We’re in a world where mental health issues are on the rise and we are seconds away from Googling symptoms and health issues online. As people turn to the internet to research their health concerns it’s so important to provide the right information especially in the healthcare industry. In this post I will talk about why on page SEO is important especially in the healthcare industry.
Understanding the Importance of On-Page SEO for Healthcare
Before delving into the important areas, it’s essential to recognise why on-page SEO holds such significance for healthcare websites. In an industry as fiercely competitive as healthcare, where numerous providers vie for the attention of potential patients, effective on-page SEO serves as the linchpin of digital success.
We are currently in a digital landscape flooded with healthcare providers and medical information websites, securing high rankings on search engines can be the key to setting your healthcare website apart from the crowd. When your website appears at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs), it instantly gains an advantage, catching the eye of those in need of medical services. So you need to make sure the content you are providing is insightful, engaging and well-optmised.
Perhaps equally vital is the trust factor. High-quality on-page SEO content not only attracts users but also positions your website as an authoritative source within the healthcare field. In a realm where health decisions are of paramount importance, patients are naturally drawn to providers and sources they perceive as experts in their respective fields. Effective on-page SEO, marked by informative, well-structured, and keyword-optimised content, can profoundly influence this perception, leading to greater credibility and trust among your audience.
Keyword Research for Healthcare SEO
Effective on-page SEO hinges on the foundation of thorough keyword research, a process that entails understanding the specific language and search queries potential patients use to seek healthcare information and services. In the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, mastering keyword research is paramount to staying relevant and discoverable.
The first step in this endeavor is identifying relevant keywords that resonate with your healthcare niche. Compile a comprehensive list that encompasses not only the services you offer but also the medical conditions you treat. To refine your keyword strategy, you can use powerful keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs. Some of which are not free, and that’s where I can come in to help support your keyword research in this stage. Anyway, starting off with keyword research is the starting point for on-page SEO. From this, you then move on to keyword mapping, site structure planning, and content mapping.
Below are some quick pointers to think about for keyword research for your industry:
- Use keyword research tools: Leverage keyword research tools like google keyword planner, semrush, or ahrefs to identify high-value keywords with good search volume and low competition. You can also check out what your competitors are ranking for using these tools by crawling their URL. Get in touch to find out more about competitor analysis here.
- Long-tail keywords: Don’t forget to target long-tail keywords, which are longer, more specific phrases than your generic keywords. These can be highly valuable as they often indicate high intent to take action. Longtail keywords tend to have lower volume and keyword difficulty against competitors and often bring in genuine enquires. Long tail keywords are great for informational intent content that you can use on your blog to target people searching advice or research in the health sector.
- Optimise on-page elements: Once you have identified your target keywords, it’s time to optimise various on-page elements to enhance your website’s visibility. This includes internal links, image optimisation, headings, and content layout – the user journey and experience on each landing page is SO important for any website. Find out more information on on-page SEO techniques below.
On-page SEO techniques that can’t go unmissed for healthcare websites
There are so many different factors to consider when optimising your website for SEO, technical fixes, local directories, conversion rate optimisation and on- page amends. So, let’s get down to the little details of on-page SEO techniques that every website should be following.
Title tags
Craft compelling and keyword-rich title tags for your web pages. Each page should have a unique title that accurately represents its content ensuring you have no duplicate title tags on the website. Oh and be sure to include your primary keyword in the title tag.
Meta descriptions
Google has the say over meta titles, it shows the user what is best fit to their search on Google, however you can write informative meta descriptions that encourage users to click through to your website if Google does decide to show your hand-crafted meta magic. Again, it’s super important to include your primary keyword naturally in the meta description, be descriptive but direct on what the page or product is – and remember, no duplicate content.
Page Header tags
Heading tags are still commonly misused across so many sites, it’s actually crazy how many sites I have audited and seen there are missing H1s, all the headings are just bolded or there are like 10 H1s in full caps attacking you as soon as you land on the page. Optimise your header tags properly people! Header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) adds structure to your content and page design. The general SEO rule is to have one H1, which is the main header of the page and which we utilise for the focus keyword by providing a clear overview of that landing page. Then the page subheadings, H2s and H3s. These are best used for highlighting the section of content and splitting up the text on your landing page, having 3 – 5 H2s on a page with around 700 words should cut it, don’t go overboard with them else it will look spammy and put off Google and the people..
Image Optimisation
This is another thing that gets missed a lot, image optimisation. This is not just having alt text on the image, it’s the size of the image and the file name when uploading it to the site. You need to make sure the image is sized to fit the area on the page where you are placing it – So if you have a call to action and a small boxed image section, make sure you are sizing this image to be 400 x 400 pixels and not 3000 x 3000 pixels – It’s all about page rendering and the load time of your site, if you’re placing HUGE images across your site you will eventually be waiting a solid minute for each page to load, and no one has time for your slow website to load in our fast-paced society. Oh and don’t forget to have a descriptive file name and alt text for each image, incorporating relevant keywords where appropriate.
Create high-quality, authoritative on page content!
Content is something I am quite passionate about in SEO. It is so important to be providing quality genuine content for your users whether the intent is commercial or informational – it’s all about quality and not quantity! This is especially important in the healthcare sector. Google is on the tip of our fingers whenever we are facing a medical or mental issue, we want to find out what is going on with ourselves and look for advice from real people and find similar stories, so make sure you are providing the best of your knowledge to your users to engage with is so essential for on page SEO. People seek science and FACTS. The internet is already full of clickbait and propaganda, making users see your business is legit is so crucial. So cover all the commonly asked questions, provide rich detail in your content, provide resources and internal links to other pages that are relevant – Provide your audience with the content they are searching for, just avoid keyword stuffing and duplicate content, you can find more about this by getting in touch with Mental Marketing.
Mobile Optimisation
As mentioned above, Google is at our fingertips, we are all glued to our phones. If your website isn’t optimised for mobile, Google just won’t prioritise your website. This doesn’t go for every industry of course but you need to ensure that you have a responsive design that has a good page loading time as the basics. Many people searching for mental health issues, local therapy or medical issues will all likely be using their phone no doubt so ensuring your website is easy to navigate with a clear site structure is crucial in the medical industry. Find out simple ways to optimise your website for mobile here.
Local SEO is essential for the healthcare industry
If your healthcare practice serves a specific geographic area, local SEO is crucial. It helps you appear in local search results when potential patients are looking for healthcare services nearby. Here’s how to optimise for local SEO:
- Google My Business (GMB): Claim and optimise your Google My Business listing. Ensure that your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all online directories
- Local Keywords: Incorporate location-specific keywords into your content and meta tags. Mention your city, neighbourhood, or service areas naturally.
- Online Reviews: Encourage satisfied patients to leave positive reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp. Positive reviews can boost your local rankings and credibility.
Regularly update and maintain your website
From an SEO perspective, regular updates are crucial. Search engines like Google prioritise websites that offer fresh, valuable content. By keeping your content updated, you signal to search engines that your site is actively maintained and relevant, which can result in higher search engine rankings.
Updating your healthcare content offers numerous benefits. Firstly, it enhances your website’s credibility. Patients trust websites that provide the latest medical information, establishing you as an authoritative source in the field.
Secondly, it significantly improves the user experience. Outdated content can lead to confusion and frustration among users, while current information makes their experience more satisfying. Below are some simple maintenance tips that can go a long way:
- Update medical information: Keep medical information, treatment options, and pricing up to date. Outdated information can lead to patient confusion and negatively impact your rankings.
- Monitor GA4 and Google Search Console (It’s Free!): Regularly review website analytics to track your SEO performance. Identify pages with high bounce rates and work on improving them. Speak to an SEO specialist to learn more about your website data.
- Stay up to date: Stay updated with the latest developments in the healthcare industry. Google often updates its algorithms, and being aware of these changes can help you adapt your SEO strategy accordingly.
On-page SEO plays a pivotal role in attracting and retaining patients
I hope I’ve made you aware on how on-page SEO plays a pivotal role in attracting and retaining patients online. By understanding the unique challenges and opportunities within the healthcare industry and implementing these on-page SEO best practices, healthcare providers can improve online visibility, credibility, and ultimately, the ability to connect with patients in need of their services.
Talk to an SEO consultant today for more advice on optimising your website for SEO.