It’s no secret people use Google for everything — especially for health issues.
I recall the days where if I said I was looking up symptoms I would have been deemed a hypochondriac. It’s okay…I’m not alone. Statistics show 77% of consumers now use search engines to conduct research before consulting a doctor and a surprising number of these people see a doctor about the results they find during their search.
With Google accommodating billions of users with top-notch, reliable medical information in certain search results, it’s never been more important for practices to provide exceptional medical content to compete for common, high-volume search terms in your field.
When you’re evaluating how to stand out in these search terms, one of the key factors you should be considering is a keyword or keyword phrase strategy.
What’s a Keyword?
The exact definition states a keyword or keyword phrase is a query term entered into a search engine or website by patients. A keyword can be a single word or a series of words. It’s the search term you want to rank for with a certain page. So when people search for a keyword or phrase in Google or other search engines, they should find the page on your website.
When someone searches Google for “how to fix gap teeth without braces” Google works to discern what the user is looking for, and it returns a list of web pages with this topic. If your website uses the exact phrase the user searched for as a keyword, part of the phrase (“gap teeth”), or a related phrase (i.e. “teeth gaps,” “braces”) Google is more likely to show the user your websites.
Why Are Keywords So Important?
Simply put…ROI. Choosing the right keyword phrases and using them correctly for SEO is quite frankly the easiest and most effective way to get more users to your website. SEO is important to your practice’s success, and keywords play a major role in the SEO game.
People will find their way onto your pages in a variety of ways, including social media and direct traffic to name a few. But, in today’s market, search generates the biggest share of traffic.
Where Should Your Practice Start?
Regardless if you’re taking the first step to or making adjustments to an up and running SEO strategy, the best place to start is to find the right long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords allow small and medium sized practices to stand out and boost your medical practice’s ROI.
What are Short-Tail/Long-Tail Keywords?
Short-tail keywords are limited to one or two words that cover a general topic, such as “breast lift”. Very general term, right? Yes, it will attract lots of search traffic, but it’s expensive and difficult to rank for especially if you’re new to the keyword/SEO game.
Long-tail keywords are specific terms or phrases such as “best breast lift surgeon near me”. You may see less traffic, but if a patient is searching for this term then they are most likely closer to making a decision.
Short-tail keywords are still very useful to the growth of your practice. Long-tail keywords can help your medical practice play to your SEO strengths while building the authority to rank for short-tail keywords in the future.
How Should Medical Practices Choose Long-Tail Keywords?
You can start by utilizing Google’s search bar recommendations to understand how it suggests possible long tails. By checking out what potential keywords are most popular and what’s applicable to what you provided in terms of care, your practice can narrow down your list or add possibilities you have missed.