Guide to Local SEO for Healthcare Providers

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The number of people relying on the Internet to get information on various health-related matters, more specifically finding the right healthcare provider, has significantly increased.

In the US, about 72% of the population use the Internet when searching for a healthcare professional. Interesting to note here is that 77% of the population uses a search engine such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo for their search and only 13 percent use a health-specific directory.

Growing your online presence as a healthcare provider is no longer optional

To thrive in this digital age, it is indispensable to have a great online presence so that new patients can find you easily. Otherwise, they are finding your competitors, which is obviously, not the desired outcome.

Getting your potential patients to land on your website is the major reason healthcare providers leverage search engine optimization or SEO, which is the process of increasing the organic (natural) visibility or ranking of a website in a search engine using a methodology of strategies, techniques, and tactics.

It is a strategy used to ensure your website is one of the first non-paid listings in the search engine results for health conditions and medical treatment searches related to your specialty.

 Local SEO brings customers through your door

Now you may be wondering where does Local SEO come into the picture?

Local SEO is about bringing customers through your doors, thus helping you and your practice grow by meeting your business goals through improved search ability online and increased visibility for your website in a specific location. 

So if you want to expand your reach in your locality, you need local SEO. This marketing approach is now widely utilized by healthcare professionals.

One important feature of local SEO is the Google Maps Local 3-Pack. The primary objective of local SEO is to get your business listed highly in Google Maps, with the ultimate goal of being listed in the Google Maps Local 3-Pack and preferably for multiple keywords.

Google My Business is critical for your local SEO

 Google My Business is crucial to your online success as well. GMB is a free online profile offered by Google, that helps consumers learn about your business. GMB also functions to help professionals like you manage your business presence online on Google-owned properties such as Google Search and Google Maps.

As you sign up, you will be asked details of your practice/ business so your potential patients can have as much information as possible. It is important that you make the most of the features in Google My Business as Google relies on this for local searches.

In fact, according to a recent study, GMB signals are the number one ranking factor for the 3-Pack, accounting for over 25% of a 3-Pack ranking!

When a patient searches for a healthcare provider, Google displays the 3-Pack, which consists of top three results near the patient, in the form of a map indicating clinic or office location and then a list of three providers, with basic information, including the name of the business, address, phone, website, and directions. 

Google then decides which businesses show up in the 3-pack based on relevance, distance, and prominence.