Local SEO for the Healthcare Industry
The trick to successfully getting your clinic on the front page of Google’s search results (or any search page) is to do better Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) than your competitors.
However, SEO is a time-consuming task, and it can be difficult to assign time to it on a weekly basis when there are so many other jobs demanding your attention. Local search may help to reduce the workload required by your SEO efforts while also getting more patients through the door.
What is Local Search?
Rather than focus on SEO on a global scale, it can be more cost-effective if you concentrate your SEO efforts towards enhancing the position of your listing in the local search results.
Local search refers to how people will research a new business when they need that business to be close by to where they live. For example, if a person is looking for a new dentist or optometrist in Parramatta, Sydney then they would likely enter something similar to “Dentists in Parramatta,” or “optometrist, Parramatta” in the search query field. Here are a few of the benefits local search results can provide for your clinic.
Local Search Makes it Easier to Achieve First Page Rankings
When your website is optimised to improve its local search listings, you are reducing your level of competition, as you are now only working against local clinics and not those which operate on the other side of the country.
The majority of search engine users will never click through to the second page. A few more sobering statistics for click-through rates (CTR) include, the number one position gets 33% of the clicks, 67% of search engine traffic goes to the top 5 spots, and the first page produces 95% of website traffic.
Competition for the top spot on the search page of a general search is always fierce, but local search makes it much easier to get your clinic in front of potential patients who live close to your clinic.
Local Search is More Convenient for Patients
Patients want the most relevant results, and they want them fast. They don’t want to be hopping from site to site to find what they need. Local search is the best strategy to giving your patients what they want, which is vital information on your clinic to help them make a quick decision.
Search Engines Will Work With Your Business
All search engines provide customer service, and the better the service, the more people will use their products. Search engines know that local search results are important for people who are looking for cosmetic surgeons, laser clinics, opticians, dental clinics, and other medical specialists who are close-by.
Providing a result for any of the above businesses which operate outside of the searcher’s locality, such as in another state, is obviously not going to be an appropriate solution. As a result, search engines are always tweaking their algorithms to give the most relevant local search results.
Local Search Provides Access to Reviews and Ratings
Local clinics depend a lot on the feedback they receive from the community. Local search results will list relevant reviews relating to your clinic next to your listing in the search results.
Clients will not have to go hunting elsewhere for honest feedback, which helps to facilitate and speed up their decision making.
Local Search Provides Direction
When prospective patients are looking for a new clinic, dentist, or optician, one their main concerns is on finding directions on how to get there. As local search is geared towards providing as much useful information to the customer as possible, maps are now shown with pins pointing to the exact locations of clinics, with addresses and phone numbers listed below.
In the case of a search conducted on mobile, clicking on a link will also provide the option to open up a navigation app which can provide detailed driving instructions or public transport schedules.
If you have realised that your business website needs to achieve better results in the search engines, then ensuring your SEO is on point for local search is essential to gaining the visibility your business needs for attracting new clientele.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you dominate your local market through online marketing, contact us today and one of our team members will be happy to talk you through the best options available for your clinic!