Healthcare SEO Best Practices for Medical Marketing Professionals
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process that can be mastered. A decade ago, many of the wealthier companies paid to ensure their sites came out on top. Today, search engines favor more organic approaches. Brands that do not understand the importance of SEO lose out on valuable business and relationships.
As a medical marketing professional, how does SEO help us in the healthcare realm? Implementing the right SEO tactics, or following guidelines to ensure a site is found, can help healthcare professionals acquire skill sets, attract leads, guide consumer research, and come out on top.
Definition of SEO
Search engine optimization may seem confusing, but a proper definition can provide clarity, direction, and purpose for a healthcare website.
search engine optimization: the methods used to boost the ranking or frequency of a website in results returned by a search engine, in an effort to maximize user traffic to the site.
Healthcare SEO Skill Sets
Gone are the days where money and keyword-stuffed content secured Page One placement. Today, SEO organically drives healthcare leads and information. The sites that put in the effort (i.e., keep up with content) reap the benefits of being on Page One. In order to rank highly, your company needs to invest time and resources in inbound marketing.
Mastering search engine optimization is no small feat. It takes several skill sets to rank highly: content writing, programming, email marketing to physicians, analyzing data, etc. However, if executed thoughtfully and strategically, the return on investment can be immense. You have to be patient. Search engine optimization is a long-term strategy, but it’s worth it in the end.
Find Physician Email Addresses
Look to your team first. Many people have the skills required to implement content, programming, and email marketing strategies. It is also a great way to encourage growth opportunities for a healthcare employee. Offer internships for college students pursuing business, marketing, and front-end development degrees. Interns are excellent resources, eager to learn, and volunteer many great ideas. Freelance SEO healthcare copywriters, designers, and marketing agencies can also be hired on retainer or per-project basis.
Attract Healthcare Leads Through SEO
When it comes to helping the right people find your products and services, consistency is key. Select the keywords that best define your website and write articles, blogs, white papers, and other forms of marketing content using these keywords.
The value of healthcare marketing on social media should not be overlooked. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and especially LinkedIn are great indirect platforms for healthcare products and services reviews, comments, or white papers. Always use hashtags where appropriate and ‘like’ the articles that make sense to your business and vision.
Searchmetrics’ 2016 Rebooting Ranking Factors found that there is a correlation associated with highly viewed social sites and an increase in Page One rankings.
The correlation between social signals and ranking position is extremely high… The top-ranked websites in Google’s rankings displays vastly more social signals than all other pages… This is primarily due to the overlap between brand websites performing strongly in social networks and being allocated top positions by Google.
Prospects and consumers alike conduct searches to create a positive experience with a healthcare product or service. Research is intent on optimizing confidence in a decision to move forward with the product or service. Healthcare and MedTech websites should indicate how that confidence is obtained.
Behavior can be measured by views, time on page, goal conversions, and other metrics tracked through platforms like Google Analytics.
How To Be On Top
Rise to the top with current, updated, and relevant content that utilizes keyword searches in order to boost traffic to your site. Commit to continually adding healthcare medical marketing content and being active on your social networks. Pay attention to smaller details including location, title attributes, and alt attributes.
The secret of SEO is simple: You must learn how to combine and experiment with multiple methods, and then analyze the results, bearing in mind that all your work may go to waste due to Google’s latest algorithm update or what your competitors are doing.
Content is key for successful medical marketing SEO strategies. By making your site attractive, both to search engines and visitors, you can create a positive and lasting experience.
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About the Author
Carevoyance contributor Sarah Pike, M.B.A., is a freelance marketing copywriter based in San Diego. She enjoys writing about business, fashion, food, healthcare, leadership, motivation and technology.
Originally published at Carevoyance.com.
