The playful adage is painfully true: The best place to hide a dead body is on page two of Google’s search results. Here’s why doctors need to be concerned about local search and their ability to attract new patients.
The front door of your medical practice moved online some time ago. The “traditional” paths for a patient look for a provider still exist, but by some estimates, a whopping 77 percent of patients use online search prior to booking an appointment. That includes all search engines, but let’s face it, Google dominates local search.
Unfortunately, Google doesn’t talk much about exactly how it recently updated its local search algorithm, but the intent is to improve local search results “with enhanced distance and location ranking parameters.”
So… What this means is, if your medical practice is not listed with the first page of search results—
Most doctor-businessmen who want to find patients online understand the importance of Search Engine Optimization. But with this recent update, the business of the “Local SEO” sub-set is increasingly vital to successful marketing and local exposure.
What you need to do today…
Who’s got time to scroll these days, much less turn to page two? Top listing positions among local search results are premium real estate, and proactive optimization is more important than ever in reaching new healthcare patients.
If you need help with doctor SEO, please give us a call. And for more on this topic, read our previous post: SEO Strategies for Doctors Tired of Being the “Invisible Man” (or Woman) Online.
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