To devise a successful SEO effort for a medical website, it’s important to compile a strong list of keywords (or even better, keyword phrases) to ensure that search engines and prospective patients find your medical office’s website.
Why keywords matter
While most people are used to hearing the term “keyword” used in conjunction with web searches, it’s misleading because a single keyword rarely returns the kind of results that most people are looking for—or that the website owner is hoping to rank for.
The best medical websites ensure they load their website with top-notch content that utilizes the best keywords and key phrases for their practice.
How to choose optimal keywords
Your first step is to compile a list of any and all phrases your patients currently do and could use to locate your practice online. Most practices will have a list of around 20 or 30 core phrases. While compiling this list, it’s useful to understand how your (potential) patients think as they search for a medical office.
These searchers can be divided into several categories:
- Academic – searchers strictly looking for information.
- Knowledgeable buyers – searchers looking for a practice or doctor.
- Product/service research – searchers looking for a specific medical product or service.
Typically, businesses and medical offices gain the most sales from searchers who are knowledgeable buyers and those people already know what they want to buy/utilize, they’re just looking for the right provider of a product/service.
Once you’ve compiled an initial keyword list, you’ll want to develop it further to increase the likelihood of being discovered via a search. Here are eight considerations to keep in mind during this stage:
- Be descriptive and use action words.
- Consider keywords from your target audience’s perspective.
- Consider keyword variations.
- Gather keywords from your website’s referral logs.
- Look at competitor websites.
- Target localities.
- Use keyword research tools to determine search volume.
- Use specific keyword phrases.
For more information on how the above tips can help develop your raw keyword list, continue reading our article: Finding Keywords That Yield Conversions is Central Component to Medical SEO.