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Tips for Healthcare SEO

A single search on Google can summon page upon page of search result listings. Whether your listing is found on the first page or the ninth is determined by automatic indexers called crawlers. Crawlers, also known as bots or spiders, are the web's helpful little workers that continuously scan websites picking up information. There are several different ways you can appease them. If you give them the information the crawlers are looking for, it could boost your search engine rankings. The following tips can by applied to your website before you commit to a full search engine optimization (SEO) program.

Remember, change is good. Regular updates to your website will not go unnoticed by crawlers. As long as you are updating, crawlers will continue to scan your website for information. For instance, if your practice is offering a new service or has welcomed a new physician into its staff, updating your website with this news will attract a crawler's attention.

An image may speak a thousand words, but on a website, it must be accompanied by text to be recognized by a crawler. This rule also applies to multimedia. That doesn't mean you have to tag every single image on your website, just the images that are relevant. For example, tag portraits of physicians and staff not only to let patients put a face to a name but also to identify them to bots.

Consider which keywords patients use the most when searching for medical information. Keywords are the words most often used during each individual search. Putting these words within the content of your website increases the chance that crawlers will find them and direct patients towards your site. Many of the search terms your patients are looking for will be specific to your medical field. Ask yourself, what are my patients looking for? What kind of information is valuable to them? This may include specific services, signs and symptoms, health related issues, and medications.

Lastly, remember that crawlers love multimedia. The web offers multiple outlets for disseminating information: blogs, video, podcasts, social media, etc. There are several ways to utilize these tools for healthcare marketing and the more they are used, the closer your website will be to the top of search rankings.

These tips are easy enough to follow and may reward you with better search rankings if incorporated consistently into your web strategy. While they can be applied over the long term, keep in mind that they do not replace a full SEO program.