What some may forget about the medical profession is that patients need to be able to find a physician they trust. While this can be done through referral, people often turn to search engines when searching for doctors and healthcare providers.
Just like other businesses that sell a product or service, practices in the medical industry need to have websites capable of directing potential patients to their businesses.
When choosing an SEO professional to develop internet marketing strategies for a medical practice, you should choose one that will practice consistency – especially in these two areas:
1. Minimizing Risk
Effective online marketing involves evaluating the concept of risk versus reward in regards to the ever changing nature of search engine algorithms. This means that SEO professionals need to constantly be aware of the rules that will earn their client a penalty from Google in order to avoid them.
These professionals also need to be able to proactively steer your practice in the right direction. Like the Hippocratic Oath you took when you became a doctor, an SEO professional’s oath should be to do no harm to a client’s website or online reputation.
2. Original Content & Data
A big problem in the digital age is when SEO professionals use their own accounts to store their client’s digital assets. Typically, these assets include:
- Google search consoles
- Social media profiles
- Google analytics
- Domain registrations
- PPC accounts
- Hosting accounts
The problem with this system is that in the event the SEO company goes out of business, all of the medical practice’s information would be lost. This can lead to the practice having to start from scratch on their online presence or to potentially go out of business.
Ensure that your SEO professional sets up any digital assets created for your practice in your name and you’re given full access.