Online visibility is the first step to your medical practice growth. It’s crucial that your practice

ranks highly on local search results to ensure maximum visibility among prospective patients

in your community. Certain factors that Google considers when ranking local search results are

-- up-to-date information that matches what the searcher is seeking, accurate listing of

location(s) and the SEO best practices you follow. Customized local SEO strategies will help

your practice stand out in the crowded marketplace.

Best Practices to Improve Your

Local Search Results

For Physicians and Medical Practices

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Best Practices to Follow

Here are certain tips to optimize your digital marketing strategy locally.

Consistent NAP details - The name, address, and phone number (NAP) details of your

practice should be up to date on every online location. Inconsistent details can confuse the

web users, which could directly impact your rankings. The more frequently your consistent

NAP is found (or cited) across the web, the greater authority search engines will give you.

Accurate NAP details are also crucial for best results using Google My Business. Even if your

practice has multiple public-facing doctors, it is acceptable to create local pages for each

doctor, in addition to the practice’s local page. However, do not include business name in

these pages and differentiate these pages with separate phone numbers and/or suite

numbers. Remember that these details will be distributed to other Google platforms,

including Google maps, Google Analytics, AdWords, and Google+.

A page for each location - Each practice location should have its own page. For instance, if

you have several medical practices in New York, you must have separate web pages for

each of these locations. For each separate page, make sure to include the clinic's unique

NAP. Consider adding a LOCATIONS menu item on your navigation bar.

Local directory listing - Local directory listing enables medical practices to be visible on

leading directories, local website search engines and mapping applications. Managing

directory listings helps you to stand out wherever patients may be searching for practices

like yours. Whether there is a change in your practice’s hours of operation, or you have

added new physicians to your medical practice, update your listings with accurate

information across all the directories.

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Informative, unique content – Informative content on each page attracts readers. Create

web pages with quality content for each service you offer. For instance, if you are a plastic

surgeon offering liposuction, gynecomastia treatment, CoolSculpting and other services,

each treatment should have its own page. Along with increasing the number of web pages

indexed by search engines, it will also help you rank higher for specific keywords.

Mobile-friendly website - Local searches are often done quickly on a mobile device. A

growing number of users rely on mobile devices to conduct their searches. Mobile is critical

to your healthcare business and will continue to be so. Create a mobile version of the site

that can optimize the user experience. A version that's not mobile-friendly requires the user

to zoom the site to read the content, which is a frustrating experience and visitors are very

likely to abandon the site. Alternatively, a mobile-friendly version is readable and

immediately usable.

Social media presence – Social media platforms make it easier for prospects to find you.

Multi-location practices can also consider creating a Google Plus Brand page in addition to

your local pages to consolidate your social presence. However, these brand pages are

purely social platforms that doctors should manage.

It is always advisable to consider the services of a healthcare digital marketing agency that can

combine Google’s latest recommendations with a strong local SEO strategy to ensure

maximum online visibility for your medical practice.