Three things health care professionals get wrong about SEO

If you’ve been involved in marketing for your practice in any form during the last decade or so, you’ve probably heard about search engine optimization (SEO). This practice of attracting visitors online through search engines like Google is relatively young, but it is one of the most successful ways to reach new patients and to track your marketing efforts.

Despite the benefits of SEO, there are many misconceptions that health care professionals make about it that can negatively impact their results. Take a look at some common mistakes health care professionals make with their SEO and what you can do about them.

Mistake #1: Optimization is a one-and-done deal

We get it. Everybody wants a quick fix for their website’s performance, but the truth is, a brand that performs well online is a brand that maintains a constant digital strategy. Optimization is not a one-and-done deal. It requires ongoing maintenance, regular content and frequent updates for algorithm changes.

Make sure you post content regularly and that you optimize every page for optimal search engine performance to continue attracting visitors to your site and convert them into leads.

Mistake #2: Listings will sort themselves out

Yelp, Yellow Pages and other listings will compile your business’s information in their directories so their users can find quick information about your services, locations and hours. While you may notice your business has a listing in one of these directories without you having done anything, it’s important to claim them as your own so you can make changes to make sure all your listings are accurate.

For example, your practice may move and Yelp may notice but Yellow Pages might not. This will result in two different locations online for the same practice, which can harm your search value. 

Don’t let listings “sort themselves out.” Take action and claim them so you can manage them yourself when you need to make a change.

Mistake #3: Big billboards will get you noticed

When it comes to buying a big billboard ad for your practice, take a moment to reflect on this decision and be honest with yourself: Is this billboard more for brand awareness or more for your ego? We get it. It feels nice to see something big on display demonstrating something you’ve worked hard to build, but the reality is that most people tune out billboards and other outbound ads like newspaper ads. 

If you have advertising dollars to spend, direct more of them to your digital marketing strategy. According to HubSpot, 92.3% of companies that embrace inbound tactics, such as content marketing, SEO and social media marketing, saw an increase of traffic and lead generation. It’s unrealistic to expect results from billboards anywhere close to these results.

Burg & Co. can be your digital marketing partner

While hard work and effort might not be what you want to hear when it comes to improving your digital marketing, it’s what you need. And we understand that you probably don’t have the time or skills to maintain an ongoing digital strategy on top of everything else you do. But that’s OK,because we do.

Our team has years of experience in helping health care practices build and maintain digital marketing strategies that attract visitors and convert leads. Are you ready to take your practice’s digital presence to the next level? Contact our team today for more information about digital marketing or to schedule a complimentary consultation.

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