The internet has become the first port of call for people to carry out research, and it’s not just used for shopping and booking vacations. Increasing numbers of people are using the internet to find healthcare providers, whether they need a physician, specialist, dentist, or other medical professional, and if you don’t have an online presence, you could be missing out. That’s why Search – Engine – Optimization (SEO) is important in the healthcare industry, so here are a few ways you can utilize it to your advantage.
The statistics back it up
Over three quarters of people who need health advice will start their journey at a search engine rather than go directly to a dedicated health site. That’s a huge number of potential clients who you could miss out on if your website isn’t optimized. In general, you’ll probably want to focus on local SEO if you’re a physician, a dentist, or mostly work with people in the immediate area. However, if you offer a specialist service where people travel further afield to see you, then you’ll also want to appear in search results for anyone researching specific conditions or procedures.
More mobile users
Around half of all search engine queries are carried out on a mobile phone, and they’re often by people who want to find local services, such as healthcare providers and hospitals. This means that not only should you focus on SEO but specifically mobile SEO, since this is how many patients will come across your site. While you may have optimized your site when you first built it, it’s important to stay up to date with the latest advances in SEO.
Patients demand more choice
Past generations would often see the same healthcare providers their whole life. They may have had the same physician and dentist for decades. Nowadays, however, people like to ‘shop around’ a bit more, and if something isn’t working for them, they’ll look elsewhere. While you may be a loyal customer to companies such as Kent Express dental supplies, patients whose relationship with their doctor isn’t working will soon get online and search for another. At this point, you want to be on their radar, which means being high in the search results and having a website that makes them want to get in touch.
Your website can offer more
Many healthcare providers have fairly simple websites, usually with some doctor bios, a list of services, and some phone numbers. They’re not all that inspiring. However, one of the reasons you should aim to get more SEO visitors is that, once people are on the page, there’s plenty you can do to get them to take the next step. For example, many prefer to book appointments online rather than over the phone, and you may even find a market for providing some of your services via video call.
SEO is something that all businesses need to think about, whether they’re selling products or providing healthcare, as it’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to market your company and ensure it’s found by the right people.