Why is SEO important for my medical practice and which agency should I choose?

When choosing a good outsourced SEO agency or considering hiring someone for your practice, it’s important to focus on trust. Just like in personal relationships, trust plays a significant role in healthcare SEO.

Google also operates on the basis of trust. It looks for signals of trust in websites to determine their rankings in search results. These signals include keeping promises, fulfilling commitments, loyalty, and maintaining confidentiality. To build trust with Google, you need to consistently send signals of trust over time.

The ultimate goal of healthcare SEO is to improve your rankings in search results. There are two types to consider: the Local Map Pack and the Local Organic results. Your focus should be on the search results that matter to your local practice.

To start building trust with Google, there are four key signals to pay attention to:

1. Optimize your website: Conduct keyword research, ensure relevant and optimized pages, and address technical aspects like images, mobile-friendliness, and security.
   
2. Obtain backlinks: Get other reputable websites to endorse your website through backlinks. It’s crucial to have endorsements from websites that Google considers trustworthy. Check the domain authority and aim for websites with a similar or higher authority than yours.
   
3. Optimize your Google My Business listing: Take advantage of Google My Business by providing all relevant information about your practice, including categories, address, phone number, hours, images, and descriptions. Make sure to fill out all fields and optimize your listing.
   
4. Generate patient reviews: Encourage and ask your patients to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Facebook, Healthgrades, Yelp, etc. Positive reviews signal trustworthiness to Google. Implement a system to ask for reviews and ensure they are easy to read and comply with HIPAA regulations if applicable.

When selecting a marketing agency for healthcare SEO, consider the following:

• Start with an evaluation of your online presence, specifically focusing on the four key signals mentioned above.
  
• Their proposal should outline the strength of each signal, priorities for improvement, and plans to maintain strong signals.
  
• They should have examples of their previous work and demonstrate their compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Prioritize trust and these crucial SEO signals when making decisions about outsourcing SEO or hiring someone for your practice. This will help you choose a reliable agency and improve your search rankings effectively.

For more help, feel free to contact our team at hello@mediacare.agency.