Whether you own a path lab, manage a pharmacy, run a medical practice or hospital, or own any other type of healthcare business, you need to be visible to your present and future customers when they go online to find the service you provide.
With thousands of other local businesses vying for the same patients, your healthcare business needs to be marketed in such a way that it stands out from the crowd. Local medical practitioners more than ever need to use online marketing so that new patients can find them online.
In the recent past, search engine optimization (SEO) has become an indispensable tool in healthcare marketing, with more and more health entrepreneurs looking to digital marketing to acquire new patrons. A well-built SEO strategy aimed at increasing your local outreach can help you grow your practice by increasing your visibility and ranking in online searches.
Here’s how SEO can help you build a thriving healthcare business.
SEO improves your search engine ranking, making you visible to your target audience
First thing first, search engine optimization helps bring your health business website at the top of Google search results. When a potential customer (or patient) sees you on the first page of their search results, they’re more likely to use your services and may become a repeat customer of your establishment.
Most often than not, online searchers don’t go beyond the second page when looking for a local doctor, which is why SEO is more of a business investment than an expense when it comes to acquiring more patients. Local doctors who use SEO to promote their practice enable people to find them when they’re looking for a physician or a plastic surgeon. Read this Dagmar Marketing guide to help you grow your health business with the help of SEO.
SEO brings your local healthcare business trust and credibility
Where your website ranks on Google serves as a subconscious signal to potential patients that yours is a well-regarded, popular and high-demand service. For instance, someone looking for a laboratory to get bloodwork done is more likely to pick a service from among those on the first page of Google results.
Your potential patrons may not realize it, but do your research first and you will find that your search engine ranking greatly impacts how they perceive your business. This, in fact, is one of the cornerstones of digital marketing and a key reason why businesses are willing to pay top dollar to be on the first page of Google search queries.
As your ranking improves with SEO, your healthcare business gets more genuine leads, and when your patients receive top-notch services, they are encouraged to recommend you to their friends and family. Therefore, a well-strategized comprehensive SEO strategy sets off a chain of events that bring you greater returns over time.
SEO brings cost savings and a handsome return on investment
When it comes to digital marketing, SEO is by far one of the most cost-effective tools that helps healthcare businesses grow and flourish. By working with an SEO agency that understands your industry and your niche audience, you end up making significant savings in your overall marketing spend. Because of its high cost and limited outreach, conventional marketing alone no longer works in a wildly competitive marketplace.
Greater ROI is another reason why healthcare entrepreneurs choose SEO to grow their business. SEO brings more rewards for a local health business compared to other types of advertising. Instead of cold calling a large audience, SEO places you in front of your target audience right when they go looking for a service you offer. SEO drastically brings down your lead generation costs, because it targets people who are already looking for a service you provide, thus generating better leads with a high potential to convert.
SEO takes a focused rather than generic approach to grow your business
With more and more people using their smartphones to make online searches, research services and book appointments, you need to have a mobile-friendly version of your website that’s optimized with local keywords your patients/customers are using.
A skilled SEO agency can help you tap your target audience across multiple relevant platforms, thus increasing your outreach manifold without a ton of investment. Whether you serve individuals or B2B clients, with a sound SEO strategy you can be assured that your marketing expenditure is being spent on increasing quality traffic to your website, improving your Google rankings, and making sure your niche customers can find you. SEO helps you get ahead of competition by grabbing the attention of your audience and generating interest in your services.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
