Here are three straightforward, actionable tips to increase your website’s ranking on Google when prospective patients are searching for your specialty, while simultaneously engaging current and past patients to keep your practice front-of-mind.
#1: Continuously update the website with unique content
#2: Increase your social media involvement
#3: What’s #3?? haha
Building and launching an engaging and SEO-driven website is important – but the work is far from over! Search engines want to see that you are continually adding value to your visitors, and don’t like to see “stagnant” websites. All other factors the same, search engines will rank a website with fresh, unique content higher than a website that’s not regularly updated because it looks more active, engaging and valuable to visitors – i.e. your prospective patients.
A blog on your website is one of the most effective ways to provide new, unique, relevant content. However, this isn’t an endeavor to take lightly. Make sure you publish engaging, meaningful content your visitors will want to read – on a regular basis – otherwise they will come back expecting more articles and updates only to find none! Set a schedule and stick to it – your readers will love coming back to find new articles and content – and so will the search engines!
Continually adding new patients to your photo gallery shows that your practice is active now – not just 5 years ago 😉
Google pays attention! Activity and engagement on social media accounts – called social signals – matter to Google and affect your website’s rank. Active and attentive presence and engagement on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest are a must!
It’s important to make sure you have complete profiles on all the major social media platforms. Incomplete profiles, missing a photo, bio, and other fields like background, education, awards and accreditations not only look unprofessional to visiting prospective patients, but can also look “spammy” and illegitimate to search engines. And, missing accounts on some of the major sites can make you look like you’re only partially engaged online.