profile details, including website and service information.
Enable messaging options and call recording for customer interaction.
Manage reviews by responding promptly to both positive and negative feedback.
Implement a review generation strategy.
Publish regular posts and offers to keep audience engaged.
Respond to Q&A sessions and compile a list of frequently asked questions.
Assign team members to tasks such as content creation and review responses.
Track keywords regularly for performance evaluation.
Schedule periodic reviews to analyze campaign effectiveness.

Build Citations For Your Medical Tourism Agency

Boost your business’s visibility by listing it in local and global directories. These directories confirm vital details about your medical tourism agency, like your location and operating hours. This can improve your local search engine rankings.

Some widely used online medical tourism directories are:

Google Business Profile
Yelp
Medical Tourism Business
Medical Tourism (dot) com
IMTJ
MedicalTrip

Citations assist Google in validating crucial information about your agency, such as your name, address, and phone number (NAP). While this data often appears on your social media and website, adding local references helps verify it. Keeping these references up-to-date enhances your online presence.

Consistency in NAP details is crucial. Ensure that the information on your Google Business Profile matches what’s on your website and other directories. Consistency across platforms strengthens your business’s credibility.

Are Citations a Ranking Factor for Local SEO?

Local citations are a ranking factor. Even if some of these citations don’t provide you with backlinks, they provide context to Google as they verify your information.

Aligning your business information across multiple platforms validates its authenticity to search engines. Consistent data signifies a trustworthy establishment, leading to higher visibility and prominence in search results.

A medical tourism agency benefits from clear and consistent data presentation. Factors like consistency, quantity, and completeness contribute to building trust and credibility for your agency, elevating its reputation and attracting more clients.

Localized Content

Publishing content that suits the local crowd by making location-specific landing pages, blogs, case studies, and testimonials is key. This content should use local keywords and cater to the specific needs and interests of the local community.

Once you know which keywords to aim for, it’s time to get to work.

Since medical tourism agencies by their nature serve many countries, you will need to create specific pages for these countries.

For example;

“rhinoplasty in turkey”

“rhinoplasty in india”

“rhinoplasty in thailand”

Create website pages tailored to each location you’re focusing on. Include local details like addresses, top clinics, best surgeons, and directions. Don’t forget to naturally include local keywords in the content.

Pro Tip: Write blog posts, articles, and other content that relates to your local audience. For instance, if you’re offering rhinoplasty services in Turkey, talk about why getting surgery there is beneficial or share patient stories specific to Turkey.

Pro Tip: Make sure your content is easy to find in local searches. Use location-based keywords in titles, headings, meta descriptions, and throughout the text to boost visibility.

Pro Tip: Showcase positive experiences and feedback from patients who’ve used your services in those areas. This helps locals trust your business and services more.

Use Structured Data Markup

When it comes to boosting your local online presence, don’t overlook schema markups.

Getting your website’s schema right can really help with local searches.

Think of structured data as a way to organize info on your webpage for search engines to understand better.

Schema, a type of structured data, is like a set of codes that you add to your site to give search engines all the important details about your business.

By using schema, your webpage can show up better on search results with extra details, like clinic names, doctor info, treatment costs, and more.

While schemas and structured data don’t directly influence search rankings, they provide search engines with precise details about your business and services. This clarity aids search engines in comprehending key information on your web pages and business.

Consistency in information across citations in local directories (or other sources) and schema markups reinforces your business’s credibility, potentially leading to higher rankings on Google.

Can I Start Several Local SEO Campaigns?

Yes. In fact, more than one local SEO campaign is essential for medical tourism agencies.

To effectively reach your audience, it’s crucial to create separate landing pages and Google Business Profile (GBP) profiles for each location your agency operates in. Utilize localized keywords in these profiles to enhance visibility.

Medical tourism agencies face a challenge due to the diverse range of services they offer across multiple countries. On-page local SEO optimization becomes essential to cater to various regions effectively.

For instance, if you offer “rhinoplasty” services across different countries, optimize your website by creating targeted pages like “Rhinoplasty in Turkey,” “Rhinoplasty in India,” and “Rhinoplasty in Thailand.”

Improving local SEO optimization involves crafting localized content, incorporating relevant keywords, and organizing medical procedures, doctors, clinics, and hospitals by region on your website.

Local SEO Checklist for Medical Tourism Agency

Set up and optimize local listings
Create and optimize social profiles
Generate monthly reviews for credibility
Build ongoing NAP citations for consistency
Establish niche citations and profiles
Craft enticing offers to attract clients
Ensure website accurately reflects services
Regularly update brand pages
Optimize web pages for better performance
Implement Schema Markup for improved visibility
Leverage blog content and reformat for video
Optimize videos for maximum impact
Promote content across relevant channels
Acquire quality backlinks for authority