Something interesting happened to the Internet when we weren’t looking. It moved from being the repository of cat videos and daily deals to become the go-to source for healthcare information.
According to Pew Research, 72 percent of Internet users looked online for health information within the past year. Almost 50 percent searched for information about doctors or other health professionals, while 38 percent searched for information about hospitals and other medical facilities.
What are all those potential patients looking for? The top three search requests can be boiled down to this:
1) “What do I have?” (specific diseases or conditions)
2) “How can I fix it?” (treatments and procedures)
3) “Who’s going to help me get well?” (doctors and/or other health professionals)
With that in mind, healthcare marketers must bring their “A” game to their digital marketing strategy. Start with these three bedrock fundamentals:
- Key in on the right keywords.
With so much competition for search traffic, you have to be savvy and sly with your keyword selection. Remember, high-yielding search terms are what consumers say they are … not what your CEO thinks they are. So, if your marketing team has orders to optimize for “Atlanta cardiologist” but consumers are actually using “Atlanta heart physician,” you’re optimizing for the wrong phrase.
Action: Develop one or two relevant keywords for each page of your website. Ditto for landing pages, social media posts and blogs. Then, analyze each keyword’s performance religiously.
- Market with (excellent) content.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) goes nowhere without the right content. Fresh, relevant content not only helps you get found, but also helps to guide leads through the sales funnel.
Action: Have a plan to keep a steady stream of blog posts, social media updates, videos, ebooks and webinars flowing. Start by developing an editorial calendar and then assign content development to a staffer, or outsource it to a professional writer or agency.
- Be responsive with your website
With Google placing increased emphasis on responsive design in its search algorithms, responsiveness is no longer a “maybe” feature. A responsive site adapts to the screen size of the device it is viewed on, making it easy to read and navigate — regardless of the device.
Action: It’s important to be where they eyes are. If your site in not responsive, it’s time for an update.
Also, don’t neglect things like back links, which Google places high value on. The thinking goes that if a lot of relevant websites are linked to your site (not from your site), your site must be important. Finally, pay attention to online reviews, questions and comments. If someone leaves a follow-up question or comment to an article you posted, get busy with your reply.
Let the digital marketing pros at Wax show you how to get your healthcare facility found online. To get going, just call us at 305-350-5700 (or visit waxcom.com).
